Ford Maverick: Yesteryear Glory
It is very hard to find a Ford Maverick running proudly on the streets these days. This car, often referred to as forgotten American muscle, was considered a beast of its own breed when it was being manufactured by the company and proudly owned by families around the country. It was 1969 and Ford was trying to find an answer to imported cars from Volkswagen such as Beatle and some others emanating from Japan. It was not just Ford but also other Detroit auto making giants like Chevrolet and Dodge that were reeling under the invasion of the Japanese and German cars. Ford was thinking along the lines of a car that was affordable and yet did not make any compromise on performance. This is how Ford Maverick came into existence.
Power packed performance at affordable price tag
With Maverick, Ford was able to hit the mark as it lured a segment that paid attention to not just affordability but also performance. So Ford introduced Maverick that was not only inexpensive but also surprisingly powerful. It created a strong buzz in the market when it arrived with a price tag of just $1995 with its base model in the year 1969. If you look at Ford Maverick today and try to find some similarity with the car models being sold today, you can place it somewhere in the ancestry of Focus. Maverick boasted a very long hood and a styling at the back that can be termed as fastback. This implied it had a roofline that continually sloped down on the backside of the car.
Interestingly, Ford Maverick was not entirely a new car in the true sense of the word. It shared the running gear and the engine with Ford Falcon. Ford was actually hurt by the disappointing sale figures of Falcon and so it took the company only 8 months after the arrival of Maverick to discontinue with Falcon. Talking about Maverick, the base model was fitted with a not so special 2.8 liter engine that produced a power of 170 HP. One could opt for a higher model of the car fitted with a more powerful 3.3 liter engine but even this car did not fit in with the image of a muscle car.
But people liked the car, its looks, and its performance. They also liked the price tag. This is the reason why Ford could sell around half a million units of Maverick in the first year of its launch. But Ford was looking to realize the untapped potential of this car. By this time Ford Pinto had arrived and it quickly captured the subcompact segment in the market. Now Ford tried to woo customers by adding more power to its already popular Ford Maverick. These were the times when there was not talk of emissions being bad for the environment and so Ford could add more power to Maverick.
Maverick Grabber arrived and captured the imagination of the people
Ford introduced Maverick Grabber in 1970. There were some changes like rear spoiler and new stylish graphics. It was fitted with a V8 engine and it was a surprisingly lightweight with a rear wheeled drive. This new combination enticed many customers and they were excited to experience muscle and power of this car at a very affordable price tag. With this repackaging, Ford Maverick once again soared in popularity and it now boasted of an extended family with even a sedan under the brand name of Maverick. With added power, Ford Maverick could produce a power of 210 HP. It may not sound a lot of power in today’s context but back in those times, the thought of reaching a speed of 60mph in just 9 seconds seemed very exciting. One could do a quarter of a mile in just 17 seconds driving Ford Grabber.
Ford continued with Grabber for 4 more years. Despite decent sale figures, the company suddenly announced that it was going to discontinue with Maverick Grabber in the year 1975. However, Ford continued to produce the regular model of Maverick for two more years till 1977. Even though Ford Maverick was so popular for a relatively short time period, Ford stopped its production to stun its lovers.
