Ford Maverick

Ford Maverick at a glance

Launch in April 1969

Ford introduced the Maverick on 17 April 1969, well ahead of the 1970 model year, as a two-door sedan with a semi-fastback roof, a long bonnet and a short boot. The 1970 price of $1,995 put it close to imported small cars, although English Wikipedia notes that a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle was still about $500 cheaper. Classic Industries describes the project, developed under Lee Iacocca, as a deliberately cheap car to buy and run.

The name came from Samuel Augustus Maverick, a Texas pioneer who refused to brand his cattle, and the emblem showed a Longhorn's head. Buyers liked the formula: Ford built nearly 579,000 Mavericks for the first model year, close to the first-year figure of the original Mustang (nearly 619,000) and far more than the Mustang's own 1970 sales of under 200,000. The man behind both cars is portrayed in our article on Lee Iacocca.

Maverick timeline

Engines and chassis

The first cars used the 170 cu in (2.8-litre) six with 78 kW (105 hp), available in the first half of 1970 with an optional three-speed semi-automatic. A 200 cu in (3.3-litre) six with 89 kW (120 hp) and, from the middle of 1970, a 250 cu in (4.1-litre) six followed. For 1971 the 302 cu in (4.9-litre) Windsor V8 with 157 kW (210 hp) became available in both the Maverick and its new Mercury twin, the Comet. The 170 was dropped for 1973, when the 200 became the standard engine.

Mercury's version, the revived Comet of 1971–1977, used the same body and engines with its own grille, rear lights, trim and bonnet, so the two cars differ mainly in their details and badges.

The two-door rode on a 103-inch (2,616 mm) wheelbase. The four-door, added for 1971, had a longer 109.9-inch (2,791 mm) wheelbase for more rear legroom. A sedan weighed about 1,366 kg (3,011 lb). Our power converter turns these period horsepower ratings into any other unit.

Production by year

Figures from Classic Industries; the 1970 line combines its 127,833 cars listed under 1969 and 451,081 under 1970. Over 1.3 million Mavericks had been sold by 1973.

Grabber, Sprint, LDO and Stallion

The Grabber arrived in the middle of the 1970 model year and stayed until 1975. It added wider tyres, graphics, trim and a rear spoiler, and the 1971–1972 cars had a hood with twin scoops. Combined with the optional V8, it was the sportiest Maverick of the range.

The Sprint of 1972 was a one-year package tied to the Olympic Games, with two-tone paint and a matching interior. The LDO (Luxury Decor Option), added late in the 1972 model year, brought plusher upholstery, a vinyl roof and imitation wood trim. The Stallion of 1976 was a paint-and-trim package. In 1977 Ford also offered a police package, which sold fewer than 400 cars.

Bumpers, four doors and decline (1973–1977)

Federal rules brought larger energy-absorbing bumpers from 1973. The four-door gained ground: in 1974 Ford built 137,728 four-doors against 139,818 two-doors, and from 1975 the four-door outsold the two-door every year.

Ford had planned the Granada to replace the Maverick for 1975, but positioned it instead as a more luxurious compact and kept both cars in the range. Volumes fell steadily, to under 100,000 in 1977. For 1978 the Fairmont, the first car on Ford's Fox platform, took the Maverick's place.

Maverick outside the United States

Mavericks were assembled at Claycomo (Missouri), Milpitas (California) and Wayne (Michigan), at Talbotville and Oakville in Ontario, in Mexico City, in São Bernardo do Campo near São Paulo and in Valencia, Venezuela. Venezuela built the car from 1970 to 1977. Brazil produced it from 1973 to 1979, including a GT version, although English Wikipedia notes it did not reach the expected sales. Early Mexican cars were sold as the "Falcon Maverick".

The Maverick name since 1977

Ford has reused the name several times. In Australia it was a version of the Nissan Patrol (1988–1994), in Europe a version of the Nissan Terrano II (1993–1999) and later the Ford Escape (2001–2004). Since 2021 it has been a compact pickup: revealed on 8 June 2021 and built at Hermosillo, Mexico, from 2 September 2021, it uses the front-wheel-drive-based C2 unibody platform. Its standard 2.5-litre hybrid gives 142 kW (191 hp) combined, a 2.0-litre EcoBoost 186 kW (250 hp), and a headline cited by English Wikipedia gives a starting price of $19,995 for the 2022 model year. Apart from the name it has nothing in common with the 1970s car.

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