Back in 1979, when I was engaged to my wife, Bobbi, she was looking to get rid of her 1966 Thunderbird that was giving her trouble. We were going to be moving away from her parents, and she wanted a reliable and economical car to drive when we visited them. I tried to convince Bobbi to buy a midsize Ford Futura, but she wanted a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. I was driving a 1974 Valiant Scamp and liked the rectilinear style of the Fairmont-based Futura, but she bought the Monte Carlo. We were still driving that Monte Carlo 16 years later when I drove it to work one day and the left front wheel fell off.

The ‘Futura’ of Ford’s Ranchero

In addition to myself, the Futura’s “basket handle” B-pillar caught the attention of Jim Stephenson. He thought the Futura would make a great downsized Ford Ranchero. The plus-size LTD-II based Ranchero was gone by the end of 1979, and Ford had no plan to replace it. At this time, Ford Motor Co. had to shrink all of its automobiles to the tune of billions of dollars to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, and tooling up to produce a new, low-volume Ranchero wasn’t in the cards.

Stephenson ran an auto body and paint shop with his partner, George Price, in Pacoima, Calif. He convinced Price that he could build a car-truck hybrid Futura. As a result, Price bought a new Z-7­ — the badge-engineered Mercury counterpart to the Futura — and Stephenson did sheet metal surgery.

The end result was spectacular. The prototype’s wide “wrap over roof pillar,” as it was described in a Futura brochure, became a flying-buttress sail panel that extended beyond an upright rear window. A one-piece fiberglass pickup bed that would not rust or become scratched was installed where the trunk once was. The sloped tail section of the Futura became the tailgate for the pickup truck.

Stephenson and Price showed photos of the prototype to Holmes-Tuttle Lincoln-Mercury in Van Nuys to generate interest in marketing this new Ranchero. The dealership was intrigued and showed the photos to Ford honchos in Detroit. Ford became involved and there was talk of Stephenson setting up a conversion facility near Kansas City, where the Futura was assembled. Ford even gave him engineering specifications of the Futura. Before it could go farther, Stephenson became seriously ill with a collapsed kidney and plans were halted.

As Stephenson’s health somewhat improved, he contacted Bill Feldhorn, president of National Coach Products in Gardena, to produce the pickup as the company was already converting vans. Since Ford would not let Stephenson use the Ranchero name, Feldhorn named his car-truck hybrid “Durango” long before Dodge used the name on its Dakota-based SUV.

Stephenson still had medical issues, so instead of a hands-on position, he acted as a consultant. Thus, unlike the prototype that had reflectors in both ends of the bed box when the tailgate was down, later Durangos only had reflectors and taillamps in the tailgate. There also was no hinged license plate holder when the tailgate was down. A disclaimer warned drivers not to drive the Durango with the tailgate down.

Futuras could come with an overhead-cam four of 140 cubic inches good for 88 hp, a 200-cid overhead-valve inline six that produced 86 hp or a 225-cid V-8 with 115 hp. The four bangers could come with a four-speed manual or an automatic while the six and V-8 only came with an automatic transmission. The estimated 212 Durangos produced in ’81 and ’82 were all equipped with the six-cylinder.

The base Futura cost $4,223 and $2,000 was added for the pickup conversion. In contrast, a base El Camino was $6,988­—some $700 more.

A barn find Durango

At 32 years young, old car enthusiast Chandler Yates, of Lehi, Utah, owns the featured 1981 Ford Durango. He owns, drives, restores and maintains vintage vehicles.

“I became aware of the Durango when I was out purchasing a Ford LTD from an estate sale,” he recalls. “I was wandering around and found this in one of the barns. I knew instantly I had found something very special. It was something I had never seen before.”

The “Rip Van Winkle” Durango had been hibernating for 20 years. According to Chandler, it had electrical issues. He realized this pickup was a vehicle one would not often see on the road, but so did others.

“It was a tough negotiation,” Chandler said. “There were people aware of this pickup and trying to purchase it from different states. I was able to secure the deal and the game began. It took almost six months for the family to locate and reissue a title.”

Chandler used his skills to quickly put the Durango back on the road.

“I was able to pick it up and get it home; we had it running the same day. I spent some time with the electrical and was able to sort out the underlying issues. I wasn’t done there, though. I wanted a reliable and fuel-efficient vehicle that I could use in the high elevation of Utah, and also combat the heat of the desert. I went to the drawing board and designed an adapter plate and built a custom Sniper electronic fuel-injection system for the Durango, bringing the vehicle into the new age of reliability. Being a true survivor, the intention is to restore and repair what is there and keep things as original as possible from when it left National Coach Works facility.”

Chandler had help from his best friend, Nicholas Day, on the Durango and other restorations, like his ’65 Mustang convertible. But unlike the Mustang, Chandler doesn’t plan to restore his Durango.

“I find the patina and age of this pickup to be really beautiful, and I don’t want to take away from the history it shows. The future of the Durango is to become mechanically sound first, and do suspension upgrades, such as disc brakes and air shock suspension. I’ll continue to add some creature comforts like a Bluetooth radio and hands-free calling.

“I can’t help but call it a ‘Foxchero,’ being the only pickup truck built on the Fox-body platform. I intend to keep the pickup and start showing it next summer. Maybe one day my kids will have this vehicle that is rare and was close to their dad’s heart.” 

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“It started out as four door. I welded the rear doors shut, cut a section out of the roof and moved the rear pillars forward. I cut the top 4 or 5 inches off of a GM truck bed and welded that onto the rear fenders. Generations body shop in Franklin, IN, added a truck bed, tailgate and rear window and painted it.”

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By Michael Petti

Brochures and advertisements for the first-year Ranchero of 1957 were geared toward farmers, ranchers, builders, salesmen and even vending machine operators. The car-pickup hybrid was also pitched to operators of resorts, country clubs, dude ranches and airports. But there was no mention that the Ranchero was a vehicle for the housewife, mother, Girl Scout Leader or even cosmetic saleswoman. Martha Stevermer-Gifford of Plymouth, N.H., does not fit into any of these stereotypes, yet the auto-pickup appeals to her and many other women today.

The 1957 Ranchero — the car that worked like a truck — didn’t represent an entirely new idea. Before World War II, Studebaker and Hudson offered a coupe car body with a pickup box. Even Ford of Australia offered a car-based ute that featured a pickup bed on its passenger car chassis. However, these vehicles did not have a rear quarter panel that looked like that of an automobile.

After the war, Crosley and the 1950 Australian utes were car-pickups built with automobile rear quarter panels. However, the Crosley pickup was not a common trendsetter. And back in 1957, very few Americans had seen Australian utes, not even in photo magazines such as Life and Look. So, the 1957 Ranchero was essentially new to Americans. As Motor Life remarked, the Ranchero was “for the person who has always wanted a pickup but is balked by the looks or ride qualities inherent in normal trucks.” To them, “Ford has come to the rescue.”

The low and long 1957 Ford car design was headed by Bob Maguire, and the Ranchero was based on the two-door station wagon derivative of that design. It offered a 6-foot cargo bed and with the tailgate lowered, provided an 8-foot length. The practical, easy-to-load cargo vehicle could carry 1190 pounds. It was sprung slightly heavier than the F-100 half-ton and handled about 50 pounds more!

Stevermer-Gifford’s Ranchero was one of those Rancheros whose work ethic was put to the test during its lifetime.

According to Stevermer-Gifford, her ’57 Ranchero “was purchased in Sunnyvale, California, [during 1995] from the Mareotte-Stagen family, who were the original owners. It was mostly complete and rust-free, but barely running and otherwise in poor condition. It had been used for decades in the family’s car repair business.”

The Ranchero could be ordered with any engine available in the Ford car, all the way up to the Thunderbird Special.

“Under the hood is the original Thunderbird 312-cubic-inch V-8 engine and finned aluminum valve covers,” she said. This particular Thunderbird 312 V-8 engine has a single four-venturi Holley carburetor, although two carburetors and even a supercharger were available.

The Ranchero was available with a three-speed standard shift with or without overdrive or a two-speed automatic. Stevermer-Gifford noted the electric overdrive in her Ranchero’s three-speed manual transmission “still works in both second and third gear and makes it possible to get 18 mpg on the highway.” The shifter is now located on the floor. She notes the shift is crisp and the throws are short.

The Ranchero was available in standard and Custom levels. The “Amish plain” standard series sold for $2,098. For just $51 greenbacks more, one could move up to the Custom model. Trim differences separated the less expensive series from the more expensive line. Stevermer-Gifford and her husband, Loren Gifford, have the latter in this Ranchero. More elaborate trim was sometimes added by dealers.

“Our Ranchero was in various shades of ugly, dirty pink as a result of the many repaints in different reds,” Stevermer-Gifford said. “All faded badly in the California sun. We compounded down the many layers of paint resulting in a nice satin patina, but a badly stained concrete driveway.”

“Martha’s cousins and their friends in Easton, Minnesota, did a frame-off restoration, and had it painted in the original Flame Red,” said Gifford. “In the summer of 2002 we drove it from the Midwest to our home.”

“The flip-up fiberglass pickup bed cover is an original aftermarket item from the late 1950s,” Stevermer-Gifford added. “This early tonneau is seen only on a few West Coast Rancheros. The 60-year-old spring lifts still work perfectly. The cover’s old boat rail trim is typical for that era.”

In addition, the Ranchero features the raised V-bar bumper guard over the grille, which they said is a rare ’57 Ford option.

Today, Stevermer-Gifford and Gifford’s Ranchero is one hot hauler. Best of all, it still occasionally makes short work out of long hauls.

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