When America Needs A Better Idea: An Alternate Ford Corporate History

1971

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Banned
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The Cardinal/Cortina was all new. The V4 engine was replaced by an inline 4. The new motor was cheaper to build and maintain but produced more vibrations.

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The Falcon became the Granada after being redesigned for 1971. The new model was very European in its design.

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The Mustang was updated, gaining significant length and weight. Buyers were not impressed with this bloated Mustang and sales suffered accordingly.
 
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1972

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Banned
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The Torino was redesigned. It got bigger and switched from unibody to traditional body on frame construction. It was now roughly as big as the 1965 full sized Ford.
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The Thunderbird was redesigned. It got bigger and with the 385 Cu in (7.5 liter) V8 engine weighed a staggering 4800 pounds.

For 1972, gross horsepower ratings were replaced by the more accurate (and lower) net horsepower ratings. Compression ratios were lowered to accomodate upcoming emissions standards.
 
1973

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Banned
1973 was a seminal moment for the auto industry
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New regulations required that cars be able to survive a 5 mph crash with no serious damage. This meant ugly and heavy front bumpers.

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In October, the Arab oil producers announced an embargo of oil exports in retaliation for Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur war. The price of oil doubled and price controls caused long lines at gas pumps.

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The Ford F-series was redesigned.
 
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1974

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Banned
1974 was a dark year. Demand for cars, particularly profitable big ones, plunged thanks to the energy crisis.
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The Mustang was redesigned for the first time since its 1964 launch. The new model was substantially smaller and lighter than the bloated 1973 model. This helped bring the car back to its roots and was good as the energy crisis meant demand for small cars was up.

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The Mustang's European counterpart, the Capri, was also redesigned. To broaden its appeal as demand for sports cars shrank, it became a hatchback.

Ford decided it would downsize its cars starting with the 1977 model year after they got wind of GM's plan to do likewise. They also determined that front wheel drive was the future for all cars besides the Mustang.
 

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Banned
I got rid of the awful Pinto based Mustang II but I still needed to downsize that car from the bloated 1971-1973 model.
 
1975

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Banned
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To compete with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford introduced the Elite, a stylized Torino coupe.

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The Escort was given squared off styling.

1975 was notable in regulatory changes:
-Square headlights were made legal for the first time since 1940, but they still had to be sealed beams
-Catalytic converters became mandatory
-Corporate Average Fuel Economy laws, to go into effect in 1978, required vehicle fleets to have an average fuel economy of 18 MPG rising to 27.5 MPG for 1985.
 
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1976

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Banned
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1976 brought the Fiesta. With a 90 inch wheel base, it was Ford's smallest car. It was billed as a "supermini" in Europe and as a "microcar" in the US. It was stylish, fuel efficient, and fun to drive. It was another home run from Dearborn.
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The Cardinal gained squared-off styling.
 
1977

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Banned
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The LTD was redesigned for 1977. It lost 800 pounds in weight without sacrificing any interior space. It was now smaller in all dimensions than the Torino. Sales rose 50% over the year before.
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The Thunderbird nameplate was moved to a redesigned Elite. With a drop in price, sales rose to 318,000.
 
1978

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Banned
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The 1978 model year saw a reshuffling of Ford's lineup. The Granada was dropped in the US while continuing on in Europe. The redesigned European Granada was sold in the US as a downsized Torino. This car would be a huge hit for Ford. In the US it sold 600,000 models, outselling even the Oldsmobile Cutlass. In Europe it was compared favorably to the Volvo 240.

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The Ford Bronco was upsized from a compact off roader to a full sized model based on the F-series
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Lee Iaccoca was dismissed as company President by Henry Ford II after 17 years at the helm which included successful product launches including the Cardinal and Mustang.
 
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1979

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Banned
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The Capri was refreshed with more agressive bodywork to regain its sporting image.
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The Mustang was redesigned as well.


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The F-series was redesigned

1979 saw Iran's government overthrown by revolution in favor of a radical Anti-American Islamist theocracy that went so far as to hold employees at the US embassy as hostage. The chaos knocked that country's oil production offline. The world was plunged into yet another energy crisis.

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Henry Ford II resigned as CEO after over 30 years of service. Philip Caldwell replaced him, the first CEO outside of the Ford Family since John S Gray sold his shares to Henry Ford in 1906.

Ford bought a 24.5% share of struggling Japanese automaker Mazda.
 
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1980

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Banned
1980 was not a good year for Detroit. Car sales plunged to their lowest since 1961 amidst recession, rising interest rates and gas prices. All of the Big 3 posted losses with Chrysler being forced to seek assistance from Washington. Losses deprived the company of money needed for new models.

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The Thunderbird was downsized onto an extended wheelbase Cardinal platform, the result was ugly and sales suffered accordingly.



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W Edward Deming, who helped create the Toyota Production System, was hired as a consultant by Ford with the goal of improving quality. The company changed its tagline to "Quality is Job #1".. Their strategy was not to achieve Toyota levels of reliability but to make the cars look and feel like Toyota quality through smoother, quieter engines and improved fit and finish.

The company outlined its "One Ford" strategy to consolidate its worldwide offerings by 1990.
 
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1981

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Banned
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The Escort was all new and put in the US market for the first time. It featured the first of Ford's new 4 cylinder engines that were co-engineered with Mazda to ensure smoothness and reliability. The engine was mounted transversely to increase interior space.
 
1983

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Banned
1983 was a big year for Ford with 5 new models. The company ran a profit for the first time since 1979.

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The Fiesta was updated with new headlights and engines.

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Composite headlights with replaceable bulbs were legalized for the first time since 1940 in the US allowing for aerodynamic and stylish headlight assemblies. The first car to take advantage was the replacement for the Cardinal/Cortina, the Tempo/Sierra. The new car was more spacious thanks to a longer wheelbase and a transverse engine setup but sold below expectations at first due to the controversial styling.

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The Granada/Torino was renamed as the LTD and restyled with a new streamlined body. The full sized LTD was renamed as the Crown Victoria. Despite the stylish new look, the car was sitting on a dated rear wheel drive platform even as its competitors, the Chevrolet Celebrity and Dodge Aries, had moved to front wheel drive. It became clear that Ford needed a new midsized car.

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The Thunderbird gained stylish and aerodynamic styling helping boost sales.

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The Mazda-based Courier was replaced by the Ranger light pickup truck. The compact Bronco was revived as Bronco II.
 
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1984

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Banned
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The Ford Mustang ragtop was revived. This was the first Ford convertible since 1973.

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In 1984, Chrysler brought out the Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan. These were small vans with front wheel drive. They offered station wagon versatility but in a smaller more fuel efficient package. This was a problem for Ford since they had dominated the station wagon market with their Country Squire for so long. Ironically, way back in 1973, Ford built a prototype of a shrunk Econoline which was basically a minivan but it was rejected.
 
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1986

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Banned
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1986 brought Ford's most important new car since 1949, the Taurus. Replacing the LTD, it was front wheel drive and very aerodynamic. It shot to the top of the sales charts quickly. The car's design process was revolutionary, with exterior and interior designers working side by side, reverse engineering of competing Japanese models, and special attention to interior user friendliness. Ford's problems disappeared overnight.
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Based on the new Taurus came Ford's first minivan, the Aerostar.


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Out with the old, in with the new: the last Capri rolled off the assembly line in West Germany that December. The market for cars like the Capri had evaporated in favor of hot hatches, including Ford's own Escort XR3i.

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The Capri's inspiration, the Mustang, which was almost switched to Front Wheel Drive was kept on rear wheel drive after a massive outcry by enthusiasts and a giant drop in gas prices.
 
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1987

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Banned
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The Sierra/Tempo was freshened for 1987. Wraparound front indicators and a new notchback sedan model made it look more conventional. By now, the aero-look that it had pioneered was widespread allowing it sell very well.

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The F-series was redesigned with the aerodynamic family look.
 
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