1963 Ford Ranchero Utility (LHD)

The first Ranchero was a pick-up based on the full-size Ford Fairlane in 1957-1959, the first car-based utility offered by a major American auto manufacturer, but from 1960 was based instead on the compact Ford Falcon. Using the same running gear as found in the Falcon, the base Ranchero was equipped with a 144-cid six-cylinder motor offering excellent fuel economy. With the demand for more power, Ford increased capacity to 170-cid in 1961 and for 1963, offered the same small-block 260-cid V8 found in the original Shelby Cobra, Falcon Sprint and various other high performance Fords of the same year. Indeed, when the Ranchero buyer selected the factory four-speed manual gearbox in conjunction with the V8 engine, he was buying an absolute rocket - in many ways, the forerunner to modern high performance sports utilities like the Ford Lightning. The Ranchero's styling for 1963 was updated in line with the Falcons, with a new convex grille with plenty of chrome and revised tail light lenses. Today, these compact utilities have a strong following in the States and have become increasingly collectable as their rarity and true worth become fully appreciated. With just enough details to set the Ranchero apart from its home-grown Falcon ute cousin, and performance to burn, this is one very appealing little pick-up.