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Ford Maverick (Americas)

Ford Maverick
'73 Ford Maverick Grabber (Sterling Ford).jpg
1973 Ford Maverick Grabber
Overview
Manufacturer Ford
Also called Ford Falcon Maverick
(Mexico)
Production 1970–1977 (North America)
1973–1979 (Brazil)
Assembly Claycomo, Missouri, U.S.
Milpitas, California, U.S.
Wayne, Michigan, U.S.
Talbotville, Ontario, Canada
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
São Bernardo do Campo,
São Paulo, Brazil
Body and chassis
Class Compact
Body style 2-door sedan
4-door sedan
Layout FR layout
Related Ford Granada
Mercury Comet
Mercury Monarch
Powertrain
Engine 170 cu in (2.8 L)
Thriftpower Six I6
200 cu in (3.3 L)
Thriftpower Six I6
250 cu in (4.1 L)
Thriftpower Six I6
302 cu in (5.0L) V8
Transmission Ford C4 transmission in automatic models
Dimensions
Wheelbase 103 in (2.616 m) (2-Door)
109.9 in (2.791 m) (4-Door)
Length 179.4 in (4.557 m) (2-Door) (1970-1972)
187 in (4.750 m) (2-Door) (1974-1977)
193.9 in (4.925 m) (4-Door)
Width 70.5 in (1.791 m)
Height 53.5 in (1.359 m) (2-Door)
53.4 in (1.356 m) (4-Door)
Curb weight 2,909 lb (1,320 kg) (2-Door)
3,011 lb (1,366 kg) (sedan)
Chronology
Predecessor Ford Falcon (North American)
Successor Ford Fairmont

The Ford Maverick is a compact car that was manufactured by Ford from April 1969 to 1977 in the United States, Venezuela (first country outside the States to produce them), Canada, Mexico, and, from 1973 to 1979, in Brazil — employing a rear-wheel drive platform dating to the original 1960 Falcon. Originally marketed as a two-door sedan at a price of $1,995, the Maverick was designed to be inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

The name "maverick" was derived from the word for unbranded range animals, and the car's nameplate was stylized to resemble a longhorned cow head.

The Maverick was originally conceived and marketed as a subcompact "import fighter", intended to do battle with the Volkswagen Beetle and newer Japanese rivals for North America from Honda, Datsun, and Toyota. The Falcon, Ford's compact offering since 1960 and main rival to the Chevrolet Nova and Dodge Dart, had seen its sales decimated by the introduction of the Mustang in 1964, and despite a redesign in 1966, was unable to meet the then forthcoming U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration motor vehicle standards that would come into effect on January 1, 1970. Consequently, the Falcon was discontinued midway through the 1970 model year, and the Maverick repositioned as Ford's compact entry, giving the Nova and Dart a new rival. A bigger Falcon was a rebranded low-trim version of the Fairlane for the second half of the model year, then went away. Ford chose not to sell the European Escort in North America due to slow demand for the Cortina. However, the Escort name was introduced to North America in 1980, replacing the Pinto and stop-gap European Fiesta.


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Wikipedia

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