Ford Fairmont: Classic Car Ads | The Daily Drive

Promoting within the consolation zone.

1981 Ford Fairmont, blue — 1981 Ford Fairmont

Again in 1978, had been you to ask a five-year previous little one to attract a automobile, she or he would probably—and fairly unintentionally—draw one thing that regarded so much like a Ford Fairmont. This isn’t as a result of children knew what a Fairmont was, however as a result of the Fairmont was the only most anonymous-looking automobile ever retailed within the U.S. by Ford.

Ford Fairmont: Traditional Automobile Adverts

I’ve written concerning the hubris of Seventies Ford Granada adverts, adverts that in contrast the small Ford to the likes of the Cadillac Seville, Volkswagen Rabbit, and even the Mercedes-Benz SLC sporty coupe. You’ll be able to examine these adverts out right here.

Ford took a really completely different tack with the Fairmont, which slotted under the Granada within the model’s lineup. New for 1978, the Fairmont—together with it’s Mercury clone the Zephyr—was the primary Ford mannequin constructed on the maker’s Fox Physique structure. In comparison with the dated Granada, the Fairmont was smaller exterior, roomier inside, and was additionally considerably lighter.

The Fairmont was additionally, frankly, boring. And unusually, promoting for the automobile appear to replicate that actuality. Provided as 2-door sedan, 4-door sedan, station wagon, and barely rakish coupe, the Fairmont regarded plain and easy, and that appeared OK with each Ford and the shopping for public.

The Fairmont hit showrooms throughout a interval of world political unrest, excessive inflation, and rising gasoline prices. And the brand new Ford’s uninteresting however acquainted profile appealed to buyers uninterested in change and turmoil.

Although new, the Fairmont’s structure was fairly standard. Ford did make use of unibody development, however the automobile featured rear-wheel drive, and, as famous above, standard physique varieties.

This was in distinction to Common Motors’ new “X-Automobiles” which arrive early in 1979 as 1980 fashions. Each GM division however Cadillac acquired an X, together with Chevrolet (Quotation), Pontiac (Phoenix), Oldsmobile (Omega), and Buick (Skylark).

In comparison with the Fairmont, the X Automobiles had been radical, with unusual physique varieties, together with a 4-door hatchback, front-wheel drive, and transverse-mounted engines. Whereas the X Automobiles had been forward of their time, many patrons weren’t prepared for that a lot change.

Trying again, the Fairmont may be thought of a half step between relics just like the Granada, and paradigm changers just like the Quotation.

Ford offered a LOT of Fairmonts, a testomony to the automobile’s approachable simplicity. Mixed, the Fairmont and Zephyr racked up virtually 1.6 million gross sales in the course of the automobiles’ six-year run. So, yeah, the uninteresting and boxy Fairmont might have regarded like a baby’s drawing, but it surely precisely met the wants of a number of People throughout a turbulent time.