Forgotten Concept: Ford Ranger II | The Daily Drive | Consumer Guide® The Daily Drive

Ford Ranger II Idea

That is an installment in a sequence of posts wanting again on present automobiles that we really feel deserved slightly extra consideration than they received. In case you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Idea matter, please shoot us a line or go away a remark beneath.

Ford Ranger II

First Seen: 1966 Detroit Auto Present

Description: Pickup truck with increasing passenger compartment

Gross sales Pitch: “Ultramodern concept in pickup vans”

Extra Forgotten Ideas

Ford Ranger II Idea

Particulars:

First seen on the 1966 Detroit Auto Present, the Ranger II Idea was most notable for 2 options: a forward-opening canopy-style cab, and an expandable passenger compartment that traded cargo-bed house for extra inside room and a again seat for 2 extra passengers.

When conceived by automotive designer and futurist Syd Mead, the Ranger II was designed to be constructed on the chassis of a full-size station wagon. The ultimate Ford idea shared its structure with Ford’s F-250 pickup truck. The idea was powered by 390-cubic-inch V8 mated to a Ford SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automated transmission.

In 2-passenger configuration, the Ranger II boasted an 8-foot mattress. The completed mattress featured a walnut wooden ground with aluminum rails, padded wheel arches, and vinyl bedsides. To make room for 2 further passengers, the Ranger’s driver want solely push a button. Set into motion, the Ranger II’s small rear roof part slid again 18 inches, a pair of bucket seats rose from the ground, as did facet “filler” sections with home windows.

The well-equipped Ranger II featured an AM/FM radio and Ford’s SelectAire air-con.

Forgotten Idea: Mercury Messenger

Ford Ranger II Idea

CG Says:

At first blush, it could be simple to dismiss the Ranger II Idea as nothing greater than whimsical tackle Ford’s already-in-production Ranchero automotive/pickup crossover. However credit score goes to Ford’s concept-design workforce for being nicely forward of the curve in recognizing that Individuals have been starting to just accept pickup vans as personal-use automobiles, and the house for greater than two passengers—three, actually, as most pickups have been geared up with a bench seat within the Sixties—would grow to be a client expectation.

What bums me out is that there’s no proof I can discover that the robotically increasing cab really labored. It seems Ford merely schlepped round ideas in 2- and 4-passenger configurations and allowed slightly exposition to substitute for the precise transformation.

Forgotten Idea: GMC Centaur