The 1957 Ranchero launched a decades-long trend for stylish car-based pickups that was soon joined by Chevrolet. Here’s where it started.
Just who at the Ford Motor Company conceived the 1957 Ranchero has never been recorded, it seems. But then, it’s not a terribly original idea. Ford pickups before World War II were closely based on passenger cars, while in Australia, Ford was producing Utes (Coupe Utilities) for decades. The big idea of the Ranchero, if you will, was the realization that a stylish hybrid pickup could be based on the two-door Ranch Wagon at relatively low cost, sharing the chassis and most of the sheet metal. The formal introduction came on December 6, 1956, three months after the launch of the standard 1957 Ford passenger car line.
The product line for the new hybrid pickup consisted of two models, Ranchero ($2,098) and Ranchero Custom ($2,149). For the extra 51 bucks, Custom buyers received an interior upgrade, twin sun visors, a greater variety of exterior colors, and bright metal side trim. While the brochure illustrations and early press photos show a single, thin chrome strip on each flank (just above), many Ranchero Customs we see today are equipped with the anodized gold trim (just below) found on the Custom 300 sedan and Del Rio station wagon, a low-cost dealer add-on.
Standard in both Rancheros was a 223 cubic-inch inline six with 114 hp, while the two optional V8s included a 272 CID, 190 hp Y-block for the Ranchero and a 292 CID, 220 hp unit for the Custom. For the standard three-speed manual transmission, buyers could substitute a three-speed overdrive or a $188 Fordomatic three-speed, one of the more popular options. Other add-ons included power steering, power brakes, and power seats and windows. With some exceptions, the Ranchero could be equipped like any Ford passenger car. “More than a car! More than a Truck!” the brochure proclaimed.
Ford produced nearly 22,000 Rancheros in 1957—not tremendous volume, but since the pickup was so closely based on the two-door wagon, it was a profitable enough enterprise. Though Chevrolet was caught a bit flat-footed when the Ranchero launched, it responded with its own hybrid car/pickup in 1959, the El Camino. In a variety of forms, the Ranchero remained in production through 1979 and the El Camino through 1987, as both were displaced in the U.S. market by conventional pickups with every conceivable comfort feature.
