For 1960, Ford shrank the sporty Ranchero down to Falcon proportions, calling it “a new concept of style and economy in pickups.”

As Ford was developing the compact 1960 Falcon, two feet shorter and 1,200 lbs lighter than its full-sized cars, the product planners in Dearborn saw an opportunity. Their surveys indicated that the Ranchero pickup, the car/truck hybrid introduced in 1957, could find more buyers if it were offered in a smaller, more economical package. In that form, the data suggested, the Ranchero could find greater appeal with tradesmen and small businesses. So the hybrid pickup concept was transplanted whole to the compact Falcon platform, and they rebranded it as the Falcon Ranchero to make the messaging perfectly clear.

Just as with the original Ranchero, the transformation from passenger car to pickup was relatively straightforward, using the same approach: The Falcon Ranchero was adapted from the two-door station wagon body shell. The 109.5-in wheelbase and 189-in overall length were the same, but the little truck could still accommodate a 6-foot cargo bed with 31 cubic feet of volume. The new Ranchero was “smaller, smarter,” Ford declared.

Passenger accommodations were comfortable but sparse. Heater, radio, windshield washer, and cigar lighter were extra-cost options. The Deluxe Trim two-tone upholstery and whitewall tires shown above were also extra-cost items. At $1,882, the Ranchero boasted the lowest base price in the Falcon lineup for 1960, and Ford called it “America’s lowest-priced pickup.” At the time, Ford’s full-sized F-100 pickup was listed at $2,010 in stripped-down form.

Of course, economy of operation was also part of the compact Ranchero’s selling story. The Falcon 144 CID inline six with 90 hp could deliver up to 30 miles per gallon of gasoline, Ford said. The product strategy worked. Ranchero sales, which had been slipping since the encouraging 1957 introduction, perked right up again to more than 21,000 units, and they remained near that level as the Ranchero continued on the Falcon platform through 1966.