Here’s the new Ford muscle car for 1970 that wasn’t really a muscle car at all: the Maverick Grabber.

By 1970, just as the Motor City’s muscle car movement was reaching its peak, it was already evident that the trend had just about run its course. Tall sticker costs and rising insurance rates were pricing many young buyers out of the market, and let’s face it: Big-block V8s with drag-strip gearing weren’t the most practical setup for daily commuting. At mid-season, Ford responded to shifting consumer desires with a muscle car that wasn’t really a muscle car at all: the Maverick Grabber.

As this original 1970 Ford spot frankly declares, the Grabber didn’t offer a big, hairy V8. The standard powerplant was an 200 cubic-inch inline six with a mere 120 horsepower. But the Grabber did supply the visual part of the muscle car package: bold exterior colors, body-color “racing” mirrors, a rear spoiler, a blacked-out grille and rear valance panel, and flat black racing stripes. While 13-second quarter-mile times were out of the question, the Grabber did promise six-cylinder compact insurance rates, because that is in fact  what it was. Also nice was the price, adding just $179 to the Maverick’s sticker, which started at $1,995. (See our full feature on the 1970 Maverick here.)

For 1971, the Grabber was promoted from option package to full model status and gained an exclusive twin-nostril hood, and the Maverick’s floor pan was tweaked slightly so an optional 302 CID V8 could slip right in. While the distinctive hood was dropped after ’72, the Grabber remained in the Maverick lineup through ’75. This clip from the ’70 1/2 introduction clearly and honestly states the case: The Grabber is by no means a muscle car. It just looks like one. Video below.