Ford Durango on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Ford Durango is a two-passenger
As the B-pillar design of the Fairmont Futura coupe lent itself to the conversion on an unofficial basis, there are several unique features to the Durango that identify it as a vehicle converted by National Coach. With the exception of a prototype based upon a 1979 Mercury Z-7, all examples were based upon the Fairmont Futura. Conversions by National Coach, which are the only versions with a functioning tailgate, feature a fiberglass filler panel between the cargo bed and the tailgate; the design of the panel stores the tailgate hinges when it is folded down.
As equipped from the factory, the Ford Durango was equipped only with a 200 cubic-inch inline six, the mid-range engine of the Fairmont line. The engine was paired with a three-speed automatic transmission.
The ''Pickup, Van and 4WD'' magazine from December 1981 features an article about the Durango that states: "The project had been planned for an earlier date in 1981 than that which was finally achieved, so only a little over 100 units were assembled before the current-year model went out of production." Nearly all factory-converted Durangos were produced during the 1981 model year; it is unknown how many 1982 examples were produced.
coupe utility
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
sold in limited production by Ford Motor Company between the 1979 and 1982 model years. The vehicle was the result of a joint venture between Ford and National Coach Works, located in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
While not officially a production vehicle or a replacement for the Ford Ranchero
The Ford Ranchero is a coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the Ranchero was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body. A tota ...
(which ended production after the 1979 model year), the Durango was designed as a potential competitor to the newly downsized Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupé utility vehicle that was produced by Chevrolet between 1959–60 and 1964–1987. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the El Camino was adapted from the standard two-door Chevrolet station wagon platform and integ ...
and was commissioned by Ford to be sold through Ford dealerships. As no official totals were kept by either company production estimates vary between the low 200s and 350, with 212 conversions known to have been made by National Coach Works.
Design overview
The Ford Durango prototype was designed and built by Jim Stephenson and his sons, Jim Stephenson Jr and Bill Stephenson. The custom body work was done at their shop in Pacoima, California. The prototype was made with hand fabricated sheet metal and then was sent to G&K Fiberglass in Sylmar, CA to have the fiberglass molds made to produce the pickup bed and tailgate for production of the "Durango". The rights to produce and sell the Durango to Ford dealerships were licensed to National Coach Works after Hal Koch, a friend of Jim Stephenson who worked at National Coach, saw the prototype.Production
To produce the Durango, National Coach Works used the body of the Ford Fairmont Futura two-door coupe. Aft of theB-pillar
The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stat ...
, the roof was removed along with the trunklid and rear seating area. Behind the seats, the company added a flat-floor fiberglass cargo bed along with a bulkhead and new rear window behind the two front seats. The rear fascia above the bumper was redesigned into a fold-down tailgate. As the tailgate included the license plate and taillamps, the Durango was produced with a disclaimer warning drivers from driving with the tailgate in the down position.
Features
As the B-pillar design of the Fairmont Futura coupe lent itself to the conversion on an unofficial basis, there are several unique features to the Durango that identify it as a vehicle converted by National Coach. With the exception of a prototype based upon a 1979 Mercury Z-7, all examples were based upon the Fairmont Futura. Conversions by National Coach, which are the only versions with a functioning tailgate, feature a fiberglass filler panel between the cargo bed and the tailgate; the design of the panel stores the tailgate hinges when it is folded down.
As equipped from the factory, the Ford Durango was equipped only with a 200 cubic-inch inline six, the mid-range engine of the Fairmont line. The engine was paired with a three-speed automatic transmission.
The ''Pickup, Van and 4WD'' magazine from December 1981 features an article about the Durango that states: "The project had been planned for an earlier date in 1981 than that which was finally achieved, so only a little over 100 units were assembled before the current-year model went out of production." Nearly all factory-converted Durangos were produced during the 1981 model year; it is unknown how many 1982 examples were produced.
References
Further reading
* Nesbitt, Dick, "1981-82 Durango: The Should-Have-Been Ranchero Replacement", Publications International, Ltd., Collectible Automobile, Volume 11 Number 5, February 1995, page 62External links
{{Early Ford trucksDurango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
Coupé utilities
Cars introduced in 1979
1980s cars