Potential Purchase of the Week: 1970 Ford Ranchero GT - Automobile Magazine
It seems someone in 1970 took these intentions to heart and ordered our Potential Purchase of the Week: a 1970 Ford Ranchero GT with a 429 Cobra Jet and four-speed manual. In 1957, Ford introduced the unusual Ranchero -- a coupe/pickup truck built from its full-size wagon platform. The ultimate power option, however, arrived with the fifth-generation Ranchero in 1970. Based off the revised Torino line that launched the same year, the Ranchero was available with the same engine choices. As a result, it was possible to order a Ranchero GT with Ford's wild 429 Cobra Jet V-8 underhood. The big-block engine gave the Ranchero roughly 370 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of power -- more than enough to go toe-to-toe with Chevrolet's El Camino SS. Few buyers, however, actually ordered such a vehicle. Only 3905 of the 21,640 Rancheros built in 1970 were GTs, and of that, only 153 were equipped with the 429 V-8. This particular example, fitted with a four-speed manual transmission, is one of only 78 built in such a configuration. Source: www.automobilemag.com
