The Best Ford Cars Of All-Time
Ford has been making cars since 1903, so coming up with a list of the very best Ford cars of all time was difficult—especially given that Henry Ford created the world's first mass-produced automobile and is largely responsible for motorized car travel in the United States. Here are some of the best Ford cars of all-time.
Off-Road Opulence In The F-150 SVT Raptor
If you needed to go off-road anytime after 2010, then the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor was the truck to do it in. Okay, we know it's not a car, but with four-wheel drive as standard and all-terrain tires, along with an upgraded mid-travel suspension that provides the necessary, the F-150 SVT Raptor was an absolute beast of a Ford. And it's Ford's second-most popular vehicle, so that should tell you something.
order_242, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ford's First Formula One Car
Released in 1967, the Lotus 49 Ford-Cosworth was one of the first V8 developments in engineering in Formula One vehicles. The 49 was the first car to use a stressed member engine to great success. It won four F1 races in its introductory season and marked the beginning of Ford's winning ways in Formula One.
Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Centenary GT
The Ford GT is the centenary version of Ford's GT40, a Le Mans winning supercar four years in a row between 1966 and 1970. Ford unveiled just three of these production cars to the public in 2004 and only sold just over 4,000 of the 550 horsepower V8 beasts.
Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Flat 1961 Lincoln Continental
From 1958 to 1960, Ford subsidiary Lincoln decided to create a new style for their Continental—it didn't work and was one of the ugliest cars on earth at the time. We're sure invading aliens turned away at the sight of it. But they rectified that in 1961 with a gorgeously clean flat trunk and flat hood and smooth lines all over the place. There were even rear 'suicide doors', just to top off one of Ford's most beautiful 1960s creations.
Shelby 427 Cobra
What happened when Carroll Shelby joined forces with Ford? The gorgeously curvaceous Shelby 427 Cobra is what happened. You see, the pair took the stunning AC Ace sports car body from Bristol Cars in England and (somehow) shoved a 7.0L V8 Ford engine in there. This created the Shelby Cobra.
Stahlkocher, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Edsel Ford's Personal Car
You know you've created something special when the son of Henry Ford chose it as his personal car. Edsel Ford owned a 1939 Lincoln Continental which was designed especially for him by Ford Motor Company—what the boss's son wants, he gets, I guess? This stunning V12 powered car would become the first Lincoln Continental ever produced.
Thunderbirds Are Go!
Well, they do go, anyway. The Ford Thunderbird from 1955 was a special car—a two-seater convertible with stunning chrome accents. With a lower wheel arch in the back and a V8 engine as standard, it was one of the first luxury cars to be produced for the masses by Ford.
Lars-Göran Lindgren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The European Mustang
In 1969, Ford in Europe unveiled the Ford Capri, a lookalike of the Ford Mustang but (unfortunately) mechanically similar to the popular Ford Cortina. For those who liked to modify their cars, the Ford Capri provided an affordable purchasing option. It was also sold in the United States by Ford Mercury dealers. It was popular, too, shifting 1.9 million units during its lifetime—production was discontinued in December 1986.
Charles01, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
New Frontiers In A Galaxie Far, Far Away
The 1965 Ford Galaxie (and LTD model) completely revolutionized Ford's suspension, prioritizing comfort and quietness when driving. The Galaxie was a four-door, full-sized sedan aimed at the luxury end of the market. Its front suspension, the upper A-Arm designed by Ford, provided better handling and revolutionized the luxury car market at the same time.
1982 Ford Mustang GT Brings Back The Bite
In 1979, Ford began producing the "Fox body" Mustang—in an era where few cared about performance, despite their best efforts with the '81 version, but they only provided a 4.2L V8 engine in that. Coming to their senses in 1982, Ford released the Mustang GT with a two-barrel carburetor and a 4.9L V8, giving it 157 horses, a significant improvement on the measly 115 offered by the previous iteration. This began the "Horsepower Wars" of the 1980s, where each auto manufacturer consistently tried to beat the rest at the horsepower game.
The Ford Anglia Reestablishes Ford In Europe
In 1939, as American cars were going bigger and better, Europeans wanted something a little more refined and smaller. Thus, Ford produced the Ford Anglia, using the Latin name for "England". The small, but beautiful Anglia looked like you'd expect a London taxi cab to—that's because they were among the first London taxicab cars produced after WWII.
British Elegance Meets American Power
Of course, we're talking about the 1968 Ford Escort. No flashy fenders or spoilers or exotic anything—the Escort was stunning in its simplicity. A rear-wheel drive front engine car that was an everyday driver for millions of Brits in the late 1960s. It also doubled as a rally car during that era, retaining its popularity for more than a decade.
Riley, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Most Beautiful 1956 Ford F-100
Of course, the 1953 Ford F-100 is the most beautiful truck ever made. But the 1956 version (somehow) improved upon it by having the windshield wrap around the body slightly, providing a less boxy front-end look. Much of the remaining 1950s F-100s have been transformed into stupendously powerful "hot rods" and painted all sorts of weird colors. But there are a few OG. F-100s out there, flying the flag for old school cool.
Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Shy Style Of The 1949 Ford Custom
The 1949 Ford Custom was sleek and stylish in its elegance. No flashy fenders, no running boards, but instead, Ford opted for a "pontoon" style design, where the body is enclosed entirely in metal that runs from front to back. This allowed the car to be of a lower profile than the pre-war Fords and simplified the design for Ford, allowing them to produce more.
The Not-Classic Savior Of Ford
The mid-1980s would see Japanese automakers like Hyundai and Toyota pulling clear of Ford, even in the United States. That is, until Ford released the reasonably-priced family car known as the Taurus. The four-door sedan had 140 horsepower and went from 0 to 60 in under 10 seconds. It's credited with saving Ford from bankruptcy by its universal appeal as an everyday driver.
A Post-War Pick-Me-Up Pickup
In 1948, Ford began producing pickups again for other utilities than warfare. Indeed, their first effort at this was the 1948 Ford F-Series. Ford spent a million dollars researching the new cab for the 1948 F-Series, which included improvements like: a larger windshield, a wider cab with more headspace, a larger rear window, and adjustable bench seating. The new 1948 F-Series is now a classic, but it was what Ford needed in the post-war era as America rebuilt its economy.
Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
An Era-Defining Ford Mustang
The 1965 Ford Mustang defined a generation for Ford. The 4.7L V8 engine producing 225 horsepower, the gorgeous straight lines, that iconic front-end and the Mustang horse emblem on the front grille... The Ford Mustang made history and defined an era for Ford in the mid-1960s. It also turned every American and their dog onto the Ford brand.
The OG Hot Rod
In 1932, Ford produced a flat-head V8 convertible known as the Flathead B400, which featured a third wire wheel affixed to the passenger's side, white wall tires, an impressively tall front grille, and sometimes a five-window or three-window design with suicide doors. These hot rods were designed to be customized. You can still find a few of the original hot rods around today.
Alf van Beem, Wikimedia Commons
Beating Ferrari At Their Own Game
The 1964 GT-40 was built for one reason only: beat Ferrari at Le Mans. The GT-40 took a European chassis and shoved an American V8, producing 335 horses, in a 4.7L engine. The team at Ford America only built 135 of these stunningly-fast (for the era) racing cars, but they all played their part as Ford won four 24 Hours At Le Mans races on the trot over four years, unseating the Italian Stallion in its own European backyard.
Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, Wikimedia Commons
The Ford Model T
The greatest Ford of all time is—of course—the original. The Model T was first released to the world in 1908. It was the world's first generally affordable automobile, which made driving accessible to the common man. Over 16.5 million of these were built from 1908 to 1927, and it put Henry Ford on the map as a pioneer and gave the power and pleasure of driving to millions.
Harry Shipler, Wikimedia Commons
The Awfully Costly Ford Edsel
For once, we're not going to pick on the Pinto. Sure, its gas tank was prone to spontaneous combustion, but you know all that already. But did you know just how badly-received the 1958 Ford Edsel was by the public? Despite being hyped up by Ford for over a year and named after Henry Ford's son, the Edsel flopped. It overpromised and underdelivered and was designed poorly and had poor name recognition.
Buyers didn't understand the Ford Edsel's place in the market and it ended up being a huge commercial failure, selling just over 100,000 units in two years. It cost Ford $350 million to make and they lost $250 million on the project.
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