A fusion that forever blurred the line between a car and a truck, the Ford Ranchero paved the way for today’s car-based pickups and crossovers over 65 years ago. One advertisement called the Ranchero “A hard worker that loves to play.” It went on to say, “Ranchero glamour is backed by plenty of heft. This sleek beauty packs a payload of more than half a ton. And no truck was ever so easy to load and unload.”
The Pick of the Day is a 1957 Ford Ranchero listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Bixby, Oklahoma. (Click here to view the listing.)
With just one glance at the exterior, you can tell the Ranchero has a unique story to tell. The body has been cleaned up courtesy of frenched headlights, shaved door handles, deleted side moldings and custom taillights. Your eyes will also be drawn to the 14-inch wheels, Coker wide whitewall tires, lake pipes, dummy spotlights, a tonneau cover and chrome garnish moldings. The stance has been lowered with Jamco springs. The closer you look, in fact, the more details you uncover – even the spotlights have been painted with a “web” design, and the tailgate has been inscribed “White Lightning.”
Classified as a “coupe utility” like its rival, the Chevrolet El Camino, the first-year Ranchero was a pickup that used underpinnings from the Ranch Wagon two-door station wagon. It made its official debut on December 8, 1956, for the 1957 model year and ended up living on through multiple iterations (and over two decades) after that. Its legacy lives on in today’s many modern car-based pickup trucks.
The interior of the cab, while only visible in part, looks to have two-tone vinyl upholstery and is updated with an air conditioning, an aftermarket tachometer and more pinstriping. While probably not lightning-fast, the vehicle does have a respectably powerful drivetrain: momentum comes from a 292ci Y-block V8 mated to a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The listing says that an Optima battery, electric windshield wipers and Wilwood power disc brakes have been added.
Ford said, “The big bonus that Ranchero gives you is profits plus pleasure. After the day’s work is done, Ranchero’s ready for the evening fun. It’s the only pickup truck that rides, handles and feels exactly like a car!” Given how nice it looks, I doubt that many people would subject this custom Ranchero to a day of manual labor, but the opportunity is there.
The license plate sums it up best: “KQQL 57.” Is it cool enough for you?
The asking price is $30,000.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
