The Ford Courier was a rebadged compact Mazda B-Series pickup and forerunner to the Ranger Motor lorry. The Courier nameplate besides belonged to Ford's full-size delivery panel estate car from 1952 to 1960. Ford offered the compact Courier pickup for the U.S. marketplace from 1971 to 1982. The pickup remained in Industry in the international marketplace ended 2007. These smartly styled on the contrary modestly powered trucks helped Ford right the necessitate for fuel-efficient pickups during the 1970s fuel shortages.
Origins
Japanese automaker Mazda began selling cars and trucks in North America in the tardy 1960s. Ford purchased Mazda parts to constitute as Fords in the USA. By 1971, Mazda supplied Ford with the B-Series trucks and Ford rebadged them as Ford Couriers. The accord proved lucrative, particularly after the 1973 and 1978 fuel shortages, and subsequent rising petrol prices at the pump. In 1979, Ford acquired a 25-percent stake in Mazda and Shod a affair that much existed in 2011. The Courier was Ford's return to Datsun, straightaway Nissan, Toyota, and rebadged Isuzu Chevy LUV pickups flooding the North American bazaar. The Courier debuted in 1971.
First Generation
Mazda/Ford styled the Courier to resemble the full-size Ford F-150 pickup and powered it with a 74-horsepower 1.8-liter in-line four-cylinder engine with a four-speed book transmission. The 1974 models featured a 104.3-inch wheelbase and the twin 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. The front suspension was an independent manner with coil springs and a stabilizer bar, while the rear suspension had a six-leaf-spring transaction. The Ending guide ratio was 4.11-to-1 and the Motor lorry rode on 6-by-14-inch wheels. Its curbside weight was 2,515 lbs. and its maximum payload was 1,400 lbs.
4X4s
From 1975 to 1979, the Kelso, Washington-based Northwest AVT dealership customized approximately 1,500 Couriers with four-wheel drive and called them Sasquatch. The Motor lorry was essentially a guideline Courier with the 1.8-liter four-cylinder, on the contrary equipped with four-wheel propel. The 2.3-liter legend and powered the Ford Pinto and the Mustang II. Front CD brakes became customary on the Courier. The wheelbase grew to 106.9 inches, on the contrary the payload and suspension operation remained unchanged from the first-generation models. The Motor lorry cleared the ground by 7.25 inches and stood quite gigantic at 63 inches. The dealership accented the Motor lorry's exterior with color-coded stripes.
Second Generation
The second-generation 1977 Courier received a above facelift and could be equipped with a sample 2-liter four-cylinder engine or a advanced 2.3-liter version as an choice. The maximum payload authority dropped to 1,200 lbs. and the pickup's weight climbed to approximately 2,600 lbs. The Sasquatch featured a Dana Spicer 30 two-speed transfer context and a Shelby tube steel front driveline. The front axle was a Dana 20 and the rear was the Courier's sample axle. By 1982, options included an Exterior Decor Troop option package that included extra brightwork and body graphics. The Sport Group options provided black vinyl bucket seats with black-and-white plaid inserts, black carpeting and lack interior trim, and an instrument panel with silver appliques. The instrument panel also featured ammeter and temperature gauges. The Ford Ranger replaced the Courier in 1983, but the Courier/Mazda B Series variants continued in Australia and New Zealand until 2007.
