Ford Ranchero
No, seriously. I rarely see these things, so finding one on Caniff in Hamtramck feels like a blessing. A new friend tipped me off that it was here, so I’ve got to give them a shout-out. Thanks, Rebecca!
Initially, I thought it was an El Camino, but I soon realized it was a Ranchero. I think it’s one of those things; if you don’t look that close, you assume something is what you’re used to seeing. Most often, when you see a coupe utility vehicle, it’s an El Camino.
The Ranchero came out first, seeing its first model year in 1957. Chevrolet released the El Camino as a reply to Ford’s success in 1959. Despite looking like a shrunken-down truck, they’re actually more like a station wagon with the back end cut off.
There were others, but these two were by far the most popular and are those that we remember most fondly today. If I were to pick my favorite couple utility, it might be the Dodge Rampage; however, that’s a story for a different day!
When I first saw this car, I couldn’t help but think of the episode of My Name Is Earl when Earl buys his brother Randy a Ranchero. I think that was a fifth generation, and I think that this is a sixth generation, but either way, it’s a fun connection.
I’m not sure what the story is behind this Ranchero, but it’s been here for quite some time, or so I’ve heard. It looks like it runs, and I’d love to see it cruising around Hamtramck sometime.
