Ford Maverick History

Ford Maverick

Ford has used the Maverick name on four completely different automobiles in the last three decades. A Maverick car was produced for the Americas in the 1970s, and the name has appeared on three different SUVs in Australia and Europe.

1970s

The 1970s Ford Maverick was a rear wheel drive compact car that was built from 1970 to 1977 in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and from 1973 to 1979 in Brazil. The original model was a 2-door sedan priced at US$1,995.

The Ford Maverick was released exactly five years after the Ford Mustang and was the only car of the time to sell as well, actually selling 5,000 more units in its first year totalling 579,000 than the Ford Mustang did. The Maverick replaced the Ford Falcon (USA model) and had several different models: Grabber (1971-1975), Stallion (1976), four-door sedan (1971-1977) and Sprint (1972). Mercury re-released the Mercury Comet as a mechanical clone of the Maverick that had three models of its own: Comet (1971-1977), Comet GT (1971-1975) and a four-door sedan (1971-1977). While generally sold only as 2-door and 4-door sedans, a rare station wagon version of the Maverick was introduced in Brazil in 1975.

In the first year of production only one model of the Ford Maverick was produced, the two-door coupe. It had only two available engine options being the 170 I6 and the 200 I6. The Grabber option was introduced mid-year.

The four-door model was introduced in 1971. Also available was 250 I6, 302 V8 and vinyl roof. The Comet and Comet GT were also released this year, featuring a different grill, tail lights, trim, and hood. The Comet GT had its own distinctive hoodscope.

In 1972 the cars were virtually unchanged except for the new Luxury Decor Option and the one-year-only red, white and blue "Sprint" trim option.

The lineup was again improved in 1973 with better brakes along with the 200 I6 and LDO grill becoming standard. AM/FM stero, aluminum wheels and the federal bumper.

In 1974 the Maverick was unchanged except for rear federal bumpers. Jumping gas priced caused the Maverick to grow in popularity, selling 10,000 more units than the year before.

Production of both cars dropped in 1975 with the release of the Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch. The cars were unchanged.

In 1976 the Grabber and Comet GT were dropped. The Maverick received a new grill and gained front disc brakes as standard equipment. Front disc brakes became an option on the Comet. Production of both cars continued to drop.

1977 was the final year for the Maverick and Comet. Both cars remained unchanged except for a Police package on the Maverick which was a failure.

Initially the Maverick was to be replaced in 1975 by the Ford Granada, but it lasted until 1977, when it was then replaced by the Ford Fairmont. As one of Ford Motor Company's most successful cars the Maverick/Comet is still easily forgotten and overlooked by most classic car enthusiasts. As they grow in age and rarity, though, they've been making a resurgance in popularity as can be seen on the Maverick/Comet Forums, where the cars have a decent-sized following. As the teenagers of the 70s come closer to retirement age some people believe that the sporty compacts of the era may see the same attention that the muscle cars of the decade before have had.

Australia

The Ford Maverick name was later used on an SUV in Australia based on the Nissan Patrol GR and sold between 1988 and 1998.

Europe

A completely different Maverick was sold under the same name in Europe. It was a rebadged version of the Nissan Terrano II and had no Ford parts except for the badge. It was built at Nissan Motor España from 1993 to 2001.

From 2001 to 2004 the Ford Escape was sold in Europe under the Maverick name. Only two versions were made, the 2.0 L Zetec engine with manual transmission and 3.0 L Duratec with automatic transmission, both using gasoline as fuel. The absence of a diesel version did not help sales and production halted in late 2003.

The Maverick was primarily designed for on-road use - sold with normal road tires, and to be used with front-wheel drive most of the time. A switch on the dashboard enabled four-wheel drive mode with full differential lock - this precluded using full-time four-wheel drive on the road as it caused undue wear on the transmission and tires.