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67-576: The inaugural model lines of the rear-wheel drive Ford Fox platform (which served to replace models based on the Ford Falcon ), the Fairmont and Zephyr shared underpinnings with twelve additional model lines for Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. Though the Fairmont itself was produced for only six model years, the Fox platform would live on for another two decades, underpinning vehicles (in updated form) through

134-404: A locomotive or a railroad car engages a rack usually placed between the rails, and helps to move the train up a steep gradient . It is also used in arbor presses and drill presses , where the pinion is connected to a lever and displaces a vertical rack (the ram ). In pipelines and other industrial piping systems, a rack displaced by a linar actuator turns a pinion to open or close

201-478: A valve . Stairlifts , lock gates , electric gates , and the mechanical steering mechanism of cars are other notable applications. The term "rack and pinion" may be used also when the rack is not straight but arcuate (bent), namely just a section of a large gear. A single pinion can simultaneously drive two racks, parallel but opposite; which will always be displaced by the same distance, only in opposite directions. Conversely, by applying opposite forces to

268-693: A 2.3 L inline-4 to a 5.0 L V8. To further improve the fuel economy of Lincoln Fox-platform vehicles in the 1980s, the platform was adapted for the use of BMW diesel inline-6 engines. The Fox platform was produced in four separate wheelbases, 100.5 inches (for the Ford Mustang/Mercury Capri; lengthened to 101.3 for the SN95 redesign), 104.2 inches (1983–1988 Thunderbird/Cougar), 105.5 inches ("standard"; sedans/wagons), and 108.5 inches ("long"; 1980 Thunderbird/Cougar XR7/ Continental Mark VII/ Lincoln Mark VII/ Lincoln Continental). During

335-589: A 3-speed automatic offered as an option. For 1980 only, a 120 hp turbocharged version of the 2.3 L engine (shared with the Mustang Cobra) was available in Fairmont sedans and coupes. Examples with the turbocharged engine were distinguished by a center-mounted hood "power bulge". As an option, a 200 cu in (3.3 L) inline-6 (shared with the Maverick and Granada ) was offered from 1978 to 1983 model years. While offering less horsepower than

402-606: A Ford Tempo front end. A version of the Fairmont was manufactured in Venezuela where it was sold as the Ford Zephyr. The Ford Futura was also sold as an individual model without Fairmont badging. Contemporary reviews were generally favorable, with many commenting on the "European" feel of the car and comparing it to the Volvo 200 series . The 1978 Fairmont has been called the "most efficient Ford family (sedan) ever built from

469-642: A Fox platform mid-size sedan for the 1982 model year (again giving Lincoln a Cadillac Seville competitor). To eliminate further duplication, the Continental Mark VI lived out its model cycle and was replaced by the far more contemporary Mark VII for 1984. For 1983, the Ford and Mercury product ranges saw a number of extensive changes. To move its full-size nameplates upmarket, the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis became

536-648: A five-door station wagon, and the two-door "Zephyr Z-7" coupe. At its launch, the Zephyr was externally distinguished by the use of four headlights (initially only used by the Fairmont Futura). The exterior was styled with design elements that were adopted by multiple Mercury product lines during the early 1980s (the Lynx, Capri , Cougar, and Marquis ), including a waterfall-style grille, horizontally-ribbed taillamps, and (non-functional) front fender vents. The Zephyr

603-597: A modified Cortina with a MacPherson strut and torsion bar front suspension. A 1980 Fairmont station wagon converted to an electric vehicle by Electric Vehicles Associates Inc. and renamed the EVA Current Fare Wagon was evaluated by the US Department of Energy from March 1980 to November 1981. The Ford Fairmont was launched in August 1977 as a 1978 model. The name was first used by Ford in 1965 for

670-477: A multiple-wheelbase design, as the short-wheelbase version remained in development to replace the Mustang II. In 1975 North American Automobile Operations took over development of the Fox platform from Sperlich's Product Planning and Research group. The first running Fox (Fairmont) prototype was a Cortina with a modified suspension, using MacPherson struts and torsion bars. The torsion bars would not appear in

737-749: A number of suspension advances over the Fox platform. As the Lincoln Mark VII was replaced by the Mark VIII for 1993, the Ford Mustang became the sole Fox-platform produced by Ford. In total, fifteen distinct vehicles were produced on the Ford Fox platform, with the Ford Fairmont, Mercury Zephyr, Ford Durango, Ford Mustang SVO, and Continental/Lincoln Mark VII produced exclusively on the architecture. The platform would be produced in

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804-582: A space-per-weight perspective." In 1978 Bob Glidden campaigned an NHRA Pro Stock Futura powered by a Cleveland V8 . The car won its debut race on 8 July 1978 at the Edgewater Winston Championship Series, where it also set a national record. Additional wins followed at the NHRA Grandnational, U.S. Nationals, Fall Nationals, World Finals and Beech Bend WCS. Glidden won his third national championship title with

871-418: A two-door coupe was introduced; named Futura , the name revived the sporty trim level used for the 1960s Ford Falcon. The Fairmont Futura was developed from a Fairmont-based Thunderbird design proposal from March 1976. The Futura was a two-door coupe distinguished by a model-specific roofline that featured a wrapover B-pillar similar to the 1977–1979 Ford Thunderbird but without opera windows. The rear fascia

938-459: A variable rack (still using a normal pinion) was invented by Arthur Ernest Bishop in the 1970s, so as to improve vehicle response and steering "feel", especially at high speeds. He also created a low cost press forging process to manufacture the racks, eliminating the need to machine the gear teeth. A rack and pinion has roughly the same purpose than a worm gear with a rack replacing the gear, in that both convert torque to linear force. However

1005-492: A variety of body styles, including two-door and four-door sedans, two-door coupes, three-door hatchbacks, five-door station wagons, two-door convertibles (marking the return of the bodystyle to Ford), and a two-door coupe utility (the last coupe utility produced by Ford in North America). [REDACTED] [REDACTED] (eighth generation) (fifth generation) Rack and pinion#Steering A rack and pinion

1072-405: Is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the pinion ) engaging a linear gear (the rack ). Together, they convert between rotational motion and linear motion: rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven in a line. Conversely, moving the rack linearly will cause the pinion to rotate. The rack and pinion mechanism is used in rack railways , where the pinion mounted on

1139-529: The Antikythera mechanism are evidence of these being well-known already a couple of centuries BC . In 1598, firearms designer Zhao Shizhen developed the Xuanyuan arquebus (軒轅銃), featuring a rack-and-pinion matchlock mechanism derived from an Ottoman Turkish matchlock design. The Wu Pei Chih (1621) later described Ottoman Turkish muskets that used a rack-and-pinion mechanism. The use of

1206-603: The Audi Fox (although not named after it), Ford executives experienced with the automotive industry outside the United States sought to benchmark a new design from a popular European subcompact design. Development started in early 1973 on both a short-wheelbase version to replace the Pinto/Cortina/Taunus lines and a long-wheelbase version that would become the Fairmont. Although the Fairmont would be

1273-565: The Australian Fairmont , an upscale trim level model of the Ford Falcon (XP) , and had also been used in the South African market in 1969. The Fairmont is based on the rear-wheel drive Ford Fox platform, using steel unibody construction. The independent front suspension comprised lower lateral arms, MacPherson struts , and helical-wound coil springs . In what Ford called a modified or hybrid MacPherson strut system,

1340-728: The Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis were replaced after the end of their short 1986 model year run by the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. As the Lincoln Continental shifted to front-wheel drive after the 1987 model year, sedan production of the Fox platform ended. For 1989, Ford moved the Thunderbird and the Mercury Cougar to the all-new MN12 platform; while still rear-wheel drive, the new chassis introduced

1407-757: The Lincoln MKZ for 2007, commencing the Lincoln "MK" model nomenclature. The Ford Durango was produced by a joint venture between Ford and National Coach Corporation in 1981. Based heavily on the Fairmont Futura coupe, the Durango was a two-door, two-seat car-based pickup truck that was intended as a possible replacement for the 1977–1979 Ford Ranchero as well as a competitor to the downsized Chevrolet El Camino/GMC Caballero. Approximately 200 are estimated to have been produced. The European Sport Option

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1474-548: The 1993 model year; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company (behind the Panther platform , 33 model years). Designed to be relatively lightweight and simple, the Fox platform was initially developed to replace several derivatives of

1541-454: The 1994 model year, as the Mustang underwent a major redesign (under the body family program code name Fox-4 ), the Fox platform itself saw major changes to its architecture. As part of the upgrade, most of its parts were redesigned carrying over only the floor pan and front suspension cross member with major changes to the suspension and improvements to noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH);

1608-437: The 2.3 L inline-4, the 3.3 L inline-6 produced significantly more torque. For 1978, the standard transmission was a 3-speed manual (replaced by a 4-speed for 1979); a 3-speed automatic was offered as an option. For 1978 to 1981 model years, the Fairmont was offered with two different Windsor V8 engines (shared with mid-size and full-size Ford vehicles). For 1978 and 1979, a 139 hp 302 cu in (4.9 L) V8

1675-495: The 2004 model year. Through its production, Ford produced the Fairmont at numerous facilities across North America. On November 15, 1977, a Fairmont (a 1978 Fairmont Futura coupe) became the 100 millionth vehicle assembled by Ford Motor Company. For 1984, the model line was replaced with the front-wheel drive Ford Tempo . In April 1973, the American EPA released its comprehensive list of fuel economy results. In October of

1742-623: The Continental Mark VII, Ford Mustang SVO, 1994–2004 Ford Mustang, and the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Due to the use of strut front suspension, the Fox platform was designed with a wider engine bay than its Falcon-chassis predecessor. As a result, the chassis was flexible in its use of longitudinal engines, accommodating a wide variety of powertrains, including four-cylinder (naturally-aspirated and turbocharged), inline-6, V6, and V8 engines, ranging from

1809-684: The Fairmont wagon was also used on the fourth generation Australian XD , XE and XF series Ford Falcon and Fairmont wagons, which were produced until 1988. Production Figures: *Futura sedans and Futura wagons are included in the Sedan and Wagon figures From the 1978 to 1983 model years, the Mercury Zephyr served as the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Fairmont, replacing the Maverick-based Comet . The third vehicle to use

1876-399: The Fairmont. By 1974, the difficulties faced in meeting the conflicting regulatory requirements in different markets and differing production methods used by the various divisions had killed the world car idea. In 1975, North American Automobile Operations took over development of the Fox platform from Sperlich's Product Planning and Research group. The first running Fox/Fairmont prototype was

1943-603: The Ford Falcon compact architecture dating from 1960. For 1978, the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were the first models derived from the chassis, replacing the Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet . As downsizing expanded into the intermediate segment, the Fox platform came into use for mid-size applications, replacing the larger Ford Torino chassis. While best known for underpinning the Ford Mustang pony car,

2010-435: The Fox platform also saw use in personal luxury segments, underpinning coupes for all three Ford divisions. During the mid-1980s, the usage of the Fox platform began to decline as Ford transitioned its compact and mid-size vehicle lines to front-wheel drive. After the 1992 model year, the Ford Mustang was the sole model to use the chassis. For 2005, the fifth-generation Ford Mustang adopted the rear-wheel drive D2C platform ,

2077-553: The Futura coupe and Mercury Zephyr). For 1983, Ford introduced an "S" model of the Fairmont Futura as a base trim. Sold only as a sedan and only with the 2.3 L engine, the radio and right-hand mirror of the Futura S became options. During the early 1980s, Ford undertook a major revision of its product ranges. Following the 1981 introduction of the Ford Escort , the automaker sought to expand its use of front-wheel drive across

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2144-494: The German model. In December 1973, Ford President Lee Iacocca formally approved development of the Fox platform. Although the Fairmont would be the first Fox-based car to reach the market, development was guided by an anticipated sport coupe to be based on the new platform. Development started in early 1973 on both a short wheelbase version, to replace the Pinto/Cortina/Taunus lines, and a long-wheelbase version, that would become

2211-467: The Mercury model line. For 1982, both the 4.2-liter V8 option and the station wagon were moved to the more upscale Cougar model line. As Mercury transitioned its model line to front-wheel drive, the Zephyr was replaced by the Mercury Topaz for the 1984 model year. Following its use by Mercury, the Zephyr nameplate was briefly reused by Lincoln in 2006. The Lincoln Zephyr mid-size sedan was renamed

2278-542: The beginning of the first 1970s oil crisis , leading gas prices to increase to US$ .55 (equivalent to $ 3.77 in 2023) per gallon. Under chairman/CEO Henry Ford II and president Lee Iacocca , several changes were made at the executive level of Ford Motor Company. William O. Bourke, ex-chairman of Ford of Europe and one-time managing director of Ford of Australia , was made executive vice president of North American Operations; Robert Alexander, previously with Ford of Europe as vice president in charge of car development,

2345-401: The car. The Futura was retired at the end of the 1978 season. Ford Fox platform The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company . Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year , the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. In its original form, the platform was used through

2412-571: The coil springs were mounted separately from the struts rather than concentrically, being located between the lower arm and front cross-member. A front anti-roll bar was standard equipment. The rear suspension used a solid axle suspended on coil springs and vertically mounted dampers. The axle was located by four links; two lower trailing arms and two sharply angled upper control arms. The Fairmont has power-assisted brakes, with 10.0 inch vented front discs and 9.0 x 1.8 inch rear drums. Standard wheels and tires were 14x5.0 and DR78-14 respectively. Steering

2479-717: The compact Maverick ; while the Mustang II was several months from release, the Maverick was derived from the Falcon. Lincoln-Mercury sold no small cars of its own, importing the Capri from Ford of Europe. Ford of Europe sold the Escort as its smallest car; Ford UK sold the Cortina while Ford of Germany sold the Taunus In December 1973, Lee Iacocca formally approved development of the Fox platform. Sharing its name with

2546-664: The compact and mid-size segment; the rear-wheel drive Fox platform remained in production, used mainly for performance and luxury vehicles (the Mustang, Thunderbird, their Lincoln-Mercury counterparts, but also the Ford LTD/Mercury Marquis ). Released for the 1984 model year, the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz replaced the Fairmont/Zephyr. An extended-wheelbase sedan counterpart of the Escort/Lynx,

2613-442: The company entered the 1980s, Ford became part of a growing trend among automobile manufacturers using front-wheel drive in its vehicles. As part of the 1983 changes to the Ford product range, the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were phased out in favor of the front-wheel drive Ford Tempo / Mercury Topaz , introduced as 1984 models and based on a long-wheelbase variation of the Ford Escort platform. Introduced as 1983 models,

2680-597: The company to postpone its planned discontinuation of the full-size Panther-platform vehicles. To rectify the sales collapse and capitalize on the move to full-size vehicles, Ford began a major model shift of many of its best-selling vehicle nameplates in all three divisions. For 1981, Lincoln saw the first changes, as the Lincoln Continental was rechristened the Lincoln Town Car; the Lincoln Continental nameplate went on hiatus until it reappeared on

2747-469: The early 1980s, the Fox platform would be involved in major changes to many Ford nameplates. In the marketplace, redesigns of the Ford Granada, Ford Thunderbird, and Mercury Cougar had been poorly received by consumers, leading to a collapse in sales for all three nameplates from 1980 to 1982. In addition, fuel prices had stabilized to the point where consumers had shifted back to full-size cars, leading

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2814-601: The entire front end and matching rear bumper from the 1982 North American Ford Granada. The base Fairmont adapted the Mercury Zephyr grille used on the previous Elite. For 1983, the Fairmont received a new 3.8 L Essex V6 engine which was sold in addition to the existing V8. This was the last year of the Fairmont as it was replaced later by the Ford Topaz which was a hybrid assembly of the Mercury Topaz with

2881-474: The exterior trim was revised with the addition of a slim molding strip along the side exterior panels; convenience equipment was also increased. For 1982, several model revisions were made. Ford moved the Fairmont station wagon to the Granada model line and the Futura trim became the sole trim, expanding it to the two-door sedan for the first time. Effectively, this standardized the four-headlight front fascia (of

2948-508: The fifth and final vehicle architecture developed as a Fox-platform replacement. In the American automotive industry , 1973 marked a significant period of transition. In May, the EPA released the first comprehensive list of fuel economy data; in addition for providing information for consumers, the data was required to establish protocols for CAFE and gas-guzzler taxes . October 1973 marked

3015-492: The final version. The Fox platform, like most compact and mid-size cars of the late 1970s, was designed with a rear-wheel drive layout. In contrast to the full-size Fords and Mercurys of the time, the Fox platform used unibody construction. The Fox platform used MacPherson strut front suspension, continuing the use of a live rear axle suspension configuration. Initially configured with rear drum brakes, four-wheel disc brakes were added to higher-performance vehicles, including

3082-467: The first Fox-based car to reach the market, development was guided by an anticipated sport coupe to be based on the new platform. By 1974 the difficulties faced in meeting the conflicting regulatory requirements in different markets and differing production methods used by the various divisions had killed the world-car idea. While unable to replace the Cortina/Taunus, the Fox platform remained

3149-595: The following special features for both packages: In later years the naturally-aspirated 2.3 L inline four engine became available as well. A few turbo four-door automatic sedans were used for testing by the California Highway Patrol. The Ford Fairmont was introduced in Mexico in late 1977 as a 1978 model, replacing the Ford Maverick that was produced there locally. The Mexican Fairmont

3216-558: The four headlight grille from the Fairmont Futura along with the Mercury Zephyr's taillamps and rear quarter window louvers. For 1981, all versions of the Fairmont got four headlights. The regular Fairmont continued to use the Futura grille while the Fairmont Elite used the Mercury Zephyr grille. For 1982 the Fairmont Elite was renamed the Ford Elite II , and was offered in both two- and four-door sedans. The Elite II used

3283-544: The front-wheel drive Tempo and Topaz followed the Thunderbird in using aerodynamic-influenced exterior styling. As the Fairmont was ending its model cycle in 1983, it would become the sole Ford model in North America to retain "FORD" lettering in place of the Ford Blue Oval emblem; the Thunderbird (which used its own emblem) never used Ford badging on the grille. The same one-piece lift-up tailgate designed for

3350-720: The nameplate within Ford Motor Company, the Mercury Zephyr shares its nameplate with the 1936–1940 Lincoln-Zephyr and the 1950–1972 Ford Zephyr (produced by Ford of Britain ). Within the Mercury line, the Zephyr was slotted between the Bobcat (replaced for 1981 by the Lynx ) and the Monarch (replaced for 1981 by the Cougar ). Sharing the same model range as the Fairmont, the Zephyr was offered as two-door and four-door sedans,

3417-614: The needs of the various divisions. Some sources suggest that the "Fox" name was borrowed from the Audi 80 , sold in the US and Australia as the "Audi Fox" beginning in May 1973, because Ford's executives considered the 80 their class-leading subcompact competitor, and made it the baseline reference for the new platform. Another reports that Ford used the Fox name in an internal report as early as February 1973, making it less likely to have been borrowed from

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3484-463: The opposite way, to turn linear force into torque; whereas a worm drive can be used in only one way. The teeth of a rack and pinion pair may be either straight (parallel to the rotation axis, as in a spur gear ) or helical . On the pinion, the profile of the working tooth surfaces is usually an arc of involute , as in most gears. On the rack, on the other hand, the matching working surfaces are flat. One may interpret them as involute tooth faces for

3551-414: The rack and pinion generally provides higher linear speed — since a full turn of the pinion displaces the rack by an amount equal to the pinion's pitch circle whereas a full rotation of the worm screw only displaces the rack by one tooth width. By the same token, a rack and pinion mechanism yields a smaller linear force than a worm gear, for the same input torque. Also, a rack and pinion pair can be used in

3618-576: The same year, the 1973 oil crisis started. At the time, Ford's North American product line included the subcompact Pinto and Mustang II , and the compact Maverick, but replacements for all of these models would soon be needed. At the same time, Ford of England's Cortina line was in need of refreshing, as was the Taunus model built by Ford of Germany. Changes were also happening at Ford's executive level, as William O. Bourke, ex-chairman of Ford of Europe and one-time managing director of Ford of Australia,

3685-544: The size of the Lincoln model range while eliminating the duplication of several Ford/Mercury vehicles (the Ford Fairmont/Granada and Mercury Zephyr/Cougar sedan and wagon); the mid-size Fairmont/Zephyr were replaced by the compact Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz for 1984 and the Cougar reverted to its coupe-only bodystyle. By the early 1990s, the Ford Mustang had become the sole model produced on the Fox platform. For

3752-579: The sole full-size sedans, while the LTD and Marquis nameplates were moved to the mid-size Fox platform as restyled versions of the Granada and Cougar sedan and wagon to replace those slow selling models. To reverse the sales collapse of the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar (now solely a coupe), Ford redesigned the two coupes with radical new aerodynamic bodystyling. The revision effectively tripled

3819-421: The two racks one can obtain pure torque on the pinion, without any force component. This double rack and pinion mechanism can be used, for example, with a pair of pneumatic actuators to operate a valve with minimum stress. The time and place of the invention of the rack-and-pinion mechanism are unknown, but it presumably was not long after the invention of gears. The south-pointing chariot from China and

3886-430: The updated Mustang-specific platform became known as the SN-95 platform. The 2003–2004 Mustang SVT Cobra became the ultimate development of the Fox/SN95 platform, with a 390 hp supercharged 4.6 L DOHC V8. The SN95 platform would be produced for 11 years, extending the life of the Fox platform to 26 years of production. For 2005, the Mustang was completely redesigned, using the all-new Ford D2C platform . As

3953-402: Was also given its own wrap-around taillamp design. To further differentiate the Futura from the standard Fairmont, the coupe was fitted with the 4-headlight fascia from the Zephyr, and a cross-hatched grille was used in place of the standard eggcrate grille. For the 1980 model year Ford expanded the Futura nameplate to include a four-door sedan and added a Futura station wagon for 1981. For 1981,

4020-511: Was an appearance and suspension package offered in 1978 through 1980. It is abbreviated "ES Option" or "ESO". Exterior changes included a black grille, black cowl grille, deluxe bumpers, black window frames, black exterior mirrors, black C-pillar ventilation louvers, bright belt moldings and turbine wheel covers. The interior featured black carpeting, a black three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, black instrument panel with gray engine-turned trim and black or chamois-colored seats. The running gear

4087-429: Was available exclusively with the 5.0 L engine (302) with manual and three-speed automatic transmissions. It was offered as a two- or four-door sedan and a wagon. The Futura coupe with its distinctive Thunderbird-style roofline was never offered in Mexico. Instead there was an uplevel two-door sedan called the Fairmont Elite . It was distinguished from other Fairmonts by its higher level of equipment and vinyl roof. It used

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4154-404: Was by a rack and pinion system with 3.2 turns lock-to-lock. For its entire production run, the standard engine for the Fairmont was a 140 cu in (2.3 L) inline-4 (shared with the Pinto). Initially producing 88 hp, following several revisions, output rose to 90 hp by 1983. The 2.3 L engine was initially paired with a 3-speed manual (replaced by a 4-speed in 1979), with

4221-411: Was initially offered in standard, ES (a successor to the ESS trim of the Monarch), and Ghia trims, for 1981, both were replaced by GS trim (the equivalent of Futura on non-coupe Fairmonts). In line with other Mercury station wagons, the model line was offered with a Villager option package, including exterior (simulated) woodgrain trim. At the beginning of the 1980s, the Zephyr was gradually phased out of

4288-409: Was made executive vice president of North American Operations and Robert Alexander, previously with Ford of Europe as vice president in charge of car development, moved to same position in the States. Hal Sperlich was vice-president of product planning and research at Ford. A proponent of downsizing, Sperlich conceived of a "world car" that could be sold in both Europe and North America as a solution to

4355-417: Was modified with stiffer springs, re-valved shocks, and a rear anti-roll bar. The ESO mounted DR78-14 radial tires on 5.5 inch wheels, one half inch wider than stock. In 1978 Ford also made available specially prepared Fairmonts suitable for use as police cars and taxicabs. Initially the only engines offered for these applications were the 200 cubic inch inline six or the 302 V8. Ford's product literature lists

4422-403: Was moved to same position in the United States. Hal Sperlich was Ford Vice President of Product Planning and Research. A proponent of downsizing , Sperlich conceived of a " World Car " that could be sold in both Europe and North America as a solution to the needs of the various divisions. At the time, the Ford small-car product line included the subcompact Pinto and the Mustang II and

4489-413: Was offered, available with a 4-speed manual transmission for the 1979 model year only. It was replaced by a 115 hp 255 cu in (4.2 L) V8 for 1980 and 1981. The 255 engine was paired exclusively with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The Fairmont debuted for 1978 with three body configurations; a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a five-door station wagon. Late in the 1978 model year,

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