Ford Fairmont
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Ford Fairmont is a name that has been used for two unrelated models of automobile; one in Australia and one in North America.
Australia
In Australia, the Ford Fairmont is a large car built by Ford Australia as a more luxurious version of the Falcon. It was first built in 1966 and has been through many incarnations. As of 2006, it remains in production.North America
In the United States, the Ford Fairmont was an all-new, rear wheel drive compact car introduced in the North American market for 1978 and sold through 1983.
The 1978 Ford Fairmont was the first vehicle built off the Ford Fox platform, which would be the basis for a variety of other models, including the Thunderbird, the 1981-82 US Ford Granada, the 1979-2004 Mustang, and in 1982, the downsized Lincoln Continental. The Fairmont replaced the Ford Maverick and at introduction was twinned with the equivalent Mercury Zephyr.
Coupe, sedan, and wagon bodies appeared at introduction, joined slightly later by a specialty coupe with a different roofline known as the Futura, a name which had first appeared in the Ford Falcon line some 17 years before. The Fairmont Futura featured an unusual two-piece vinyl roof with an upswept central roof band, similar to that on the contemporary Thunderbird. The Fairmont was a stunning success for Ford, and the 1978 model set the record for production of a new model, eclipsing the record held by the 1965 Mustang. While it retained a conventional rear-drive platform, the Fairmont was efficiently packaged and offered excellent passenger and cargo room for its size. Contemporary reviews uniformly praised the Fairmont and it was favorably compared with contemporary Volvo and BMW models.
The Fairmont's front end differed from the Zephyr's at the time of introduction. While the Zephyr always had four headlights, the Fairmont got by with only two, with the exception of the Futura coupe. However, beginning in 1981 the Fairmont received the four headlight treatment as well.
A variety of engines were available, including a 2.3 liter four, 3.3 liter (200 cid) six, and 255 and 302 cid V8s. A turbocharged four was advertised for 1980 but not produced.
In 1981, a new Ford Granada was introduced on the same platform and wheelbase, at which time the Fairmont adopted more of a basic, entry level role. In 1982 the Fairmont wagon was dropped and replaced by a Granada wagon. For 1983, the Granada coupe was discontinued and the sedan and wagon were reskinned and rebadged as the Ford LTD, previously the name of Ford's fullsize car. The Fairmont Futura coupe and four door sedan (now also with the Futura name) continued through 1983, after which they were replaced by the Tempo for the 1984 model year.
The front drive Ford Taurus would replace the Fairmont in the late 1980s as a midsize platform, patterened after the Audi 5000 and Ford Tempo
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