Michael Schnur's ’65 Ranchero

Nice grille, eh? Since these photos were taken, Mike found an even nicer ’65 grille and the one shown here found a new home on Editor Matt King’s wrecked ’65 Sprint.

Mike has got to restrain from showing the Cobra-fied truck’s taillights to lesser cars. Especially when Matt King’s trying to keep up in his oil-slinging Biscayne.

Forget it’s a ’65, and the ’93 motor could pass for a factory installation. Framed in Wimbledon White, the engine’s pretty much a bone-stock ’93 Cobra. With a little over 3,000 pounds to cart around, it’s enough mill for a quick street car.

The ’92 Mustang seats don’t look too out of place in this cabin. The stock dash was restored, and all the yellowed plastic stuff was sent to Canada and rechromed by PDQ. Mike modded the factory column shifter to work with the AOD’s four forward gears. Can you spot the Sony CD deck blasting through the Ultimate and Infinity speakers? That’s the idea.

Aerodynamic it ain’t, but the torquey 302 and cold A/C make for comfy blasts through the Arizona desert. Mike cleverly integrated an original Ford underdash A/C unit to the stock Cobra compressor using custom hose fittings and a new condenser and evaporator.

Ron Zarella, president of GM North America, speaks of “the absolute customer need for functional vehicles.” Remember the days when cars didn’t need to be classified under meaningless monikers? Today, inside nearly every automaker, over piles of stale donuts and gallons of corporate coffee, marketing teams brainstorm trendsetting rides that combine sedan sportiness with truck utility. Tell us, please, what’s so cutting-edge about “crossover” vehicles?

Been there, done that. Take Mike Schnur’s ’65 Ranchero. After totaling his ’64 Falcon Sprint, Mike decided he needed a truck. But a good ol’ boy pickup can cramp a young guy’s style. The obvious compromise was Ford’s Ranchero, which looked awfully similar to his Falcon except for that big bed out back. See, it’s got the sprightly handling and compactness of a sedan, but the bed adds truck functionality for parts hauling.

“But it’s 37 years old.” OK, it doesn’t have umpteen cupholders like Pontiac’s Aztek, and you won’t find a pop-out tent on the tailgate, either. Nobody cared about that stuff in 1965, and self-respecting Car Craft readers can do without the fluff, too. Mike’s Ranchero does, however, get 23 miles to every tank of premium unleaded thanks to the ’93 Cobra driveline. It’s as comfortable as it is quick, thanks to a modernized air-conditioning system and interior. And let’s not forget the utilitarian bed out back. Let’s hope Bob Lutz inspires a unanimous push for cars like this in the near future—our salvation from an Aztek empire. And please, Bob, don’t call it a crossover vehicle.