1978 Ford Fairmont

1978 was Ford's diamond jubilee where the company celebrated its 75th anniversary of automobile production. The year of celebration was highlighted by the limited-production Diamond Jubilee Edition Thunderbird which the company described as 'the most exclusive Thunderbird you can buy.'

The Maverick had become a household name over the years, although often overshadowed by the Mustang, but for 1978 Ford, decided to discontinue the Maverick and replace it with a more modern compact model called the Fairmont. It was positioned between the Pinot and the Granada, and complemented by its Lincoln-Mercury counterpart, the Mercury Zephyr. The Fairmont's wheelbase measured 105.5-inches compared to the 94.5-inch wheelbase platform of the Pinto and the 109.9-inch wheelbase of the Granada. Prices on the 1978 Pinto ranged from $2,995 to $4,110, the Fairmont from $3,590 to $4,030, and the Granda was in the low $4,000 range.

Specification

The Ford Fairmont was the first Fox-based car to reach the market, with front engine and rear-wheel drive configuration and came standard with an overhead cam four-cylinder (Lima) engine with a displacement size of 140 cubic inches (3.78 x 3.13-inch bore & stroke). It had 9.0:1 compression, five main bearings, a two-barrel Motorcraft carburetor, and produced 88 horsepower ta 4,800 RPM and 118 lb-ft of torque at 2800 RPM. It produced slightly more than the Fairmont's base six-cylinder 200 CID engine which had 85 horsepower at 3,600 RPM but 154 lb-ft of torque at a low 1,600 RPM. An eight-cylinder engine was also available - a 302 CID unit with overhead valves, a cast-iron block and head, 8.4:1 compression, and 139 horsepower at 3,600 RPM and 248 lb-ft of torque. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, while a four-speed manual and a SelectShift three-speed automatic were optional. Power-assisted disc brakes were at the front and drums were at the rear. The front suspension was independent with lower lateral arms, helical-wound coil springs, and MacPherson struts. Instead of mounting the coil springs concentrically with the struts, they were positioned separately, between the lower arm and front cross-member. The rear solid axle had coil springs, vertically mounted dampers, two lower trailing arms, four links, and two upper control arms. Steering was controlled by a rack and pinion system with 3.2 turns lock-to-lock. A variable-ratio power assist system was optional.

Styling

The styling had the familiar family appearance to its larger siblings and was influenced by Ford's Ghia design studios in Turin, Italy. Fuel efficiency and aerodynamics were paramount, influencing the design with its slightly pointed front end, raked windshield, and smooth bodylines. In the front was a grille with two horizontal bars and one vertical divider (positioned in the center) with a cross-hatch (eggcrate) pattern The grille, bumper, and hood came to a point at the center. The grille was flanked by single rectangular headlamps resting above vertical rectangular signal lamps, both surrounded by bright molding. In the back, the taillamps were built with integral backup lamps. It had a higher roofline and lower beltline than its predecessor, and body styles included a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a five-door station wagon. A new two-door coupe called the Futura was introduced, reviving a name that had previously been used to represent the sporty trim level on the 1960s Ford Falcon.

Brightwork surrounded the grille, windshield, and parking lamp bezels. Additional brightwork was used for the drip moldings.

The Ford Fairmont Futura

The two-door Futura coupe, arriving in December, had a unique, model-specific roofline with a wrapover B-pillar similar to the Thunderbird (1977 to 1979 model) but devoid of the opera window. In the back was a wrap-around taillamp design, while the front had its own unique styling with a four-headlight fascia from the Zephyr, and a cross-hatched grille. The interiors featured pleated vinyl bucket seats, color-keyed seat-belts, and woodtone appliques on the dash.

The Futura nameplate gained a four-door sedan body style in 1980, and a station wagon a year later.

The Futura added a touch of sport and luxury to the Fairmont.

ES Option

Ford offered an ES option ($300) later in the year which added a blacked-out grille and cowl grille, black window frames and lower back panel, turbine-spoked wheel covers, and rear quarter window louvers. The interior had a sports steering wheel, a unique black instrument panel with gray engine turnings, and color-keyed trim.

Interior

The Fairmont models fitted with the standard four-cylinder engine had low-back bucket seat interiors. The addition of the six- or eight-cylinder engine meant the interiors came standard with a bench.

Production

Production of the Fairmont lasted from 1978 through 1983, it the year of its introduction receiving its largest production totals, with 460,981 units built, followed by 395,367 the following year, and 322,411 in 1980. 211,300 examples were built in 1981, 127,739 in 1982, and 80,833 in its final year.

The most popular body style in 1978 was the four-door sedan with 136,849 units built, followed by 128,390 of the station wagon, 116,966 of the two-door sport coupe, and 78,776 of the two-door sedan.

Pricing

The two-door sedan with the standard four-cylinder engine was priced at $3,590, the sedan at $3,660, the station wagon at $4,030, and the sport coupe at $4,045. With the standard six-cylinder engine, prices increased by approximately $120, while the addition of the V-8 added approximately $200 above the 6-cylinder engine.

Among the list of options were color-keyed turbine wheel covers, seven two-tone combinations, and a divided vinyl roof. The Exterior decor group was priced at $214, the Squire option at $365, the Convenience group ranged from $29 to $60, the Appearance protection group ($36-47), and the Light Group from $35 to $40. Non-reclining bucket seats were an additional $72, a bench seat was a $72 credit, deluxe wheel covers ($33), Turbine wheel covers $33-66), two-tone paint ($42), and left remote mirror $19.

The extensive list of optional equipment, a range of four, six, and eight-cylinder power, multiple transmission options, several body styles, and 26 MPG made the Fairmont a popular vehicle with consumers, accounting for approximately 24 percent for Ford's total automobile production in 1978.

by Dan Vaughan

The Ford Industry was started in 1903 by Henry Ford who was 40 at the time, and it soon became the largest automotive company in the world. The Ford Company is also the only company that has been managed by a family for over 100 years with vehicles sold worldwide. The Ford Company has made its mark in the automotive field and today they are responsible for many of the innovative vehicles we see each and every day.

As gas prices rose in the United States, Ford introduced the answer, the Ford Fairmont which was a big boost in the arm for Ford. Sales were spectacular on these luxury compact cars and reviews compared the Fairmont affably with BMV and Volvo models of that period. Designed to be a family car efficient and comfortable, along with being an economic ride, the Fairmont was unveiled to the public beginning in September of 1978. North American compact car, the Ford Fairmont was produced between 1978 and 1983.

The first-ever vehicle built on the Ford Fox platform, the Fairmont would be the basis for a variety of other models that included the 1980 to 1988 Thunderbird, the '81-'82 American Ford Granada, the '79 to '04 Mustang and the downsized Lincoln Continental in 1982. The Fairmont sported a rear-wheel-drive unibody that Ford would continue to successfully use for the next fifteen years. The Fairmont replaced the Maverick and during its introduction, it was twinned with the Mercury Zephyr.

The 1980 Fairmont was introduced in both 2 and 4-door sedan form, along with 5-door wagon bodies. Later on it was joined with a specialty coupe with a different roofline known as the Futura, a name that had first appeared in the Ford Falcon line 17 years earlier. The Futura came with a unique two-piece vinyl roof with an upswept central roof band, very similar to the one on the contemporary Thunderbird.

A dazzling success for Ford, the 78 Fairmont set the record for production of a new model, exceeding the record previously held by the 1965 Mustang. Though it kept a conventional rear-wheel-drive platform, the Fairmont was expertly packaged and offered excellent passenger and cargo room for its size. The reviews on the Fairmont were really promising from the beginning, and the Fairmont was uniformly praised and was favorably compared with contemporary Volvo and BMW models. Compared with the Maverick model it replaced, the Fairmont featured rack-and-pinion steering which gave it much better handling and road-ability.

Lightweight components made the roomy, midsized-bodied Fairmont feature even better fuel economy than the Maverick. During this time in the United States, fuel economy was becoming an issue as gasoline prices had been rising for the last five years, ten cents on average.

At the time of its debut, the Fairmont's front end differed from the Zephyr with its two headlights, rather than four featured on the Zephyr, all except the Futura coupe. Beginning in 1981 though, the entire Fairmont lineup received four headlights as standard. For this year a very wide assortment of engines and transmissions were available including a 2.3 L four-cylinder, 3.3 L six-cylinder, and 255 CID and 302 CID V8s. Transmissions on the Fairmont included three or four-speed manuals and the more popular three-speed automatic.

The '78 Fairmont featured noteworthy interior room along with a roomy cargo area for a vehicle of its size. Ford focused on these features in their print advertisements. One 1978 magazine highlighted how the Fairmont was the ideal vehicle for families with three reasons why to buy a Fairmont; 'most room for the money of any car or wagon in its class', 'highest mileage rating of any car in its class' and 'the lowest sticker price of any car in its class'. At the time, a 1978 2-door Fairmont retailed at $3,589.

The Ford Fairmont was even a successful competitor on the drag-racing circuit. Bob Glidden, a racer debuted his '78 red, white and blue Fairmont at the Edgewater Winston Championship Series on July 8, 1978. At the end of the season, and twenty-five consecutive wins, he retired the car. On its first run Glidden and his Fairmont set a national record of 8.76, and today this winning vehicle is currently on display at the NHRA Motorsport Museum.

In 1979 and 1980 a turbo-charged four-cylinder carbureted 2.3 L engine from the Mustang lineup was offered. Ford also offered an ESO Package on the Fairmont; the ESO or European Sport Option was offered to cover the market that wanted their cars to feel and act 'continental'. This package featured blacked-out grille, deluxe bumpers, black cowl grille, brightbelt moldings, black window frames, black quarter window ventilation louvers, black lower body parts, special wheel covers and black outside mirrors. The suspension also had a rear-stabilizer bar and was rated by Moor Trent as a more taut and responsive ride than the standard Fairmont. Several turbo four-door automatic sedans were utilized for testing by the California Highway Patrol.

A brand new Ford Granada was introduced on the same platform and wheelbase and this time the Fairmont was positioned in more of a basic, entry-level role. The Fairmont wagon was dropped in 81 and replaced by a Granada wagon. The Granada coupe was discontinued in 1983 and the wagon and sedan were re-skinned and rebadged as the Ford LTD, the name previously of Ford's full-size car which was renamed the Crown Victoria. The Fairmont Futura coupe and four-door sedan continued on in production until 1983 until they were replaced by the front-wheel-drive Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year. Today, Fairmonts can still be found online and in car traders' magazines.

In Australia, Ford Australia introduced a Fairmont from 1965 until 2008. With numerous differences in comparison to the American version, the Australian Fairmont came in two body styles; the four-door sedan and the five-door station wagon.

by Jessican Donaldson