Vehicle Description
It's easy to overlook some great cars that remain quite affordable,
and this 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber makes a compelling argument for
Ford's overlooked pony car. With a fresh 5.0, a 5-speed gearbox,
and that Grabber Blue paint, it's got all the right ingredients,
all at a bargain-basement price. Time to take another look at the
Maverick.
It's not subtle, but if you have a fast car, there's really no
point in trying to stay out of sight. The Maverick's styling has
aged rather well, and with a few modest upgrades, it takes on an
entirely new personality. Check out the hood scoops and side pipes,
two indicators that this isn't your garden-variety commuter car,
and the finish quality is far better than you'd expect at this
price. It was refinished three or four years ago and still looks
fantastic, and they went the extra mile to paint the black hood
stripes in place, so it has a seamless look. The white side stripes
are an accurate reproduction of the Grabber package and combined
with the rest of the work, the car looks great. The Grabber also
got a blacked-out grille that looks especially good here and the
tail was blacked out to match. New bumpers, a modest deck lid
spoiler, and just a bit of chrome around the windows make this car
look more expensive than it is.
Almost every Maverick was factory-equipped with a bench seat, so
that's what lives inside today. It's got a recent seat cover that's
comfortable cloth rather than sticky vinyl, and with the
wood-rimmed wheel to warm things up plus new carpets, the interior
is a nice place to spend some time. Neatly-installed auxiliary
gauges are not a surprise with that upgraded engine under the hood
and there's a big tach on the steering column. The floor-mounted
shifter manages a 5-speed manual gearbox out of a late-model
Mustang, so shifts are effortless and it's got a towering overdrive
that makes it comfortable on the highway. There are a few scuff
marks on the original door panels and dash, but nothing worth
worrying about, and you'll note there's no radio, which reinforces
the Grabber's no-nonsense, all-performance personality. You do,
however, get a fairly massive trunk with plenty of room for a road
trip as well as a reproduction plaid mat.
The engine is a late-model 5.0, also known as a 302. It was the top
engine in the Grabber, although this one (which was rebuilt 1500
miles ago) is a massive upgrade over the original wheezing 120
horsepower stocker. Aluminum heads, a big Edelbrock carburetor, a
Weiand intake manifold, and an upgraded roller camshaft inside all
conspire to knock down some serious horsepower that even the
nastiest cars in 1971 can't match. It's also beautifully dressed
with Ford Blue paint, Edelbrock aluminum valve covers, and a chrome
air cleaner. Upfront you'll find a giant aluminum radiator that
ensures it never gets too hot and a set of headers lead to those
cackling side pipes that are more Cobra than commuter. A 1996
Mustang T5 5-speed manual transmission is linked to an 8-inch rear
end with 4.11 gears inside, but don't worry, with that towering
overdrive, it's still quite comfortable at 75 MPH. The underside is
shockingly clean for being unrestored and the stance is perfect,
sitting on 15-inch Magnum 500 wheels and fat BFGoodrich T/A
radials.
Big performance, affordable price, and easy to live with? This
might be the ideal entry-level hobby car. Call today!
