Vehicle Description
This 1957 Ford Ranchero Custom Pickup is a gorgeous stock example
of Ford's famous truck/car hybrid that comes to us from an
impressive museum display. By the mid-1950s, the role of trucks was
beginning to shift from purely utilitarian work trucks used to haul
cargo to something a bit more ambidextrous; Americans were using
their trucks as daily transportation with work and hauling being
only incidental. The first American automaker to cater to this
shift was Chevrolet when it introduced its luxury Cameo Pickup in
1955. After Chevy controlled the luxury pickup market for two
years, the rest of America's truck builders saw an opening to enter
this market with their own iterations of a more luxurious pickup.
The next automaker to enter the luxury pickup market was the Ford
Motor Company when Ford debuted the Ranchero to the American market
on December 8, 1956 at the National Automobile Show in New York.
Interestingly, while the Ranchero was "new" to the American market,
the underlying design was not truly new at all. Back in 1934, Ford
sold a truck known as the "Ute" in Australia. As the story goes, an
Australian farmer's wife asked the local Ford plant to build her "a
vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday, and which can carry our
pigs to market on Mondays?" And that's exactly what Ford did! Ford
marketed its new truck-sedan hybrid Ranchero as "a new idea in
motor vehicles." Built on Ford's trusted station wagon frame, the
Ranchero sported a comfortable passenger car styled cab up front
and a light duty truck-style rear cargo area in the rear,
essentially marrying the comfort and luxury of a passenger car with
the utility and practicality of a truck. Of course, Ford made some
slight modifications to its standard station wagon's design
accommodate the truck's features such as relocating the fuel filler
door so as not to interfere with the fold-down rear tailgate. In
its debut year, the 1957 Ranchero was offered in two models, a more
stripped-down Standard Ranchero and the more luxurious (and more
popular) Custom Ranchero. The Custom Pickup Ranchero sported
flashier gold anodized side trim on the outside as well as fancier
interior options such as a horn ring and dual fold-down sun visors.
In total, Ford produced 15,277 Custom Ranchero Pickups in 1957
demonstrating that the novel design was well-received by the
public. It's also worth noting that the Ranchero would entice other
American truck-makers to introduce their own luxury pickups, such
as the Dodge Sweptside Pickup and the International Golden Jubilee;
and in 1959, with perhaps a sense of "imitation is the sincerest
form of flattery," Chevrolet replaced its own luxury Cameo Pickup
with its own sedan-truck combo vehicle, the El Camino. This
particular 1957 Ranchero Custom Pickup comes to us most recently
from the private museum of an esteemed collector and before that
the truck spent over 20 years under the stewardship of another
collector. Under the hood on this '57 Ranchero Pickup is a 292
Cubic Inch V8 engine fed by a single 2 barrel carburetor that
together were said to have created 212 horsepower when new. The 292
V8 is backed by a Ford-O-Matic Automatic transmission that makes
this classic 50s pickup an easy truck for just about anybody to
take for a spin around the block. Exhaust exits the 292 Ford power
plant via a dual exhaust setup that generates a terrific throaty
sound out of the rear chrome-tipped tailpipes. This 1957 Ford
Ranchero comes equipped with numerous nifty options! With power
steering, maneuvering in and out of tight parking spaces at the
local car show or ice cream parlor is an absolute breeze and feels
almost effortless. Further aiding in parking this truck is a pair
of dual outside chrome mirrors that not only elevate the exterior
appearance of the Ranchero but also provide ease of mind that you
can see everything beside you. The long steel bed with its
high-sided body is in wonderful shape as well and while suited for
light duty hauling, is probably too nice today to be used to haul
serious cargo. This 1957 Ranchero Custom Pickup rides on a set of
wide whitewall radial tires mounted on chrome wire wheels with
spinner hubcaps that provide a stylish look and even better ride
cruising down the road. The exterior of this 1957 Ford has been
refinished in a beautiful two-tone paint scheme consisting of Flame
Red and Colonial White that complete the exterior look of this
fantastic truck. The interior of this 1957 Ford Rancher Custom
Pickup is absolutely gorgeous! The bench seat has been correctly
reupholstered in Flame Red and Colonial White vinyl, just how this
truck came when it rolled off the San Jose, California production
line back in 1957. The matching two-tone Red and White door panels,
red steering wheel, red carpeting, and red padded dash all appear
to be in wonderful condition and all retain a nice stock
appearance. The instrument cluster is equipped with a 120 MPH
speedometer, temperature gauge, and fuel gauge, along with
indicator lights for the turn signals, generator and oil pressure.
The dash is finished off with a glovebox, push-button AM radio,
clock, and various controls for the wipers, heater, and more.
Whether you're buying your very classic pickup truck or you're an
established Fifties Ford Fanatic, this 1957 Ford Ranchero Custom
Pickup would make an excellent choice. Give Ellingson's a call
today at 763-428-7337!
*292 Cu. In. V8
*Single 2 Barrel Carburetor
*Ford-O-Matic Automatic Transmission
*Dual Exhaust
*Flame Red/Colonial White Exterior
*From Museum Collection of Esteemed Owner
*Correct Flame Red/Colonial White Interior
*Wide Whitewall Tires on Chrome Wire Wheels
*Dual Chrome Outside Mirrors
*Power Steering
*Stock Instrumentation
*Odometer Reads: 36,987 Miles
