I don’t know if it’s the constant exposure over the last almost-decade to CC or the recent binge-watching of Mindhunter but somehow I’ve come 180 degrees on the Fairmont. While it used to rank very low on my personal Desire-O-Meter it has made steady progress up the dial and now I look at them with admiration. This is the first one I can recall seeing in the junkyard in a while and at first I was excited just due to it being a wagon, but then I got closer and the big disco ball in my mind started to spin.
Just look at those seats! Red and plaid, is there a better interior color combination along with the (now faded) red carpet, dash, and steering wheel? And paired with such a plain white paper bag of a wrapper too. Now, I realize that we are on the cusp of a trend where many of the best condition junkyard finds seem to be sporting red interiors, but perhaps there is something to that.
Could it be that if you have the personality to spec, buy and drive around in a red interior, you are naturally more attuned to the upkeep of the whole thing than those that just take whatever common color happened to be around on the lot when you went shopping? (Never mind the missing door panel, we’ll get to that).
This is a 1980 model, no roof rack, dog dish hubcaps, no rear wiper, not much at all in the way of exterior options bar the “Exterior Decor Group” consisting of bright window surrounds, bright mirror (one side only), bright moldings, deluxe (not dog dish in Ford-speak, oops) and a hood ornament.
What I used to deride as plain and boring I now find expressive, clean, simple. Somehow it actually reminds me of the Dart of a decade prior which I always found characterful.
I do like the side placement of the license plate bracket, which I always found to be a particularly if not uniquely American look, they should bring that back but it’d probably look strange with the plate just drilled into the current plastic bumpers as they tend to do now
How does a lowly Fairmont with dog (excuse me, “deluxe”) dishes and minimal options otherwise end up with such a great hood ornament? It turns out they were not that uncommon although this is the first time I have ever noticed it on one. It’s attractive too, with the stylized “F” in there. All part of the package…
The goods. What there is of them, that is. Powered by Ford’s 2.3 Lima OHC engine with an output of 88hp and 118lb-ft of torque, at least it provided excellent fuel economy for the day. 1980 was the only year that a turbo version of the engine was available, sadly though in the sedan and coupe only. No joy for the wagon, besides the seats anyway. But you’re likely wondering how much of a slug this was on the road.
I don’t know, since I’ve never driven one, but this Fairmont is equipped yet again with the base option in transmissions, a 4-speed manual with a well-worn knob. The last manual 4-speed I owned was also a 1980 model, but mine was an Audi 4000, the 4-speed was just fine with lots of spacing between gear ratios, so a fairly tractable package.
Here we can see pretty much the whole extent of the “Interior Accent Group” option which is the only other option this car appears to have. Vinyl/plaid cloth bucket seats, woodtone molding on the dash and doors, deluxe steering wheel hub as well as the deluxe sound package. I do not know what the doo-hickey is that’s attached to the rearmost stalk. Looks like a doorbell…
In any case, I wonder how much those two packages actually cost. The base price of this wagon was $5,421 according to NADA but I could not find information regarding the options.
In a recent junkyard post, I lamented what I considered sparse instrumentation and a commenter responded that what I was looking at was actually pretty decent. Now I see it, this one has a speedo and a fuel gauge. And several blank gauge strips for non-selected options. You do get a nifty crest that doesn’t match the hood ornament at all but does seem to match the fancy steering wheel hub.
The odometer appears to read 44020, but there has to be at least a virtual “1” in front of that, or perhaps even a “2”. Or, could it be that it has never rolled over?
The “deluxe sound package” appears to be pretty dog-dishy with a manually adjusted AM radio. No A/C but a cigarette lighter. And more acreage of woodtone accent material on that glorious red dashboard. I don’t think Ford thinks the word “deluxe” means what I think it means….If Ford was in charge of TV programming in 1980, the Jefferson’s deluxe apartment in the sky would be in the basement, garden level at best.
The Fairmont did use a “modified” MacPherson strut suspension, a feature that Ford were mighty proud of in their advertising of the day. And an opportunity to festoon it with yet another type of fancy crest/badgery.
The full owner’s guide and a whole passel of keys, sadly none of which worked to open the rear hatch. But look at how that upholstery wore! The whites are even still white, very impressive.
Clean, purposeful, understated but very practical. No wonder Ford was the “wagonmaster” back then. Now? Not so much.
I found this car in Denver, about 35 miles away from where it was sold. Stan Barrett Ford was sold in 1982, so this may well be an original sticker from the purchase date, unless the new owners kept the name, although it is definitely not in use currently.
As I said, the keys didn’t work for the hatch, so here’s the view through the (non-defrosted of course) glass. We may have just found the missing door panel! And some fender trim. And a carpet sample sporting a style as old as the car.
Many of these seemingly usable specimens that we’ve been featuring here seem to have manual transmissions, which may well be a large part of the reason the cars ended up here. Perhaps nobody in the family wanted it, nobody in the immediate vicinity could drive a stick, and an old car without A/C isn’t an attractive proposition for many people that don’t read this site. Perhaps if it was brown?
Build date April 1980. Likely built in Kansas City (actually Claycomo), Missouri based on the K in the second position of the 11-digit VIN, the last year for this style of VIN.
After perusing the brochures online, I really don’t think this wagon has any options besides the interior package and exterior package. Those front bumper protectors are standard (optional on rear but not on this one). It’s a somewhat weird/sparse combination but also dresses up the interior to be less penalty box-like. Someone took pretty good care of it for the last 39 years…I like it!
Note: a rerun of an older post.
Lots o’ Related Reading here at CC:
JPCavanaugh found a 1980 Fairmont Futura Coupe
Jim Grey’s excellent write-up of a first year 1978 Fairmont Sedan
Paul Niedermeyer seems to like a 1978 Fairmont Sedan
GN’s Vintage Review of the Fairmont
Perry Shoar’s take on the ritzy 1981 Fairmont Futura Wagon
Brendan Saur tackles a Cohort-supplied Fairmont Squire Wagon
Nice preservation. You joke about what would happened if it were brown, and I remembered a brown one that used to drive around my area that had a Japanese Diesel engine swap…I think it was an Isuzu, so there was a Ford Fairmont Wagon, brown, diesel, manual car. Too much soot in its back though. It’s probably hard for Americans to imagine that somewhere somebody might be waiting for American embassies to auction or tender out these vehicles to import-starved citizens, who would pay more than their original value plus local taxes for one of these. I almost got my FIL to do that in 1984 for a 1980 Fairmont Wagon with the 200 cid, automatic, PS, PB and AC, but farther from that, as plain as the example you show us here.
The American Volvo 245.
Surprisingly rust free for a 45 yr old. Garage kept, perhaps?
As always with one of these non-rusted or mangled junkyard finds, one wonders what mechanical malady led to its forelorn demise. What had let go in the drivetrain or chassis that someone felt it wasn’t worth fixing? It’s not like the parts were/are too expensive or difficult to source.
While not exactly a classic, it surely would have been worth repairing as a cheap, daily-driver, runabout.
In December 1976, as a soon-to-graduate engineering student I interviewed at Ford in Dearborn and saw several test mules and even a few running prototypes of the Fairmont. The body panels were disguised and/or not final, but there was no hiding the McPherson struts (modified I have learned today) and the rack and pinion steering, as well 4 cylinder manual transmission configuration of several of them. I was impressed to the point where I went to a dealership at the launch almost a year later to check out the production cars. Though I ended up with another new for 1978 Ford (at least in the US), a Fiesta. A friend who owned a Lotus Elan was impressed enough to buy a 2 door 4 cylinder, 4 speed Fairmont with a few sporty options for his wife. I drove it once or twice and the execution wasn’t quite as good as the spec suggested. It took several years of development and a V8 to make the Fox platform work well. But I still really like the style,of these cars, especially as a wagon.
Great write up. I laughted out loud at the “perhaps if it was brown” line.
Seeing that plaid upholstery, my mind is flashing back to the Bay City Rollers.
S-A-TUR-DAY Night!!
I agree that this body design ages very well. It was and is a nearly age defying look.
There may not be a missing odometer imaginary leading digit given the upholstery and general interior condition. And other than the drooping trim piece under the driver door the exterior is in really good shape. So probably junked as unloved or unsellable, which is a total shame With new red carpet, some cleaning and freshening this might come back to life, but it still will be worth nada.
I’d love to have one of these as a right-sized “toy car” today–and I’m sure it would earn its keep and do most of the things I’d ask of a truck (like a Ford Ranger).
My parents’ Fairmont sedan in the late 1970s felt lean and future-like….a definite break from what I thought of as “1960s-1970s Ford.” And there was a colleague whose 1980-ish sedan had the Lima/Pinto 4cyl with the 4-speed…not the fastest thing on on-ramps, but it got around just fine, and mileage was impressive for a non-compact.
It’s good that I don’t live in Denver—I might just be hiring a mechanic to check the wagon out for me before wintry weather hits……thanks for this writeup!
I too find this a pleasing design and feel sad it was scrapped .
-Nate
I thought the “ride-engineered” badge was only for Mercurys.
Fairmonts without the interior accent group were really bleak inside. The door panels didn’t cover the area under the sill, which was left body-color paint. Seats were vinyl taxicab grade. Super-thin plastic steering wheel. There was also an even fancier interior trim group above the one this car had, which gave you ribbed velour seats, woodgrain and carpet on the doors, and a four-spoke steering wheel from bigger Fords and Lincolns.
Our 82 Zephyr had the “RIDE ENGINEERED” badge and the attached photo shows another 1980 Fairmont with out the badge. With both the Ford and Mercury being built on the same assembly line, I’m sure it was easy to mistakenly install the incorrect piece. My brother-in-law bought a 1980 Monte Carlo with a Monte Carlo shield on the C pillar on the left side and a Buick Regal emblem on the right side C pillar.
Your comment made me remember when I spotted on a new Fairmount on the dealer floor either one Zephyr taillamp or the Zephyr badge (can’t remember which!) I might have mentioned it to the sales guy, crazy!
a close friend in college got one of these in his 2nd year 1978-79. his was fairmont sedan 4d in deep blue. that ride was a fun platform with 4 of us inside. those 4sp manual gears were well spaced and the car seemed to have rather good lateral grip in corners, as he demonstrated by taking “square” corners, tossing us about in the interior through intersections in that college town. then again, i had grown up with full size ford wagons & their “vaguer than watercraft” TM disconnected-from-the-road steering. friend was a boy scout before college. when he placed his scouting stetson on the dash, oncoming cars al slowed down at his approach, convinced it was an unmarked trooper’s steed
I’m going to guess that stalk button is a makeshift horn. This was during the time Ford thought it would be a good idea to move the horn button from the steering wheel to the turn signal stalk, with the claimed logic it was more European, i.e., ‘better’. My guess is that, in reality, it was simply cheaper.
The complaints racked up and, soon enough, the horn was moved back to its traditional steering wheel location.
At the time, I read that the horn stalk anticipated required airbags, though this could’ve been merely an excuse, since American management can’t sleep unless they cheapen down to the last farthing and take the customer for all he’s worth.
The Fairmont did handle well, esp. by Ford standards; my one complaint is, the suspension needed more travel, as it was too easy to top out over RR crossings.
Looks too good to be in the scrapper. I love it as it is with the 4 speed and all. It is a good canvas for a hot rod project or a light resurrection to be drive-able again.
I am partial to wagons as well!!
We had a light brown 4 door Fairmont with 4 cylinder and 4 manual speed as a company pool car. Slow off the line, but the wide ratio transmission meant cruising at 75 MPH in the sweet spot of the engine band and the strongest A/C in the Deep South.
The Fox platform served Ford well, more than the Mustangs and Capris which get all the attention. A LTD LX (V8) would find a nice home in my driveway. A set of gas struts would turn it into a nice highway cruiser.
My 1978 Camaro was a similar “White on the outside red on the inside” color scheme (plaid free) but by reaching my hands 1985 that red had faded to between 5 and 8 different shades inside.
My 1978 Camaro was a similar “White on the outside red on the inside” color scheme (plaid free) but by 1985 that red had faded to between 5 and 8 different shades inside.
Seven-year-old cars ain’t what they used to be – a good thing!!
That is a very clean car, Ive no experience of these cars but have seen a guy on Utube fishing them out of junkyards and rebuilding them he has at least one of all fox body cars so I’m learning about them,
Here in my corner of the world, there’s only a very short time in which a car can be saved from the scrapyard. Once a certain document is issued—the so-called certificate of disposal—it’s over. Even if all the parts are still there, all the fluids are still in, and the keys are still in the ignition.
About the car: There’s something fundamentally honest about its simplicity.
There’s a guy that is very successful autocrossing one of these.
It sure looks like a nice project car, good thing its a 1000 miles away.
Bought an 80 Fairmont wagon from a guy the next crescent over. This was many years ago.
Light blue with rust spots, straight 6 and automatic. Easy to maintain, even changed the tranny fluid and filter in my garage. Wonderful second car for our family. We did one road trip to southern Alberta without an issue. Sold it off to another family who needed a reliable second car.
The Fairmonts/Zephrys weren’t build to last but they were well thought out and good transportation for many people.
Glad you’re back junkyard foraging – always enjoy your posts.
Having driven one of these, a sedan with the 2.3 and an automatic, in my view it was one of the most pathetic pieces to haunt a roadway. Granted it was a well-used military example, but it was universally reviled. The “Lima” huffed its lungs out while imparting very little forward motion, build quality was poor, and its suspension “listed”…
As with most things GI, we had a nickname for it – I’ll mention it here merely for historical purposes and not as my current view or in any attempt to offend anyone…we called it the “Fagmont” since it sucked so much…
This is some guilty pleasure Malaisey goodness right here. Imagine someone going to vote out Carter in the primary and the general in a car like this
My father in law bought a 79 Fairmont wagon in chocolate brown with a tan interior. He bought it simply because it had bucket seats and he could haul long items. That car never broke! I married my wife in December of 84 and he was still driving it. All was well until his niece let a boyfriend drive it… don’t know why… and he totaled it.
The emblem discussion reminded me of looking at brand new 99 F150 trucks. I wanted an XLT trim and the dealer showed me one. Except, it showed XL on one side and XLT on the other! He assured me that it was an XLT, but I figured if the factory couldn’t get that right, what other surprises was i in for, so I walked.
Sad to see this car in the junkyard
How is that car not falling off the rear end where it is held up by a round wheel? It looks like if you breathe on it too hard, it’s going to topple over.
My neighbors for a year or so in 1978-79 had a Ford Fairmont Wagon. I rode in it several times to school with their kids. It seemed really cheap and crappy to me, a somewhat-spoiled 13 yr old who rode in a Lincoln Town Car at the time. I’m pretty sure it had that red plaid interior too.
Jim:
“I do like the side placement of the license plate bracket, which I always found to be a particularly if not uniquely American look, they should bring that back . . .”
Ford did bring it back. See the current Ford Maverick rear bumper license plate location.
I worked for Hertz as a transporter in ’77 and ’78; back then they mostly rented Fords. In ’77 a lot of Grenadas and LTD II plus Thunderbirds, in ’78 the Fairmont was a very popular rental so I got to drive them many times. It was an OK car…interestingly my Dad used to have a ’68 Renault R10 with the horn on the end of the turn signal lever so almost 10 years later it wasn’t too new to us. Also, the Farimont was the first Ford to use the aerodynamic side view mirrors which were previously on Mercedes. I liked the Fairmont but thought it strange when 2 years later a co-worker bought one…though his had a Jensen stereo he fitted to the interior.
Funny thing, I never drove a single Maverick (nor Pinto) the whole time I was with Hertz. As the Fairmont was the replacement for the Maverick, I would have thought that in ’77 there would have been at least one Maverick. And Pintos were still pretty popular (outside of Hertz) back then. No Mustang II either.
I worked for Hertz as a transporter in ’77 and ’78; back then they mostly rented Fords. In ’77 a lot of Grenadas and LTD II plus Thunderbirds, in ’78 the Fairmont was a very popular rental so I got to drive them many times. It was an OK car…interestingly my Dad used to have a ’68 Renault R10 with the horn on the end of the turn signal lever so almost 10 years later it wasn’t too new to us. Also, the Farimont was the first Ford to use the aerodynamic side view mirrors which were previously on Mercedes. I liked the Fairmont but thought it strange when 2 years later a co-worker bought one…though his had a Jensen stereo he fitted to the interior.
Funny thing, I never drove a single Maverick (nor Pinto) the whole time I was with Hertz. As the Fairmont was the replacement for the Maverick, I would have thought that in ’77 there would have been at least one Maverick. And Pintos were still pretty popular (outside of Hertz) back then. No Mustang II either.
I sure hope this car has a blown engine or transmission. It’s just too clean and straight to throw out unless it needs major work (and maybe even worth a budget rebuild). Sadly, a lot of people see no value, and if nobody intervenes, they’ll send a perfectly functional car such as this to the scrap yard. Meanwhile, this could be the perfect second car to haul material for yard work or projects, take your dog to the park, and so on. Sure, you’d tire of commuting in one, and road tripping it would be a stretch for most. But there are so many potential uses, and maintaining one would be dirt cheap and simple. Even if it’s just a short-term solution for someone needing to get to work, it’s something.
And there is a simple honesty about these cars. About the only things that stand out in a negative way are the totally uninspiring woodgrain finish and the empty gauge markings to the sides of the fuel gauge. Like it’s saying “here’s where your temp and oil pressure gauges would be if you weren’t too lazy and cheap to buy the top spec model.” It’s a similar thing to those blanks that go where switches for optional equipment would be. Of course it makes sense not to build fifteen different dashes to account for every spec, but you might sell more cars if the base model wasn’t festooned with reminders of all the optional stuff you passed up (often wisely, considering that’s usually where the big profits are).
My grandpa had a brown Zephyr wagon, automatic with the straight 6. Wheel covers that looked like a doily. No other options that I knew of. I was between 4 and 10 at the time. Even then I was thinking WTF about the horn switch at the stalk. And I bet that’s what the button is for. It also had the “ride engineered” badge on the dash. So apparently that’s not just a thing for the Mercury version.
I too wonder what put it in the junkyard. Living in Michigan all my life, a clean solid straight body alone is really worth something.