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 Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022