How many rancheros did Ford make?
The Ford Ranchero, produced from 1957 to 1979, was a unique Ford model—car-based pickup that blended elements of a coupe and a small truck. There is no single official lifetime total published by Ford, so estimates vary by source. The best-harmonized figure puts production near the half-million mark.
What the record shows
Most credible sources place the total Ranchero production at roughly 450,000 to 600,000 units. The broad range reflects differences in counting methods, such as whether Canadian-built units, export variants, or model-year counts are included and how years are defined across generations.
Why numbers differ
Because Ford did not publish a consolidated lifetime figure, historians rely on factory records, period brochures, and dealer archives. These sources can yield different totals depending on what is included, such as regional production or whether certain transitional years are treated as separate designs.
Takeaways for enthusiasts
For collectors and restorers, the takeaway is that Rancheros are more common than you might expect for a niche model, with total production around the half-million mark. If you need a precise year-by-year tally for research, it requires consulting archived factory materials and contemporary catalogs, acknowledging that an official lifetime total may not exist.
Summary
The Ford Ranchero’s run from 1957 to 1979 yielded an estimated total near 500,000 units, with credible ranges typically cited from about 450,000 to 600,000 depending on counting methods. The exact number remains unofficial and varies by source.
