Out of all of the vehicles I’ve looked at for the Tour of Temptation, this 1972 Ford Maverick Sprint might be the most palatable, I think. I could’ve easily picked the 1989 Chevrolet Caprice sitting on a late 1970s Ford Bronco chassis, or the Freightliner school bus that was half-converted into a skoolie RV, or maybe the Ford Gran Torino dirt-tracker that looked like a prize fighter after the 11th round. Instead, I picked this cheerful little compact that was waiving it’s patriotism around like a happy flag. Okay, I picked it because it’s a small-bumper Maverick and I have a fond appreciation for them. Sue me.
The Sprint package could be ordered on Maverick, Mustang and Pinto for 1972 and consisted of a Wimbledon White body with Grabber Blue painted below the bumper lines, red pinstripes, and a USA shield (or, for Canadians, a maple leaf) on the haunches. Whether that was officially meant to be a bit of inspiration during the Olympic Games (which were held in Munich that year) or a precursor to the American Bicentennial celebration that was coming up in a couple of years, I couldn’t tell you. What I can tell you is that this is a five-bolt car with no engine, no transmission and all the potential in the world. Small-block Ford and a C4 automatic? Sure! A bit of spit and polish to bring out the bright stuff and to make the interior palatable, some fresh hardware, and a junkyard engine from a Ford Explorer would give this little Mav some kick until you were ready to do the major rebuild. $2,000 is the buy-in.
I’ll take it! I only wish…..
I’d go for it since $1,600 would probably take it, but I bet it’s REALLY smelly inside and what is that contraption in the background?
I had a 72 Maverick , gold in color, no power brakes, no AC, no power steering no power anything.
BUT, it had the 302, rebuilt with a nice cam/manifold/headers and a set of dark center 5 spokes it was a fun car