After the Ayatollah turned off the oil spigot, 88 horsepower seemed good enough.
Ford Motor Company
Ford began selling cars on the rear-wheel-drive Fox platform for the 1978 model year, and production of the lightweight, modern Fox machines continued all the way through 1993 (or 2004, if you consider the SN95 Mustang to be a true Fox).
Most of us think of Mustangs when we think of Fox Fords, but everything from the cheap Fairmont compact to the luxurious Lincoln Mark VI lived on the platform. Here’s a magazine advertisement for the 1980 Fairmont, then in its third model year.
Ford Motor Company
A range of 532 highway miles is certainly impressive, especially with the gas lines and general fuel anxiety in the wake of certain geopolitical events the year before, though it can’t compare with the 726-mile highway range of the diesel Chevy Caprice wagon.
The secret to the ’80 Fairmont’s great fuel economy comes from the fine print: a four-cylinder, 2.3-liter engine making 88 horsepower (and, we must assume, the base four-speed manual transmission).
Keyword: Pinto-Engined 1980 Ford Fairmont Fears No Gas Crisis