There are some vehicles I've been hesitant to feature here on California Streets. Some are just not that rare, not particularly photogenic, or maybe I just don't get enough pictures for an exciting feature. I have an informal name for stuff like that: "Quick Takes". It usually applies to cars that are interesting but I have fewer than five pictures of them. In this case, I have six.
Being the Ford fanboy I am, I've long had a bit of a preference for the Ford Ranchero over its primary competitor, the Chevy El Camino (fear not, you Bowtie fans will get some El Camino love eventually). This is only the second Ranchero I've shot for a CS feature, and it was a tough call. The 1970 and '71 Rancheros are some of my favorite cartrucks (or coupe utilities, utes, as such vehicles are called Down Under). In my opinion at least, they have just the right amount of style without sacrificing utility. So when I happened upon this well-used example parked near a major street while returning to downtown from a freestyle walk late in the day, I did a quick shoot of it before the sun went down. These pictures were taken nearly two years ago.
This vehicle is pretty close to what I'd want if I had a '71 Ranchero, at least the light blue color and the Magnum 500 wheels. I'm torn on the matte black stripes that run from the grille up into the hood scallops. I'd guess there's probably a moderately sized V8 underhood, somewhere between 289 and 351 cubic inches. Given the load in the back, and the general condition of the body, it looks like this tough old beast still earns its keep in a tough city.
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