The Ford F-150 is the most popular car in USA, but this one found in a barn is a lot rarer than the rest
- The Ford F-150 is the most popular American-made vehicle ever
- However, this barn find is a rare gem
- The rainbow detailing makes it a unicorn
Published on Sep 18, 2024 at 9:45 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Sep 18, 2024 at 10:11 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
It might be the most popular American-made vehicle ever, but this barn find example of the Ford F-150 is a rare gem.
The much-loved pickup truck has sold 41.5 million units since its debut in 1948.
It grew from a humble utilitarian to a luxury muscle truck.
However, this F-150 Ranger Free Wheeling pickup that’s been off the road for 17 years but has only 45,000 miles on the odometer is a unicorn.
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Ford F-150 Ranger Free Wheeling pickup
The rainbow-dashed F-150 Ranger Free Wheeling pickup was around from 1977 to 1981.
The short window of time it was on the market means it’s a rare sight nowadays.
Survivors are considered collectible, no matter what condition they’re in.
In 1979, the F-150 was the number one choice for light truck buyers, with 400,000 units sold.
Motors ranged from a 300 cubic-inch (4.9-liter) inline-six to the other end of the scale and a huge 460 V8 (7.5 liters).
The famous 351 V8 (5.8-liter) was the go-to powerplant for F-150 pickup truckers with more than a third of buyers opting for it.
This barn find is a six-cylinder example, carrying a four-speed manual to send to the 114 horsepower and 223lb-ft of torque (116PS, 302Nm) to all four wheels.
This made it a reliable truck that used fuel economically.
Although, as this video of a Cyberbeast rescuing a Ford F-150 out of a ditch in Texas – it isn’t the most powerful.
The barn find
Car detailer and vlogger from Traverse City, Michigan, US, Dane Shemwell, aka Detail Dane, struck gold when he chanced across one.
He visited a customer in Southern Michigan to grab a Ford.
Said Ford had been sitting in the woods for four decades.
The 1970 Ford Torino was so overgrown with flora and fauna that it was impossible to shift.
However, owner Leslie also has a Ford truck that she planned to get back on the road.
The F-150 Ranger had been sitting gathering clutch since its clutch broke and was never repaired.
Leslie had planned to sell her Torino to repair the Ranger however, the detailer still took the Ranger to his shop.
After its first clean in decades, its patina sparkled against the chromatic tape rainbow detailing to the hood, sides, and roof.
The good news is its livery is the same as the truck from the Ford brochure of 1979. courtesy of the Free Wheeling package.
The Free Wheeling package also included a sport steering wheel, a push bar and fog lamps, a GT bar, nice-looking wheels (either forged aluminum or styled steel), a rear step bumper, the handling package, a blackout grille, and a unique interior trim.
The bad news is that the wheels aren’t original.
Plus, as it only had a clean, we can’t be sure whether it runs.
In similar news, this detailing expert made a wild discovery while cleaning inside a Ford F-150.
To bring this story up to date, this 2024 Ford F-150 gets new trims, tech, and a brand-new badge.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
