Ford has been on a mission of providing utility vehicles since 1903. Throughout 119 years of operation, we've seen many models coming out from Ford's assembling lines and gaining incredible popularity. But in all that time, the prominent American brand became maybe the most favored for its pickup trucks, especially in the last couple of years.

In fact, Ford has been discontinuing all of its cars except the honored Mustang in favor of pickups, SUVs, and electric vehicles. This decision mostly came from the customer demand for more versatile, compact SUVs. But things were quite different back in the '50s, for example. Seventy years ago, people were looking for car-based utility vehicles, and naturally, Ford provided.

The 1957 Ford Ranchero blended the functionality of the pickup truck and the practicality and style of the car. It was sold in many copies and achieved great success at the time. Now, the 1957 Ford Ranchero stands as a legend of unique body style and performance we still love to see on auctions.

What makes the 1957 Ford Ranchero so special? Discover all about it in our brief overview of the Ranchero style and specs. We also provide a price guide for anyone who's up to enriching the classic car collection with this unique Ford utility vehicle.

RELATED: Auction Dilemma: Chevrolet El Camino Vs Ford Ranchero

The Rich History Coming With The 1957 Ford Ranchero

The 1957 Ford Ranchero.
Via: Flickr

Ford produced a fair share of vehicles before the Ranchero. The Ford Model T and Model A pickup trucks were uniquely shaped. They had a truck box behind the body of a car that served its purpose but looked awkwardly assembled. The first utility coupe came in 1934 when Lew Brant, the Ford designer, integrated the truck bed into the coupe to look more like a pickup but serve as a car as well.

It wasn't until the post-war years that this design truly came to life. The 1957 Ford Ranchero was the first vehicle of its kind, blending the sedan looks with the pickup truck utility in the most seamless design. That's precisely what made the Ranchero incredibly popular, so Ford had to produce a total of 508,355 units between 1957 and 1979 (when Ranchero was replaced with newer models and discontinued).

RELATED: Here's What Made The 1971 Ford Ranchero Special

The Exotic New Body For The 50s

The 1957 Ford Ranchero.
Via: Wikimedia Commons

The 1957 Ford Ranchero arrived as a coupe utility adapted from a station wagon platform that had the cab and the cargo bed integrated into the body. It was made from a full-sized platform from Ford cars (or more specifically, the sedan and the station wagon). For 1957, this was all new.

The unique hybrid mix of a station wagon chassis, a passenger car cab, and a cargo bed was offered in two trims in 1957. The first one was a standard Ford Ranchero model aimed to satisfy the needs of pickup truck buyers. It was named the Standard. The second one, or the Custom, was updated, offering more accessories to those who needed the premium looks of a car but didn't want to give up the extra cargo space.

Both the Standard and the Custom included the same engine options. The standard was the 3.7-liter inline-six, but customers could also go for the 4.8-liter V8 and the 5.8-liter V8, with the latest one being the most powerful.

The Small But Capable And Spacious 1957 Ford Ranchero

The 1957 Ford Ranchero.
Via: Wikimedia Commons

Despite being the smallest utility vehicle in the Ford lineup at the time, the Ranchero offered quite some free space in the truck bed. The two trims also helped with the growing popularity (along with the three engine options). So, customers were not only able to enjoy the unique styling but extra cargo space and solid performance of the compact 1957 Ford Ranchero.

The Standard trim didn't have many exterior and interior color options but came at an affordable price. Customers could add some extra money to get extra features such as dual sun visors, a horn ring, custom door panels, and more.

On the other hand, Custom had a metal trim that framed the rear window and the edges of the bed. It also sported several interior colors and attractive patterns. You could even go for the two-tone styling and add luxury features that would make your Ranchero a true car-looking pickup truck.

Can You Find The Ranchero Today, And At What Price?

The 1957 Ford Ranchero.
Via: Wikimedia Commons

The 1957 Ford Ranchero is still available on sale, thanks to the mass production back in the day. However, the prices vary gravely depending on the condition. The perfectly preserved models that don't require your mechanical skills after the purchase go anywhere above $20,000.

On the other hand, you can expect to spend somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 for Rancheros in the mid-condition. These may require more than one visit to the mechanic or some extra elbow grease from you.

Of course, if you're all up for a solid build-from-scratch project, you can find the 1957 Ford Ranchero at as low as $1,000. These deteriorated models will require a lot of work, but they can be polished to perfection, that's for sure.