AMT - Ford Courier Minivan 1/25 [1210]
AMTAMT - Ford Courier Minivan 1/25 [1210]
AMTScale: 1/25
Barcode: 849398042397
In the early 1970s, the Ford Courier name was applied to the Mazda B series, a compact pickup manufactured by Mazda. It had greater fuel economy than the full-sized pickups of the time. The Courier was manufactured by Toyo Kogyo (Mazda) and imported to North America and sold by Ford Motor Company as a response to the unforeseen popularity of the small Toyota and Nissan/Datsun Pickups.
Like the other minipickups of the time, it featured a small (by US standards) four-cylinder engine, a four-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, an impressive load capability of 1,400 lb (635 kg) considering its size, and a fairly small price tag compared to full-sized pickups of the time. To circumvent the 25% "chicken tax" on light trucks, Couriers (as with Chevrolet LUVs) were imported in "cab chassis" configurations, which included the entire light truck—less the cargo box or truck bed—and were only subject to a 4% tariff. Subsequently, a truck bed was attached to the chassis and the vehicle could be sold as a light truck.
Beginning in 1977, Ford gave the Courier a fresh look, moving into the more blocky, angular styling that is distinct of 1980s automotive design. The base model engine remained the 1.8 L (1,796 cc) VB engine.'