After Ford axed the Ranchero pickup truck in 1979, it seemed to be the end of an "era" for car based pickups from Ford. The aftermarket coach building industry thought otherwise and made it a point to continue making a car-based pickup.
The National Coach Corporation, based out of L.A, obtained permission from Ford to convert some of their Fairmont "Futura" coupes (a two door Fairmont with a T-Bird looking roof) into pickups. What NCC basically did was take a hacksaw to the Futura's roof, remove the backseat, and hollow out the area behind the front seat into a pickup bed. The result was the Ford "Durango." While not an official Ford product, the Durango was sold in Ford dealers around the country.
The Durango was available for only one model year, 1981 (although Wikipedia claims some were built in 1982). The number of Durangos made is often debated, with production numbers ranging between 80 and 300 vehicles converted.
I first heard about the Durango through an ad on Craigslist a few years ago. The thing that stood out the most was the taillights, which were integrated into the tailgate. I couldn't find any specifications on it, like how much weight it could carry, what engine/transmission/interior options it came with, or what their base price was.
To be honest, I think this was meant to be more of a "show truck" than something actually meant to be used as a truck. Ford probably didn't want to take too much of a gamble making the Durango itself, which may explain why building it was left up to an aftermarket company. Perhaps, if Ford would have given the Durango more attention, it could have been an ideal competitor to other mini pickups such as the Dodge Rampage, VW Rabbit Caddy, and Subaru BRAT.
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