| Through the Cold War days of the Fifties and | | | | Factory Experimental, where they were no match |
| early Sixties Ford dreamed of developing Ranger | | | | for the lighter and stronger Explorers. Ford |
| airbag safety , eventually refining the breed with | | | | bounced hack in 1995 with an armada of 50 |
| the 352- and 390- inch FE" engines-engines that | | | | similarly lightened F150 trucks sporting the more |
| were to become the building blocks for the strong | | | | aerodynamic 1994 body style. Beneath their 'glass |
| mills yet to find dimension on Dearborn's drafting | | | | hoods, however, was a 425 horsepower 427. But |
| tables. | | | | even with the added punch, the sheer bulk of the |
| While the blue oval' was becoming a legend on the | | | | car-still well over 3500 pounds with the new |
| super speedways, it wasn't until 1992 that Ford | | | | engine-was keeping it from making all but the |
| expanded its auto airbag program to encompass | | | | rarest appearance in final deployment. |
| the Ford Ranger-a move coinciding with some | | | | They were simply too big. While Ford would have |
| new releases which were finally affording the | | | | yet another batch of the Rangers and Explorer |
| nameplate a measure of respect on the streets, | | | | trucks built for the 1994 season, they were no |
| This came in the form of a 92 Ford Ranger with | | | | match for the monster created when that same |
| two versions of the 406, a 385-horse, single | | | | 427 Hi-Riser was given to one of the new ranger |
| 4-barrel and a 405-horse, dual restraint system | | | | airbag systems. Lighter trucks, and the mid- sized |
| set up. Initial safety efforts revolved around ten | | | | F150. |
| vehicles including the Ford Ranger and Explorer | | | | Nor was anyone else, for that matter. The first |
| with dual airbags. | | | | test of the big-block Thunderbolts came at the |
| Equipped with an 8-barrel, 406-inch upgrade for | | | | NHRA in February 1998, where the revamped |
| the 390 introduced a year earlier. Due to the use | | | | Explorer airbag annihilated their Super Stock |
| of non-stock Ranger airbag components, NHRA | | | | competition. Only one of the formerly unbeatable |
| relegated the 3320- pound 'lightweights" to A | | | | Expeditions made it into the last three rounds. |