Ford Explorer has been a household name since its introduction in 1990, but its roots within the company go back even further. The name has been part of the Ford lexicon for more than a half-century, as it was first introduced as a trim package in the 1960s and also served as the name for an experimental pickup in 1973.
A product of the Ford Design Center in Dearborn, the Explorer pickup featured a 429-cubic-inch V8 mounted behind the passenger compartment – a full five feet further back than the F-100 of the time – which gave the truck better weight distribution and improved handling.
The prototype’s sleek front end was nearly entirely covered by a chrome grille with an inset horizontal pattern. Its headlamps were set in square bezels located in the grille. The Explorer concept also had louvered side hatches for engine cooling and air intake, but the mid-engined truck is probably best remembered for its seven-foot-tall para-wing tent that offered protection from the elements while camping or taking in other outdoor pursuits. Two concealed aluminum poles held the tent-like covering in tension while not in use.
Not be outdone by the exterior, which was painted in an orange pearlescent shade, the truck’s interior design featured bucket seats upholstered in a combination of orange vinyl and orange-and-ginger striped bodycloth. That combination was complemented by burnt orange shag carpeting and orange vinyl door panels, instrument panel and other interior trim.
Based on the F-100, the Explorer concept was called a preview of what the pickup could become.
“It is a test bed of truck ideas that gives us a useful framework for engineering exploration and provides design themes for possible application in the booming light truck market,” said then-design vice president Gene Bordinat.
The Explorer pickup truck made its debut at the Texas State Fair, and while it would not reach production, the Explorer name already existed in the Ford world since 1967 thanks to a popular trim package offered for the Ranchero, Bronco and the F-100 and F-250 pickup trucks. About 20,000 Explorer packages, a cost-saving combination of optional equipment, special trim and paint; were sold that first year, and by 1974, Ford was selling 68,000 vehicles with the Explorer package. The Explorer name was also used in Europe on the Transit Explorer, a camper conversion performed by an outside upfitter, as early as the 1970s.
A mainstay of F-Series offerings, the Explorer package was expanded to include E-Series vans and Ranger pickups in later years. Ultimately, the Explorer package was discontinued after the 1985 model year, but the name would resurface a few short years later. Explorer as we know it today debuted as a 1991 model as a replacement for the Bronco II. The Explorer name finally appeared on a production pickup truck in the late-1990s and early 2000s with the introduction of the Explorer Sport Trac. Today, the Explorer name heads into the electrified era with the new electric Explorer headed for the European market.
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