Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Maverick four door

Very few cars excite like the sight of a Maverick or its Comet twin. Unfortunately, both of these twins are not very common anymore due to poor rust protection (especially in the rear quarters and door bottoms), and lack of open enthusiast following. Unlike the Mustang, the Mavericks never really quite had the same stigma as the Mustang. My dad insists that Mavericks are junk (his family owned one at one point), but I don't buy that. Sure, these poor Fords may be slightly more common than a needle in a haystack, but at least show them a slight dab of respect. After all, it was the Maverick that made it possible to combine muscular Mustang styling on a somewhat smaller body.
Take away all the coupes' sexiness, and plop two more doors on and the result looks like someone tried to design a Mustang four-door--and failed. I don't really have anything against the sedans-- but the two door is a much better execution of these design themes. The mini-Mustang language doesn't quite work here. Enough whining about what doesn't work, and let's focus on the subject at hand.








Certainly, this Maverick has seen better days, but that's not going to stop me from shooting it; sitting menacing in a neighborhood shod with the most expensive mainstream luxury cars money can buy, this orange 1970s Ford stands out-- and for good reason. Not only is it completely opposite from its surroundings condition-wise, it has this thing called character. The culmination of design cues with slim lights and this thing called chrome. It works when it's not liberally applied, and not to incorrect areas (I'm talking to you, Mr. Chrome-pillared blingmobile). However, on this example, the chrome seemed to be the most of its problems. Yes, it probably has ungodly amounts of hidden rust, but on the surface, the Maverick looked fine, save for some (probably not very) minor body wrinkles. The wheels are interesting, too. Whether they're factory units with the center missing, or they're aftermarket deals, they look good here. If this were mine, though , I'd want a set of Magnum 500s on it just to be different.
I applaud the owner for keeping this "forgotten" Ford going (somewhat) strong. It's not every day a Maverick pops up, and when it does, it's most often a two door. Kudos of keeping a four door from not going to the junkyard in the sky--yet.