Exploring the Curious Case of Ford and Nissan's Badge-Swapping Era

Ever wondered why a classic Ford ute from the '80s was cruising around branded as a Nissan? Yep, back in the day, Ford and Nissan were practically dance partners, swapping styles and slapping on different badges in a wild era of car-making.

So, here’s the scoop: What you might recognize as a Ford Falcon was also hitting the streets as a Nissan. This bit of automotive cross-dressing was all part of a bigger plan to shake up the industry and make things more efficient, courtesy of some government encouragement.

Let’s break it down: This ute, which Nissan dubbed simply "The Ute," is a straight-up Ford Falcon in disguise. It's got the same 4.1-liter engine, the comfy old three-speed auto, and those classic leaf springs. But while it rolled out of the same Ford factory, Nissan decided to jazz it up with their own twist—offering a two-year warranty compared to Ford’s one-year deal.

Price-wise, Nissan's version didn’t stray far from what you’d expect for a Ford, decking out the standard DX model and a fancier ST auto with goodies like power steering, a limited-slip diff, bucket seats, and snazzy cloth trim.

Now, Ford wasn’t just giving away its designs for free. In return, they got to dip into Nissan’s candy jar and grab the popular Patrol 4WD, rebadging it as the Ford Maverick. Just swap the badges, tweak the specs, and voila—a fresh model for the showroom.

But here’s where it gets even juicier: The Ute, as much as it was a nifty idea, didn’t exactly set the sales charts on fire. Reports suggest Nissan only managed to sell about 2,000 of these rebadged Falcons over three years. Not the blockbuster they hoped for, right?

When the sales didn’t pick up, Nissan dealers started slashing prices, big time. And get this—some crafty buyers took advantage of the discounts, scooped up these Nissan-branded utes, and then swapped the badges back to Ford’s iconic Blue Oval, making it a full circle.

This whole badge-swapping business wasn’t just limited to utes and 4WDs. The Nissan Pintara also got a makeover and hit the road as the Ford Corsair, all thanks to a bit of creative rebranding with some double-sided tape and a glue gun.

So there you have it—the curious case of the Ford ute that was also a Nissan. A little bit of automotive history that shows just how quirky the car world can get!