At first glance you might think you recognize this Ford classic. After all it looks a lot like the sixth-generation Chevrolet Suburban. But wait, Ford didn’t make an SUV back then to compete with the Suburban… or did they?
Feast your eyes on the Ford B100 Carryall. If you feel like you are seeing a classic Ford SUV for the first time, you very well may be. This is a 1979 model and the reason you might not have ever seen one is these Fords were made exclusively for the Mexican market.
If you look on Wikipedia at the list of Ford SUVs and Trucks they have made, you are not going to find it. In fact, we had a hard time finding much about where and what years it was produced. It appears to be based off the Ford F-Series truck chassis. Rumor has it that these SUVs were built between 1973 and 1994. From other articles we read it was powered by a 302 V8 and had a 4-speed transmission that sent the power to a two-wheel-drive rear end.
We first saw this classic Ford in an article on BringYourTrailer.com and it certainly caught our eye. And that is what led us to do a little more research. According to one of their reader’s comments, these “carryall” vehicles were fairly common in Jalisco and Coahuila where he was located from 1975 to 1981. The comments go on to talk about the portion behind the cab being built by a company named “Siga” in Mexico.
No one seems to know why Ford didn’t build these out for the American market. It certainly could have rivaled the Suburban or at least gave it a little competition. There are so many similarities like the 3-door configuration for curbside passenger loading and unloading, rear barn doors that became standard on the suburban and 3 rows of passenger seating. In all honesty, looking at one of these is like seeing a celebrity’s brother that looks just like the star.
Instead Ford made Americans wait until 1991 for the Ford Explorer to get our hands on a 4-door Ford SUV. Maybe they didn’t want anything interfering with their wildly successful Ford Broncos. We took some time and tried to find one for sale in the states, but only came up with a few results. Here is one result claiming to have a 1979 B100 for sale that has been imported and titled in the states. We didn’t contact the owner to see if it was still available. The one seen on BringYourTrailer.com and at throughout this article was listed on Craigslist and has since been sold or had the ad removed.
We certainly love seeing something for the first time and the B100 was a first-time sight for us as well. We definitely would not recommend trying to restore one as the parts must be nearly impossible to locate and would likely send you barn hunting in Mexico. Hope your Spanish es muy bueno!
We did find, however, a Ford B100 that was custom built for SEMA. River City Rods & Fabrication out of Davenport, Iowa, created a B100 called “El Chapo.” It is a 1976 model that rides on a custom Roadster Shop chassis featuring RideTech suspension, and complete Energy Suspension upgraded polyurethane bushings.
ScottieDTV was at the SEMA Show and made a sweet video showcasing “El Chapo”. Enjoy his video as he gives you a tour of the lesser-known Ford B100 Carryall. Enjoy!