1989 Ford Ranger GT Is Junkyard Treasure in Colorado

After more than a decade of selling Mazda pickups with Ford Courier badges in the United States, Ford created its own small pickup for sale here. This was the Ranger, the first generation of which was built from the 1983 through 1992 model years. One of the rarest of all 1980s Rangers was the GT, and I've managed to find one of these trucks in a self-service boneyard in Denver, Colorado.

The Ranger GT was sold for just the 1987 through 1989 model years, with the 1988-89 models getting a cool-looking body kit with ground effects and color-matched bumpers.

All the Ranger GTs came with the fuel-injected 2.9-liter Cologne V6 (140 hp, 170 lb-ft) under their hoods. They also got suspension upgrades and 14-inch aluminum wheels.

The Ranger GT had a five-speed manual as standard equipment, while a four-speed automatic was an option. This truck has the manual.

The interior in today's Junkyard Treasure is mostly missing, so we'll need to look at the brochure to see the sort of cab you got with a Ranger GT (or STX) in 1989.

The GT-specific body parts are thoroughly thrashed, but it's possible a Ranger restorer might find them useful. Keep in mind, this yard only keeps vehicles in the inventory for a few months before crushing them, so if you are reading this after about June of 2024 then you can assume the truck has been crushed by now.

The GT package was available only on rear-wheel-drive Rangers with regular cabs. Since it was an option package and not a distinct model, it appears to be impossible to get production figures. We can be sure that not many were made, maybe even under a thousand total.

The MSRP for a 108-inch wheelbase 1989 RWD Ranger started at $8093, while the GT package added $3462 for a total of $11,555. That's about $29,802 in 2024 dollars.

The first sports car that comes… with a bed.

The Ranger GT option package was available for the 1987 through 1989 model years, only on rear-wheel-drive regular-cab trucks.

This one was built in Louisville, Kentucky.

It's rough, with plenty of rust-through and much-bent sheet-metal.

The GT came with the most powerful engine available in the Ranger at the time: a 2.9-liter Cologne V6.

For its final year, the Ranger GT got a unique body kit and color-matched bumpers and grille.