Ford introduced the Ford Tempo and its Mercurized twin, the Topaz, for the 1984 model year. After ten years and well over three million cars produced, the Tempaz was replaced by the Mondeo-based Contour/Mystique. These cars are largely forgotten now and very difficult to find in the boneyards, so I was pleased to run across this final-year Tempo in very nice condition.
Just look at that interior! It’s not quite as perfect as the one we saw recently in a discarded 1987 Mazda 323, but still nicer than what you’d find in most five-year-old economy cars today.
Ford was still using five-digit odometers in many of its cars in 1994, so we can’t know the actual final mileage in this one. 57,220 is plausible, given its condition.
It started its career at Phil Long Ford in Denver, which is still in business today.
It’s a base-grade GL model, which had an MSRP of $11,270 with a three-speed automatic transmission. That’s about $24,247 in 2024 dollars.
With two doors and a five-speed manual, the list price was $9,465 ($20,363 after inflation).
The engine is a 2.3-liter HSC pushrod four-cylinder, essentially two-thirds of the old 200-cubic-inch straight six. Power was 96 horsepower and 126 pound-feet. The Taurus-derived Vulcan 3.0-liter V6 could be had as an option in the later Tempo.
There’s air conditioning and an AM/FM radio, which (coupled with the gray cloth upholstery) increases the likelihood that this car began life in a fleet.
The Tempo/Topaz was based on an enlarged Escort chassis, and it replaced the Fox-platform Fairmont/Zephyr.
It will go to the crusher with few parts sold, as the Tempaz is nearly extinct in the wild.
In the Tempo’s final year, the deals smelled of desperation.
“We’re slightly overstocked on Ford Tempos. Actually, we’ve got Tempos coming out our ears.”
In the early days, Tempo advertising bragged about features.