Since Sarah Palin mentioned the word "maverick" in the debate more times than I could count (you drinking game afficiandos must have been wasted pretty early last night), I thought I might talk about a real maverick:
Yes, the venerable Ford Maverick. Manufactured by Ford from 1969 to 1977.
According to it's Wiki:
The Ford Maverick was styled with a long hood, fastback roof, and short deck on a 103-inch wheelbase. The Maverick had pop-out rear side windows instead of the more common roll-down style; this helped it to be a price-leader. It was released exactly five years after the original long hood, short deck Ford Mustang. According to several Ford insiders, the Maverick was originally slated to be either a full Mustang replacement or the newest restyling of the Mustang. Rumor had it there was actual European design studio input regarding this body style. The 2-door had what some would call "Italian" lines in its design. The Maverick caused perhaps the first rumors regarding the end of the Mustang, rumors which would crop up repeatedly in later years, even coming to fruition during the development of the Ford Probe. The Maverick never replaced the Mustang, but for one brief year, it was far more muscular than the loved pony car. In 1974, the Mustang was not available with a V8. However, the Maverick was available with a V8 in 1974.
Internal and external resistance to a "Mustang replacement" meant that the Maverick would actually be replacing the Ford Falcon.
An American maverick? Put together with "yer a'peein" influence? Never, I say! Never! Don't they hate us for our freedom? Oh wait, those are the countries with scary brown people. But my garsh, in the late 60s through the mid 70s, who couldn't appreciate a true Maverick?
Yes, for $1995, you could get your hands on this beauty. (Hmmmmm...1995...isn't that the year another American maverick thought it was a good idea to shut down the federal government? I digress.) And for a glorious 8-year run, this baby sold like hotcakes and took the nation by storm.
But like all mavericks built on unoriginal chassis, this one eventually outlived its usefulness and was relegated to scrap heap of history.
Just saying.