A 1967 UAW strike delayed this van's launch nearly four months into January 1968 — so instead of calling it a '68 or '68-and-a-half, Ford just sold it as a 1969 model.
Median 57 hp across 19 similar cars
Lead trim: Econoline 240 cu in (3.9 L) I6 · up to 170 hp
Ford E-Series (Econoline)1968–1974
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Ford E-Series (Econoline) yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactA 1967 UAW strike delayed this van's launch nearly four months into January 1968 — so instead of calling it a '68 or '68-and-a-half, Ford just sold it as a 1969 model.
A lengthy United Auto Workers strike in 1967 delayed the second-generation Econoline until January 1968, so Ford marketed it as a 1969 model. Losing its Falcon roots it became a heavier-duty van sharing many underpinnings with the F-Series: the unibody was carried over, but the mid-engine, forward-control layout gave way to a front-engine layout with a forward axle placement and the F-Series "Twin-I-Beam" front suspension, the wheelbase grew 15 inches and the 18-inch longer long-wheelbase model was the largest full-size van in North America; following Dodge and Chevrolet/GMC, a V8 became optional. It gained a conventional hood and grille (though engine access stayed inside the van), a sliding rear door option in 1972 and the Hi-Cube cutaway van, whose cab-chassis version became popular as a Class C RV base. The Econoline passenger van (replacing the Falcon van) was joined by the Club Wagon, Club Wagon Deluxe and Club Wagon Chateau (long-wheelbase, air conditioning standard, houndstooth fabric, AM/FM sound and optional 12-passenger seating). Engines were a 240 cu in six, a 300 cu in six and a 302 cu in small-block V8 with a three-speed manual or Cruise-O-Matic.
Collectors Spotted in the Ford E-Series (Econoline) Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Ford E-Series (Econoline) yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Econoline 240 cu in (3.9 L) I6 | 1968–1974 | 3.9 L Inline-6 | 150 hp | 260 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| Econoline 300 cu in (4.9 L) I6 | 1968–1974 | 4.9 L Inline-6 | 170 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| Econoline 302 cu in (4.9 L) small-block V8 | 1968–1974 | 4.9 L V8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The posh Club Wagon Chateau trim had been dormant since 1989 — the moment this fourth-generation van brought it back in 1992, Motor Trend named it Truck of the Year.
Ford became the first American maker to put a full-size van on a separate frame, and the 1978 Econoline was Motor Trend's first-ever Truck of the Year.
A 1967 UAW strike delayed this van's launch nearly four months into January 1968 — so instead of calling it a '68 or '68-and-a-half, Ford just sold it as a 1969 model.
Ford bet this truck would sell better than the van version — buyers disagreed by nine to one, and the van became the one everybody remembers.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
Chevy pitched the Astro as the anti-minivan, telling buyers life was too big for one, while it rode on a rear-wheel-drive truck frame.
The IIHS rated the Astro Poor in a 1996 crash test, yet 2001–2004 Astros later had the lowest driver death rate of any US passenger vehicle.
The boxy, unglamorous Astro quietly posted one of the best real-world safety records in America: IIHS found 2001-2004 models had the fewest driver deaths per million vehicles of any passenger vehicle on US roads.
The third-generation Tourneo Connect, released in Europe in October 2021, is a rebadged fourth-generation Volkswagen Caddy, assembled by Volkswagen in Poland.
Ford beat the 25% "chicken tax" by importing the Transit Connect as a passenger van — rear windows and seats included, then stripped out and recycled once it landed in the US.
Ford spent years in federal court over the second-gen Transit Connect: in June 2019 the US won its appeal, and judges ruled the van was cargo-only — ending Ford's workaround for the 'chicken tax.'
GM sold a rebadged Nissan NV200 as the Chevy City Express for four years, then killed it in 2018, citing weak sales and the fact that its parts weren't even compatible with GM's own parts catalog.
Its name is a pun: "S-Cargo" means "Small Cargo" but sounds just like escargot — French for snail, the shape the whole van was built to resemble.