Rare Rides: A Micro Machine, the Off-roading 1967 Ferves Ranger
Ever wanted a microscopic multipurpose off-road car that’s not much larger than a lawnmower? Well have we got a truck for you. It’s a Ferves Ranger from 1967.
Ferves debuted the Ranger debuted at the 1966 edition of the Turin Motor Show. Built by Ferrari Veicoli Speciali, the Ranger was offered as a go-anywhere supermini. Underneath the very cutesy body was the chassis of a formerly cutesy Fiat 500. The Ranger borrowed its two-cylinder engine and the steering directly from the 500, and kept the engine’s location at the rear. All had manual transmissions, and the top speed was 45 miles an hour. Ferves needed a bit more than the 500 could offer in the areas of suspension and braking, so they turned to the 500’s larger brother, the 600.
Two body styles were available: A passenger version seated four, and a cargo version had no back seat. A removable windscreen was a standard feature on both versions, as was a removable roof and doors. Ferves made several changes over the production run of the Ranger, the most important of which was the 1967 addition of four-wheel drive. The style of the doors changed later in the run, as standard front-hinged versions replaced the suicide doors.
Production of the Ranger lasted through 1971. Just 600 total units were manufactured during that time, all of which were left-hand drive. It’s estimated there are around 50 examples left, and maybe 10 of those have made their way into the United States.
Today’s Rare Ride is road cone orange, and in lovely condition. With under 12,000 slowly-traveled miles, this one’s still located in its home country of Italy. It’s on the border of the four-wheel drive availability, but the 1966 build date means it’s likely rear-drive. Your around-town Ferrari lawnmower asks $39,000 or best offer.
[Images: seller]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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Still better than the new Chevy Blazer.
It looks ridiculous . I love it . -Nate