| Ford Fox platform | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1977–1993 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact Mid-size Personal luxury car Pony car |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Body style(s) | two-door convertible two-door coupe three-door hatchback two-door sedan four-door sedan five-door station wagon two-door coupe utility |
| Vehicles | see below |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 100.5–108.5 in (2,550–2,760 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Falcon platform (Ford Maverick/Ford Granada/Mercury Comet/Mercury Monarch) Ford Pinto platform (Ford Mustang II) Ford Torino platform (Ford LTD II/Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar) Ford Panther platform (Lincoln Continental/Continental Mark VI) |
| Successor | Ford SN-95 platform Ford D2C platform Ford MN12 platform Ford DN5 platform Ford CE14 platform |
The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. In its original form, the platform was used through the 1993 model year; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company (behind the Panther platform, 33 model years).
Designed to be relatively lightweight and simple, the Fox platform was initially developed to replace several derivatives of the Ford Falcon compact architecture dating from 1960. For 1978, the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were the first models derived from the chassis, replacing the Ford Maverick and Mercury Comet. As downsizing expanded into the intermediate segment, the Fox platform came into use for mid-size applications, replacing the larger Ford Torino chassis. While best known for underpinning the Ford Mustang pony car, the Fox platform also saw use in personal luxury segments, underpinning coupes for all three Ford divisions.
During the mid-1980s, the usage of the Fox platform began to decline as Ford transitioned its compact and mid-size vehicle lines to front-wheel drive. After the 1992 model year, the Ford Mustang was the sole model to use the chassis. For 2005, the fifth-generation Ford Mustang adopted the rear-wheel drive D2C platform, the fifth and final vehicle architecture developed as a Fox-platform replacement.