The Ford Fairmont is a car that was first manufactured in 1978 and continued through 1983. It came in two- and four-door sedan models as well as a five-door wagon model. The 1978 Fairmont also came with manual or automatic transmission. This vehicle was built to offer space and support enough room for families. It offered a real-wheel-drive platform that was common in other Ford vehicles.
The 1978 Ford Fairmont came with three different engine sizes: 2.3-liter, 3.3-liter and 5.0-liter. The 2.3-liter engine was a spark-ignition, four-stroke, four-cylinder with two valves per cylinder. The engine displaced 140.4 cubic inches with bore and stroke measuring 3.781 inches and 3.126 inches. The compression ratio is 9:1. The maximum horsepower is 88 at 4,800 rpm, and maximum torque is 118 foot-pounds with a top speed of 95 miles per hour.
The 3.3-liter engine was also a spark-ignition, four-stroke, six-cylinder engine with two valves per cylinder. The engine displaced 199.7 cubic inches with a bore and stroke of 3.68 inches and 3.13 inches. The compression ratio is slightly lower at 8.5:1. The maximum horsepower is 85 at 3,600 rpm and maximum torque is 154 foot-pounds at 1,600 rpm with a top speed of 94 miles per hour.
The 5.0-liter engine was a four-stroke V8 with two valves per cylinder. The engine displaced much more than the previous two at 301.6 cubic inches with a bore and stroke that measures four inches and three inches, respectively. The compression ratio is 8.4:1. The maximum horsepower is 139 at 3,600 rpm while maximum torque is 250 foot-pounds at 1,600 rpm. The top speed is 110 miles per hour.
The length of all models is 193.8 inches with a width of 70.2 inches and a height of 53.5 inches. The wheelbase measures 105.5 inches. The tires are B78x14. Maximum fuel capacity is 13.4 gallons. The 2.3-liter has a final drive ratio of 3.08, the 3.3-liter has a final drive ratio of 2.73, and the 5.0-liter has a final drive ratio of 2.47. The curb weight of the 2.3-liter is 2,568 pounds, the 3.3-liter is slightly heavier at 2,611 pounds, and the 5.0-liter is the heaviest at 2,961 pounds.
The 2.3-liter Fairmont gets an average of 20 miles per gallon, while the 3.3-liter gets an average of 15.2 miles per gallon, and the 5.0-liter gets an average of 11.7 miles per gallon. The acceleration of each model from 0 to 60 miles per hour is 14.1 seconds for the 2.3-liter, 15.6 seconds for the 3.3-liter and 11.5 seconds for the 5.0-liter.
