Ford’s Thriftpower Inline‑Six: The Engine That Powered the Falcon, Mustang and Bronco for 24 Years

Long before the buzz‑worthy EcoBoost fours became the face of Ford’s entry‑level lineup, there was a quietly capable engine humming under the hoods of the company’s bread‑and‑butter cars. It was the Thriftpower inline‑six, a cast‑iron six‑cylinder that first appeared in 1960, tucked into the compact Falcon.

The original version was a tiny 144 cubic‑inch unit—nothing to write home about, but it did the job. By the next model year Ford stroked the bore a bit, nudging displacement up to 170 ci for the “Special Six” that could be ordered in the Falcon and the little Comet. That 170‑ci version even found its way into the very first Mustangs as a stop‑gap before the 200‑ci engine took over.

1963 was a turning point. Ford introduced a redesigned 200‑ci block with seven main bearings, a thicker deck and hydraulic lifters. The improvements were subtle but noticeable: the engine ran smoother, sounded quieter, and delivered a little more oomph. From there the 200 became a workhorse, slipping under everything from Mercury Comets to the Ford Fairmont, and even resurfacing in the Fox‑body Mustang between 1979 and 1982 when a shortage of imported Cologne V6s left a gap.

Then came the big stretch in 1968. Ford raised the deck height and lengthened the crank to 3.91 inches, pushing the displacement to a respectable 250 ci. Power climbed to roughly 155 hp and 240 lb‑ft of torque—enough to make the six feel less like a spare‑change engine and more like a legitimate alternative to the heavier V8s of the day. The 250‑ci version debuted in the Mustang for 1969 and became the standard powerplant from 1971 through 1973, giving the pony car a useful nudge when it started to feel a bit under‑powered.

The reach of the Thriftpower six went well beyond the Falcon and Mustang. Early Broncos also used the 170‑ci and later the 200‑ci variants, proving that the engine could handle both on‑road cruising and off‑road grunt. Even today, owners boast about original‑block examples that have logged hundreds of thousands of miles without major overhauls—testament to the durability built into that cast‑iron design.

Enthusiasts haven’t let the engine rest on its laurels, either. The seven‑main‑bearing 200‑ci block, in particular, is a favorite platform for modern builds. Some builders bolt on turbochargers, upgrade to electronic fuel injection, and push output well beyond the modest figures of the ’70s. In that sense the Thriftpower has found a cousin in the Aussie‑made Ford Barra, another robust inline‑six that’s been a hit with the performance crowd.

By 1983 the era was drawing to a close. The Fairmont and LTD, along with Mercury’s Zephyr and Marquis, were the last production models to wear the Thriftpower badge. Ford moved on to newer V6 designs—most of them a far cry from the sturdy, albeit “smelly,” engines that powered the late‑‘80s and ’90s Taurus. Yet the legacy of the Thriftpower inline‑six lives on, setting the benchmark for durability and simplicity that still influences Ford’s six‑cylinder strategy today.