1970 · Ford · United States
1970 Ford Maverick Grabber
The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived mid-1970 on Ford's new two-door Maverick, adding larger tires, graphics, trim, and a spoiler; Consumer Guide prices the package at $179, bundling larger wheels and tires, racing-style stripes and graphics, and a blacked-out grille.1,2
Maverick two-door production for 1970 carries an unresolved three-way conflict rather than a single figure. The Standard Catalog of Ford gives 127,833, the Standard Catalog of American Cars gives 451,081, and Consumer Guide's own encyclopedia gives 578,914, all three books otherwise agreeing exactly on the body code, the $1,995 base price, and the 2,411 lb weight for the same car. None of the three states what period its count covers, and the Maverick's own April 1969 on-sale date as a 1970 model leaves open whether any of them are counting a full or partial year; a genuine Ford production report, rather than another reference-book compilation, would be needed to settle it. Separately, no 1970 Grabber-specific production figure was found at all in any source consulted, and the record's own notes point out that Classic Industries' own historical tables only begin breaking the Grabber out separately starting in 1971.3,4,5
The base two-door sedan, with its standard 170 six, listed at $1,995. The Grabber package itself added $179, and its advertised contents ran to a 200 six, a black-painted hood and grille, body side tape stripes, C78-14 white sidewall tires, 14-inch wheels with trim rings, a deck-lid spoiler, dual racing mirrors, a three-spoke wood-grained steering wheel, and black all-vinyl trim, though no price was found for that specific accessory list beyond the Consumer Guide package price already noted. A 200 six was a $39 option on the plain Maverick, and a 250 six added $84 but required a transmission upgrade and either the Accent Group or 14-inch tires; the record's own notes state that for the 1970 Grabber specifically, the 200 six was standard with the 250 six optional, a different engine baseline than the plain two-door's 170.3,6
Further factory-installed options included a $201 SelectShift automatic transmission, $95 power steering, a $52 Accent Group (bright moldings, carpeting, 14-inch wheels, 6.45 x 14 tires, and wheel covers), $48 tinted glass, $52 Blazer Stripe seat trim (with the Accent Group), $13 vinyl trim, an $84 vinyl roof, $280 SelectAire air conditioning, and a $61 AM radio, spanning comfort, convenience, and dealer add-ons across the base and Grabber-equipped cars alike.6
On a 103.0-inch wheelbase, the two-door Maverick carried a base curb weight of 2,501 lb. Axle ratios varied by engine and transmission: 2.83:1 for the 170 six with the three-speed, 3.08:1 for the 170 with automatic or the 200 with the three-speed (and for any air-conditioned car), and 2.83:1 again for the 200 with SelectShift. Grabber-specific colors ran to Brite Yellow, Grabber Yellow, Vermilion, Grabber Green, and Grabber Blue, while the broader 1970 palette mixed more ordinary shades like Candyapple Red, Black Jade, Champagne Gold, Gulfstream Aqua, Meadowlark Yellow, Brittany Blue, Lime Gold, Dresden Blue, Raven Black, and Wimbledon White with playfully named period colors such as Anti-Establish Mint, Freudian Gilt, Original Cinnamon, and Thanks Vermillion.6
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 Ford Maverick Grabber — The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maverick two-door sedan (91), all trims including Grabber-package cars, Standard Catalog of Ford figure3 Maverick (all) · 2-door sedan (91) · not stated Alternative figure for the same cars as the 1946-1975 catalogue row; never add the two. See conflicts. | 127,833 | not stated (catalogue production column), model-year | Disputed |
| Maverick two-door sedan (91), all trims including Grabber-package cars, Standard Catalog of American Cars figure4 Maverick (all) · 2-door sedan (91) · not stated Alternative figure for the same cars as the Standard Catalog of Ford row; never add the two. Both books say the Maverick went on sale in April 1969 as a 1970 model, and neither states what period its figure counts. See conflicts. | 451,081 | not stated (catalogue production column), model-year | Disputed |
| Maverick two-door sedan (91), all trims including Grabber-package cars, Consumer Guide figure5 Maverick (all) · 2-door sedan (91) · not stated Third competing total for the same car; never add it to the other rows. See conflicts. | 578,914 | not stated (encyclopedia production column), model-year | Disputed |
No 1970 Grabber production figure was found; the Classic Industries tables list the Grabber separately from 1971, and neither Standard Catalog breaks the Grabber package out of the Maverick two-door total.
The three host-body rows are competing totals for the same car, not additive.
The Maverick Page says the 302 V8 arrived in December 1970 (a 1971 model); for the 1970 Grabber the engines were the 200 six standard and the 250 six optional.
No whole-year 1970 Maverick total was found: the three host-body rows are competing figures for the two-door sedan only and no source seen states a four-door or overall total for the year. conceptcarz has no 1970 Maverick page. Searched 2026-09-29: conceptcarz (series modelID 543), Wikipedia, the Classic Industries and Standard Catalog lineages already cited. The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975, a Ford production report or a printed year total would close it.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Factory price, Maverick two-door sedan (170 six)3,4 | $1,995 | factory price (catalogue 'Factory Price' column), base car before options; the Grabber was an extra-cost package on this body, 1970 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 170 inline six7,1 170 cu in · as published | 105 hp (SAE gross) | standard | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Grabber package2 | $179 | Not yet sourced |
|
200 CID 120 hp six6 | $39 | Not yet sourced |
|
250 CID 155 hp six (requires transmission and Accent Group or 14-inch tires)6 | $84 | Not yet sourced |
|
SelectShift transmission6 | $201 | Not yet sourced |
|
Power steering6 | $95 | Not yet sourced |
|
Accent Group (bright moldings, carpeting, 14-inch wheels, 6.45 x 14 tires, wheel covers)6 | $52 | Not yet sourced |
|
Tinted glass6 | $48 | Not yet sourced |
|
Seat trim, Blazer Stripe (with Accent Group)6 | $52 | Not yet sourced |
|
Trim, vinyl6 | $13 | Not yet sourced |
|
Vinyl roof6 | $84 | Not yet sourced |
|
Air conditioner, SelectAire6 | $280 | Not yet sourced |
|
Radio, AM6 | $61 | Not yet sourced |
|
Grabber option contents (added later in 1970): 200 six, black-painted hood and grille, body side tape stripes, C78-14 white sidewalls, 14-inch wheels and trim rings, deck-lid spoiler, dual racing mirrors, 3-spoke wood-grained wheel, black all-vinyl trim6 | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Brite Yellow (Grabber color)6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Grabber Yellow (Grabber color)6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Vermilion (Grabber color)6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Grabber Green (Grabber color)6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Grabber Blue (Grabber color)6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Anti-Establish Mint6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Hulla Blue6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Original Cinnamon6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Freudian Gilt6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Thanks Vermillion6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Candyapple Red6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Black Jade6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Champagne Gold6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Gulfstream Aqua6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Meadowlark Yellow6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Brittany Blue6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Lime Gold6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Dresden Blue6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Raven Black6 | Not yet sourced |
|
Wimbledon White6 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Curb weight, 2-door6 | 2,501 lb | 2-door (base) |
| Wheelbase6 | 103 in | 2-door |
| Axle ratio6 | 2.83 (170, 3-speed); 3.08 (170, automatic; 200, 3-speed; all with air conditioning); 2.83 (200, SelectShift) | by engine and transmission |
Where the sources disagree
1970 Maverick two-door production (all trims, including Grabber-package cars)
All three shown with attribution. Three reference books give the same body code, price ($1,995) and weight (2,411 lb) but production figures of 127,833, 451,081 and 578,914; none states its counting period (the Maverick went on sale in April 1969 as a 1970 model). Not resolved; a Ford production report would settle it. None of the figures is a Grabber count.
Identification
Read a 1970 Ford VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Javelin Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Buick Wildcat The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.