What Is The Ford B-150, And Can You Buy One In The United States?

By News Update On Dec 21, 2024

There’s no denying that Ford is one of the biggest automotive brands to come out of the United States. The company has been around since 1903, spearheaded by industrialist Henry Ford, and has provided American drivers with a host of instantly recognizable vehicles. Along the way, Ford has even taken ownership of other car brands. Still, there’s far more to the Ford story than what happens in the U.S. Like the bulk of its competition, the iconic manufacturer has branched out into other markets. After all, if you want to succeed in the modern economic landscape, expansion and continual growth are everything.

Thus, Ford makes cars in 22 factories outside the U.S., working in Argentina, China, Mexico, Romania, Turkey and more. More often than not, the rides made there are distributed all over and don’t end up region-locked. However, there are some that don’t make it to certain countries, like the cool Ford models that aren’t available in America. And then there’s another, significantly less cool example: the Ford B-150, which was only available outside of the U.S. for the entirety of its production run.

The Ford B-150 was a fascinating Mexico exclusive

Yes, for many years there was a Ford vehicle that could be purchased only in Mexico, where it was made. The B-150 was part of the Ford B-100 series, which included the B-100, B-150, and B-200 varieties from 1963 to 1994. Constructed on a Ford F-series chassis, these giant rectangles on wheels seated up to 10 people across an astounding three sets of bench seats.

Of course, that’s just what the B-150 is capable of in passenger and cargo space. What did this anomaly of a vehicle — perfectly suited to family road trips — have to offer under the hood? It was advertised as featuring a four-speed transmission to give it the ability to carry so many people across raised and uneven ground. The B-150 also packed a 5.0L V8 engine that may not be one of the biggest engines ever made by Ford, but certainly did the job.

Three decades have passed since the end of the Ford B-100 series. At this point, if you live in the United States and you want one of these relics, could you legally acquire one? Here’s what you should know.

B-150s only recently became importable into the United States

There wasn’t a way to get a Ford B-150 — or any B-100 series vehicle — in the U.S. during their heyday. The Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988 prevented the importing of foreign vehicles that didn’t meet U.S. standards, which prevented the B-100 series from finding traction among American drivers. But this law isn’t a factor anymore, because there’s a caveat present that now lets the B-150 be bought, owned, and driven within the U.S.

Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationthe “25 Year Rule” skirts the aforementioned act. It states that once a vehicle is a quarter-century old, it can be imported legally even if it doesn’t comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Since the final B-100 series Fords rolled off the assembly line back in 1994, any of them remaining can be brought into the U.S. at long last — so long as you provide documentation of its exact age. And the B-100 series has been joined by several other cool cars finally eligible for import in 2024.

All in all, the Ford B-150 isn’t a hot rod, nor is it the greatest passenger van ever made, but it’s a fascinating moment-in-time ride. It’s great that Americans who’ve wanted one for a while can finally get ahold of one.