The Ford P100 is a car-based pickup truck that was built by Ford from 1971 to 1993, initially in South Africa, and later Portugal. It was based on medium-sized Ford passenger cars, originally the Ford Cortina and from 1988 the Ford Sierra. Initially marketed as the Ford Cortina Pickup, the P100 name was adopted in 1982. The P-100 name had previously been used on a small North American panel van in the 1960s.
The P100 is a car-based pickup truck, introduced in South Africa in 1971, based on the Ford Cortina Mk3. Initially marketed as the Ford Cortina Pickup, its overall bodywork closely followed that of the Cortina. The cab used the doors of the Cortina two-door sedan models, giving it a lengthy, yet truncated look, due to the use of a vertical rear window and B-pillar. The rear tray could be had as a wellside, styled with the Cortina MkIII estate's tail lights, or fitted with a flatdeck or purpose built body. A fibreglass canopy was offered as an option. It soon proved a popular seller in its home market of South Africa.
From 1982 the P100 name was adopted, and the model was exported from South Africa to Europe. For Europe, the chassis and tray were lengthened, whilst in South Africa it was available in both short wheelbase and long wheelbase variants. The P100 was released to Europe in Mk5 form, just as the parent Cortina MkV was being replaced by the Sierra. Ford had considered selling a rebadged madza pickup, which would have been lower priced, but rejected this on political grounds as there was a lot of fear over japanese imports at this time. Ford UK considered being made in Apartheid South Africa as less of a liability than being made in japan, and also managed to achieve 35 percent local parts content. Country of origin and outdated styling proved to be no effect on sales however, with the P100 continuing in its Cortina Mk5 based form until 1988. In 1986 the "hi cap" was released with a taller roof and door tops and a more upright windscreen specific to the last of the Cortina-based P100s.
Turkey's Otosan also produced a P100 variant, with a separate bed and using the shorter doors from the four-door sedan to achieve parts commonality - Otosan did not build any other two-door models. The Otosan P100 is based on the Ford Taunus TC, which was built in Turkey in sedan form until 1994. The Otosan P100 was produced until 1996.
In late 1987, for the 1988 model year, the P100 was re-bodied with a new Ford Sierra-based cab. Engine choices were originally the Sierra's 2.0 litre "Pinto" carbureted petrol engine, with a 1.8 L turbo-diesel following soon thereafter. The range was now built in Portugal for the European market, to a design set out by Ford UK. It proved a strong seller, particularly on the UK market. The later P100's petrol engine, while a 2.0 L Pinto engine, differed from the units in the passenger Sierra and Granada models in that it was a low compression version of the 205 block Pinto, the Cosworth engine is based on this block. Single choke carburetors were used along with the lower compression to raise torque whilst lowering maximum power, which was now at 75 H.P.
Production of the P100 ceased when the parent Ford Sierra was replaced by the front wheel drive Mondeo range.
