Ford Tempo
The Ford Tempo is a compact car that was produced by Ford from the 1984 to 1994 model years. The replacement for the Ford Fairmont, the Tempo marked the first use of front-wheel drive by Ford outside of the subcompact segment. Along with transitioning to front-wheel drive, the Tempo marked significant downsizing over its predecessor. Mercury marketed the model line under the Mercury Topaz nameplate (no Lincoln version was sold). The model line was produced as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan through its production.
| Ford Tempo | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called |
|
| Production | 1983–1994 |
| Model years | 1984–1994 |
| Assembly |
|
| Designer | Jack Telnack |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact |
| Layout | FF layout AWD layout |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Fairmont / Mercury Zephyr |
| Successor | Ford Contour / Mercury Mystique |
Deriving its chassis underpinnings and powertrain from the Ford Escort, the Tempo/Topaz was the first aerodynamically styled sedans introduced by Ford, preceded by the 1982 Ford Sierra hatchbacks (Ford of Europe) and the 1983 Ford Thunderbird; they were followed by the 1986 Ford Taurus.
Produced across multiple facilities in North America, the Tempo/Topaz was produced in a single generation of two-doors and in two four-door generations. For the 1995 model year, the Tempo four-door sedan was replaced by the Ford Contour (and Mercury Mystique), developed from the Ford Mondeo; the two-door Tempo was not directly replaced.