Introduced in 1984, the Ford Tempo was a midsize car available in both a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan body style. The Ford Tempo was very similar to the Mercury Topaz. The Ford Tempo was based on a stretched
Ford Escort platform and offered front wheel drive and a manual transmission as the standard. In its first years a three speed automatic transmission was also offered but only as an option. The philosophy behind the Tempo is often credited with the birth and popularity of the
Ford Taurus.
A five speed manual transmission and fuel injection would become standard within two years of its production. By 1992 the Tempo was powered by a 3.0 liter Vulcan V6 as an option and was looking totally different after several design changes. The Tempo was quite popular, and was on the list of top five selling sedans in North America. But, eventually the Ford Contour would replace the Tempo in 1994 because Ford was looking to update its midsize car line, and the Contour was a more modern solution for the need. The Tempo is notable because it was the first American made car offered a drivers side airbag. Engines used during the production of the Ford Tempo were the 2.0 liter Mazda RF Diesel I4, a 2.3 liter HSC I4, 2.3 liter HSO I4, and the 3.0 liter Vulcan V6.
