This is one of the more bizarre cars ever seen on Barn Finds. You can dispute this, but I’m with tipster MisterLou on this one: a 1974 Ford Maverick (not so odd) Brady Bunch Edition (things just got weird). The car is available on Facebook marketplace for $4200, and if you want it, you’ll need to get a truck out to Petaluma, CA to collect your prize. That’s north of San Francisco, and a few hundred miles away from the Brady Bunch house, which is in Studio City, CA.
What will you get for your money? A 1974 Ford Maverick with a claimed 31,500 miles, approximately, on a car that shows as a filthy mess in its photos but is being sold as a one-owner machine. In fact, judging by the beat-up condition of the interior, the odo has likely rolled over, so add 100K miles. At least it runs, though the gas tank leaks. The car is claimed to be both “really cool” and “unmolested.” The owner’s manual is part of the deal. The car appears to be a Grabber model.
For the youth out there, what’s a Maverick, and what’s the Brady Bunch connection (and how much does it matter)? The Maverick was a 1970-77 offering, a car labeled a “compact” back in its day. It came in two-door and four-door versions, powered by everything from a 170-CID six to a 302-CID V8 at various junctures. So not a speed demon, but a kind of cool car from today’s perspective, especially looking at its styling. On the Brady Bunch, I did exhaustive research (not really). Mainly, I asked my 19-year-old niece what she knew. “That’s an old TV show,” she said. “Ever see it?” I asked. “No,” she replied, and I’m thinking, You mean you don’t know about the football hitting Marsha in the nose? You mean you don’t know about Alice and her kinda boyfriend, Sam the Butcher? You mean you never realized that Peter was the coolest Brady? I didn’t bother asking any of these questions, though I wanted to, and I didn’t discuss the car with her. So I’m left to wonder–why’d they make a Brady Bunch Edition of this car? The show ran from 1969-74 and then went into syndication. It stayed peripherally popular via movie specials through at least two more decades. And the answer to why this Ford exists is, “I don’t know.” I looked at the brochure of the 1974 Maverick online, and I still don’t know what a Brady Bunch Edition is. Are there special badges? Did they use such a car on the show? (I don’t think so—they had six kids to haul around.)
So why would you buy and fix up this car? To preserve a portion of pop culture’s past, I guess (once you figured out what that was on this machine). And to have a nice coupe with just that little bit of extra-special appeal at car shows. Note that Greg Brady, Barry Williams in real life, turns 70 next year. I think you should do it for him. Or Marsha. No, Jan—she was the one with the brains. Oh, you decide.
Get the remaining Brady Bunch kids to sign the glovebox door to increase the value of the car.
Someone is making up “editions”. No such thing in my opinion.
You can have the first one Fred!
You’re right,there isn’t.Looking at similar photos of 74 mavericks,what you can’t see here is the word grabber on the front left top of the hood in the striping.It’s a Grabber, nothing more.
I agree. Where is the Brady Bunch mentioned anywhere but here?
Indeed, the show had Chrysler-Plymouth product placement although they went to a Chevy convertible the last couple seasons to keep Mike Brady in a ragtop.
As I ponder sitcom tribute cars, Grandpa’s coffin “Dragula” comes in first. Built by the late-great George Barris! A General Lee replica comes in at a close 2nd, with an original batmobile replica 3rd. The 68 Camaro RS convertible Dick York drove on Bewitched gets an honorable mention!
How about the ragtop GTO Major Nelson drove on I Dream of Jeanie!! I’m thinking it was a 65, I think.
Or the Lark convertible on Mr Ed.
Darren got a new car every season ; sometimes Samantha had a Chevy as well.
And there’s no Brady Bunch edition Ford – for the most part, they drove Plymouths and near the end Mr Brady drove a Caprice
Exactly – there were never any Fords on the Brady Bunch.
And then Samantha got a new Darrin.
I can authoritatively tell you that no Ford Maverick was ever prominently featured or marketed on the show during its run, thanks to the OCD compilers of IMCDB:
https://www.imcdb.org/m63878.html
Indeed, Chrysler and GM were authorized suppliers for the show, as seen in the credits.
If you really want to open up a can of worms, look at the “Is that a ’72 Plymouth Barracuda in the Brady Bunch??” controversy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_W_I-GQDB8
Just flat stupid. There was no such car! Someone is just trying to increase the value of a car that is worth about half the asking price! Not to mention, the owner states “Interior Clean”? Really? If that is there assesment, what does the rest of the car really look like? Buyer beware…….
What do you expect ? It on lazy bragbook
i did a quick search of both my memory and the interweb. no sign of a maverick on the show. unless it was in a background shot.
the show featured all mopars until the last season. a m not sure who got the last season.
for that price and a good look over it would still make a nice blue oval project car
The better driver competition between Greg and Marsha was with a Chevy Caprice convertible I believe
Correct, Chevys were used for Mr. Brady in ’72-74, superseding the Mopars that Mr. Brady drove prior.
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_260150-Chevrolet-Impala-Convertible-1972.html
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_260155-Chevrolet-Caprice-Classic-1973.html
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_260164-Chevrolet-Caprice-Classic-1974.html
Dirty Mike and the boys called, and they want their car back.
Only if it comes with a lifetime supply of fresh meat from Sam the Butcher.
Only has 1 bathroom. Hard pass.
I read a 2014 Facebook post by Don Michael Wattenpaugh that said the Bradys drove loaned Chrysler Corporation cars from the pilot episide until the final season. The author noted some big Chevrolets were also loaned and given TV exposure. The IMCDb.org cars of the Brady Bunch database showed screenshots of cars on the TV show but no Maverick. So Ford was not the big corporate car donor for the 1969-74 program. My research casts doubt on the authenticity of a Brady edition Ford Maverick although it is possible that one showed up in the nackground footage but was not driven by the stars for promotional purposes.
In those days Car Manufactory Companies sponsored sitcoms by using their cars, hoping to gain sales from the shows. Brady Bunch was sponsored by Plymouth, and had the Blue Plymouth Station Wagon unknown model as I’m not a Mopar person.
You’re right they are trying to increase the value, unless you have Documentation to back up your claim. Like people with cars they clone, the VIN is documentation and tells the story of the car.
I also recall Mike Brady drove a blue Barracuda convertible in one season. The Sport Suburban wagon with woodgrain was featured more prominently.
How about a kolcheck The night stalker special edition 66 Mustang , or a Green Acres Mr Kimball Bronco ?
I read the ad on Facebook and did not see a reference to the Brady Bunch. But who cares? It is a pretty cool car, V-8 engine, no rust that I could see from the photos and it runs. This looks like a great project car.
so here we new to ask
brian k.
where does the brady bunch link come from?
When I sent in the tip I didn’t think anyone would believe I was actually serious. I’m gonna have to plant that tongue in my cheek a bit firmer I guess. Sorry if anyone felt like they got hit in the nose with a football.
grrrrr here we need to ask
From the tip by MisterLou. Sorry if it’s wrong, but that’s how the assignment was described.
Sorry @BrianK, I thought the idea of a “Brady Bunch Edition” of a car seemed obviously outrageous and more of homage to the distinctly period color scheme of this machine. Maybe I should’ve called it “Bobby Brady Edition” since he rocked those color schemes often and that would’ve been more obvious?
“We all don’t share your sense of humor” is a common complaint I get.
I’ll go sit in the BarnFinds corner now.
Heck of a write up nonetheless.
Looks to be in decent shape,straight body and it’s 2dr with a 302.this is real performance potential here.just needs a hot 302 4v under the hood and some interior work.being a california car i’m sure there is a minimum of rust if hardly any.
Marsha Marsha Marsha
Get a Marty report on it,might tell ya something
Better yet, get a “Marsha” Report.
And do some DNA testing on that Maverick back seat while you are at it.
At least it runs, though the gas tank leaks. Shades of a Pinto.
“Here’s the story, of a phony Maverick,
That supposedly hauled three boys of the Brady bunch.
They were four men, all together,
Yet they were all alone.
Till the one day when the lady met this fellow
And she knew that when they went through the drive-thru for lunch,
That this group would somehow form a family.
That’s the way they all became the Maverick Bunch.
The Maverick Bunch,
The Maverick Bunch,
That’s the way they all became the Maverick Buuuunch.
lousy car and lousier show.
I don’t remember much of even “ background cars” as they rarely left the house or backyard. Perhaps on one of their roadtrip episodes.
It says Grabber on the side. Where’s the grabber hood? I thought they had double hood scoops.
It’s a Maverick Grabber. And unfortunately, Grabber’s lost their simulated twin hood scoops in the later years, reducing Grabber’s to paint and tape specials. It does have an upgraded interior with the LDO option style buckets. Nice with the 302 as that can be built into a powerhouse and still retain the sleeper vibe. Lots of HS days logged in my buddy Barry’s blue Maverick coupe with the 250 six. Not fast but as indestructible as an Anvil.
My friend had a light blue Maverick in HS, auto 6 I believe. Didn’t last long with him, don’t remember why. Got a boat avocado green auto trans Mopar. Managed to flip it a block from his house, straight 25 mph. Didn’t tell me he wrecked it, found another avocado green Mopar to replace it. Even had a matching dent on the passenger side. Unless you knew it was a second vehicle, you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. How he managed to find an almost exact replacement I don’t know, like the flip. Seems to me if you have a car that just flips on it’s own, you wouldn’t buy another one…
Beagly Beagly. 😁
Marti please
To clarify. Get the marti report as that will settle the BB edition
I will take a wild guess and say that they made up the Brady connection because (and my memory is questionable) I think that the Family room in the Brady house had furniture and paint that might go with the Orange paint scheme here??????
Who Knows
Thanks for picking up what I was putting down.
I just took a peek at the ad on FB Marketplace and I did not see any reference to being a Brady Bunch mobile….maybe the orange???? I did just read an article where HGTV had bought the Brady Bunch house and did a refurb back to the TV show appearance…everything new, but looks old…bright orange countertops and all. You too can have it for a cool $5.5 million. Either the housing market was already high back in the day, or Pops Brady wasn’t a very successful architect….not enough bedrooms or bathrooms for that large of a family.
hey misterlou i think i was the only one who saw your vanishing post. can’t wait for the next one from you or brian k ;)
I’m glad you saw this at least. I didn’t make it up…
nope he did and you bought it and spread it around lol
I owned a 70′ Maverick with the Fred Flintstone Edition. It had a shreadded headliner hanging down, and no floors, and you had to used your feet to stop it.
when in the rust belt most every model of car has a fred flinstone edtition lol
LOL ohhh my word !..
sigh
regardless of the BB, the car is pretty sweet, 302, AC, Cali, grabber..
i kind want it
Brady Bunch or not (likely not), that was a fun write-up Brian K.
As for the car, it’s not terrible. If restored, or even just freshened up, would be a fun conversation piece. Seen any white and orange cars lately?
Guy at the car club has a 56 Chevy, white and orange. Very cool car.
It looks like the exact same Grabber featured in the 1974 brochure (From Dezo’s Garage): https://xr793.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/1974-Ford-Maverick-R.pdf
At least there was no convertible top that an annoying little brother could poke an umbrella through.
I thought Brett Maverick drove a Firebird Esprit.
He did when he was Jim Rockford
Everyone forget that Mannix drove a 1969 Dodge Dart GT then he got a ‘73 Hemi Cuda redone to look like a ‘72
Mark Jaques, I’m confused by your comment. They didn’t make a ’73 Hemi Cuda and I believe that all you have to do to make a ’72 look like a ’73 is to remove the front and rear rubber bumper guards.
I meant: remove the bumper guards from a 73 to make it look like a 72.
I’m holding out for a Partridge Family edition.
Nice Grabber. Has AC , PS, and V8. Good luck finding matching orange vinyl to recover the drivers seat, which by the way is the standard 74 bucket seat, the LDO option seat which reclined wasn’t available with the Grabber package. These are a poor man’s Mustang, with a small cash outlay the engine can be built up to decent power, and same era Mustang suspension parts bolt right in. For even better looks, you can back swap to the earlier 70-72 small bumpers and valances and get rid of the park benches. Fun little cars, I did all the above to a 74 and had a blast. I should’ve kept it, but I traded it for a street rod project.
What about Greg’s 56 Chevrolet convertible, be worth some bucks now.
Well if this is a fake Brady Bunch Maverick, at least the real house from the show is for sale!
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/11222-Dilling-St-North-Hollywood-CA-91602/20025974_zpid/?
I like this Maverick! It’s so 1974! Back then (in 1974), it was a “Brady Bunch “ world, with all the fantastic and wild colors coupled with shag carpet, disco, and long hair! I LOVED IT. I was only 10 years old in’74 but I remember! This car deserves to be saved. It’s just so different and special. The 302ci is a great plus for this car and IS worth restoring. Just think – how many cars would sell today if the car companies DARED to make ORANGE INTERIORS! Nice article!
The Brady Bunch house is on the market for 5.5 million. Google it, BarnFinds doesn’t like me posting links.
No need to google. There is a link to the house in the first paragraph of the story.
Inexpensive, midsized car available with small block power or economical four and six cylinder options almost as light as a Fox body Mustang/Capri ……it too had a Mercury sister . The Comet was given the same body , different grill hood and tail lights …. My mom had 72 Maverick and my grandparents had 73 Mercury Comet …. Nice cars . Pretty light and 3/4 the cost of a Mustang/ Cougar of the day . If you remember in 71 to 73 Cougar and Mustang were pretty big cars in comparison …like Thunderbirds and Continentals ……Probably why they killed the cougar and tried to drink the Mustang down to pinto size, later came the fox body and things started to go back in the right direction. Seems they realized that Camaros and Firebirds were still rocking. They needed to be in that market .
As an Army MP, I got my 1975 Maverick up to 90 mph chasing a guy. He got away. It was the six cylinder version. Oh. And we weren’t supposed to speed in a chase. What fun is that? Note: it was 0200 on a very quiet Army base. I radioed ahead to have the gates closed. He drove around them. Never figured out what he was up to.
Was in the Army, field artillery. Never saw a Maverick in service. Was it your personal vehicle?
Probably those two ugly colors like the clothes that they wore all ugly
Maverick with a 351 Cleveland was my first hot rod.
I thought The Brady Bunch Show exclusively used MOPAR cars
They had a Caprice convertible on there, in an episode of the show Bobby put at umbrella thru the top at the drive in movies.
The color of the stripes is very seventies. Otherwise I see no signs of the Brady Bunch.
It looks neglected and forlorn.
I was streaming the first season of Rockford Files and it cracked me up when I noticed that Rockford kept ending up near a Chevy Vega. He’d drive by it or it would pass him or he’d park next to it. I wonder how much GM paid to get that thing in so many shots.
If you think that’s funny, watch the chase scene in “Bullit”. They keep passing the same VW bug as they’re jumping the hilly streets.
Obviously has no Brady bunch connection but sure would be a nice car to bring back to life. Sure hope it goes to the right buyer