Take a Ride with Irlene Mandrell and a 1984 Ford Truck: Throwback Thursday
Youngest of the Mandrell sisters, Irlene helped move more than a few Fords in the mid-Eighties.
Celebrities endorsing cars and trucks is nothing new. Ford alone has had its share over the decades, like British former Formula One racer Jackie Stewart extolling the virtues of the Tempo, Denis Leary reminding one and all how tough the F-Series is, and Matthew McConaughey going “alright, alright, alright” at the sight of a Lincoln Navigator.
Even some Ford dealership groups make use of celebrities to bring customers into their showrooms. Case in point: Irlene Mandrell. The youngest of the singing Mandrell sisters–which included country music icon Barbara and country star in her own right Louise–helped dealers in the Houston area check out all of the hip-and-happening Ford trucks back in 1984 with ads like the one we happened upon here, posted by YouTuber takutaq back in 2008.
“This is no ordinary pickup truck,” Mandrell tells the off-camera announcer. “It’s a Ford Ranger, built Texas-tough with the widest cab of any small truck.”
The youngest Mandrell played drums for one of Barbara’s first bands, and while she had a decent music career with her siblings, she had greater success as an actress and model–from her most famous role as part of the Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters variety show from 1980 to 1982, to becoming a cast member of country-themed variety show Hee Haw for the last eight years of its syndication run.
“You know, a lot of women are buyin’ trucks these days, and Ford has a lot of different trucks to choose from,” Mandrell said.
One of those trucks back in the day was the Bronco II XLS, a package offered on the first (and only) generation of the small SUV for the first couple of model years. The package amounted to nothing more than a couple of striped ‘XLS’ decals in a color complementary to the body color, plus wheelwell spats to keep rocks and mud at bay, but the XLS package did give the new kid in town a sporty look for those interested in that sort of thing.
As for what happened to Mandrell after the early Nineties, she’s been a spokesperson for several companies centered around the hunting lifestyle, takes part in a handful of charities (including the Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, and Easter Seals), and yes, she even put out her first single, 2015’s “We Will Stand.” We can only hope some dealership group will hit her up to pitch a few more Ford trucks and SUVs once more.
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