An almost-perfect Ford Tempo sedan, seen at a messy parking lot near a car market in Beijing in 2012. The antenna was up so the car was all right. It was painted white, with darkened windows and with the original wheel covers.
The second generation Ford Tempo was manufactured from 1988 until 1994, with a facelift in 1991. Our white car is a facelifted example. The Tempo was available with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder petrol engine or with a 3.0-liter V6 petrol. The GL was a mid-level model that usually came with the 2.3.
This white one was in great shape. The design of the Tempo is kind of timeless, even as I write this it still looks great. With a few changes, it would look like a modern Chinese electric sedan.
The Ford Tempo was never officially sold in China by Ford, but in 1992 the Chinese government bulk-ordered 3010 units under a murky trade deal with the United States government. The cars arrived in China with U.S. specifications and without any support from a dealer network.
Also, note the license plate area. It is too small for a Chinese license plate, which is much wider than a US plate. This is a sure sign of a US-spec import. Ford didn’t bother to adjust the plate area for the trade deal.
One in red.
And another one in white, with Transformers stickers on the windshield.