The Maverick was a pretty cool car. I remember them on the lots and when I was 16 I used to work at a Ford dealership, we had dozens of them. Most of them came with a straight 6 but I think there was a V8 option as well. Like anything Ford of that era, you usually had to go through the car and tighten up everything after it was on the road for about 6 months.
I have seen some with built small blocks dropped into them - pretty fast!