Ford Torino

Ford Torino at a glance

The Torino is part of our Ford catalogue, and its later version has its own article on the Ford Gran Torino. Its rivals from Chevrolet, Dodge, Plymouth and Pontiac are ranked in the American muscle car guide.

From Fairlane to Torino

For 1968 Ford introduced the Torino as the upscale subseries of the intermediate Fairlane. The range included two-door hardtops, four-door sedans, station wagons such as the woodgrain Squire, a convertible and a new SportsRoof fastback. The sporty model was the Torino GT, with a 302 V8 as standard; in 1968 a UAW strike forced Ford to fit the 289 instead for part of the year.

The fastback had a clear purpose beyond looks. On the high-speed NASCAR superspeedways its shape gave Ford an aerodynamic advantage, and Wikipedia describes it as dominating that kind of racing. A Torino GT convertible also paced the 1968 Indianapolis 500.

Production reached 172,083 Torinos in 1968 and 129,054 in 1969. Together with the Fairlane, Ford built 371,787 and 366,911 intermediates in those years.

Torino Cobra and the 429

The Cobra appeared in 1969 as a performance package on the Fairlane 500 body. Its standard engine was the 428 Cobra Jet, advertised at 250 kW (335 hp); the Super Cobra Jet version carried the same rating.

For 1970 the Torino received a new "coke bottle" unibody that was longer, lower and wider, and the name Torino now headed the range, with Fairlane as a subseries. The Cobra switched to the 429 cu in engine family. The 429 Thunder Jet with 268 kW (360 hp) was standard, the 429 Cobra Jet had 276 kW (370 hp), and with the Drag Pack the 429 Super Cobra Jet reached 280 kW (375 hp). Motor Trend chose the Torino as its 1970 Car of the Year.

In 1971 the Fairlane name was dropped, and every Ford intermediate became a Torino. The Cobra now had a 351 four-barrel with 213 kW (285 hp) as standard, while the 429 Cobra Jets kept their 1970 ratings. Production rose to 326,463 cars.

Talladega and King Cobra

The 1969 Torino Talladega was built to improve Ford's results in NASCAR. It used the 428 Cobra Jet without Ram Air, and Wikipedia gives a production figure of 743 cars.

For 1970 Ford prepared another NASCAR prototype, the Torino King Cobra. It was never sold. Only three prototypes were built, one of them with the Boss 429 engine.

The Gran Torino years (1972–1976)

The 1972 Torino was a completely new car with body-on-frame construction, and the Gran Torino became the best-known version. With the 1972 model year Ford switched to SAE net ratings, which cannot be compared directly with the earlier gross figures. In 1974 the 429 four-barrel was replaced by a 460 four-barrel with more power and torque. A separate two-door hardtop, the Gran Torino Elite, appeared the same year.

Sales were the highest in the car's history: 496,645 in 1972, 496,581 in 1973 and 426,086 in 1974. They then fell to 195,110 in 1975 and 193,096 in 1976, the last year.

The Gran Torino also found fame on screen. 1975–1976 Gran Torinos starred in the television series Starsky & Hutch, and in the spring of 1976 Ford built 1,000 replicas. In 2008 Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the film Gran Torino, built around a 1972 Gran Torino Sport.

Torino performance engines

Which Torino to look for

The 1970 Torino Cobra with the 429 Super Cobra Jet is the strongest version, and the 1969 Talladega, with 743 built, is a rare one. The 1968–1969 Torino GT fastback is the original shape. The 1972–1976 Gran Torinos are larger cars with net-rated engines, better known from the screen than from the drag strip. Compare the Torino with other Ford performance cars in our car rankings.

Photo gallery