Fine Lines: 1970-76 Ford Torino...

Ford had won a lot of NASCAR races in 1968 and '69 with their fastback Torinos. The Boss 429 was only sold to the public to homologate it for racing. Since Ford didn't race Mustang bodies in NASCAR-( they did use Mustangs in Trans-Am, but the cubic inch limit was 305 inches. ) I have no Idea why they didn't build Boss-Nine Torinos instead of Mustangs. Must have been a loophole in the rulebook I don't know about. Anyhow the Torino the body was redesigned for 1970 and it was swoopier and slicker than ever before. When I first saw "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" I thought the Interceptor made famous by Mel Gibson was a '70-71 Torino. ( It was actually a 1973 Australian Ford Falcon XB coupe-which looks very similar) A full range of  V8 engines was available including a 302, the mighty 351C, and the 429CJ / SCJ models. Curiously-likeI said-even though Ford raced Torinos-( The Wood Brothers ran Mercury Cyclones ) that were Boss 429 powered-their was no production option. The Boss 429 was only available in the Mustang. There was also a "Ranchero" version-( basically Ford's competitor for the El Camino ) available as well.  1971 only brought minor trim changes, otherwise everything was the same. In 1972-Ford completely re-vamped the Torino. Instead of unit-body construction like they had been-they went to a body-on-frame platform. The car was longer, lower and wider, and rode and handled better than ever before. They were good-looking too. ( The car in the Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino"-was a 1972 model. ) Unfortunately-1972 was the year that Ford lowered compression ratios and switched from gross to net hp ratings. You could get a 429 in a Torino-but it was a "station wagon" engine that wheezed out 205 hp. A far cry from the 375-of the '70-71 models! The most powerful engine available in a Torino that year was the 351CJ-rated at 246 hp. ( The same engine in a Mustang Mach 1 was rated at 266 hp; I don't know what the difference was, maybe just the rating-they wanted the Mach 1 to be the performance leader. ) In 1973 they changed the grille and added 5-mph bumpers, but otherwise it was unchanged. Bobby Isaac and Bud Moore ran a 351C Torino in NASCAR that year. 1974 brought changes to the front end and taillights, but the basic body was the same. This is the style driven by Paul Micheal Glaser on "Starsky and Hutch". You could now get a 460-but again it was basically a station wagon / truck engine that made about 220 hp. The 351C was still the most powerful engine available. They also introduced the "Gran Torino Elite" that was supposed to be a luxury model. It had opera windows, and looked like a re-badged Cougar-which it was.  1975 brought catalytic conveters and really killed performance. And the 351C was dropped. Most models had the 351 / 400"M" engines with 2bbl carburation and single exhaust. These had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. You could still get a 460-but they didn't even make 200 hp. In 1977 The Torino / Elite models were dropped. The Ranchero soldiered on until 1979, based on the LTD II platform. If you want one today for a peformance project-their a good base. The engine bay will swallow anything from a 302 to a 460-and their's tons of speed equipment available for small and big-block Ford engines. They were a great car; it's just too bad they were introduced just as the musclecar era was winding down, and that Ford just gave up on performance. ( The 4-cylinder and V6 Mustang II?? ) Just like Pontiac kept the mighty 400 in the Trans-Am until 1979-Ford could have done the same with a decent 460 or the 351CJ in the Torino-but they didn't. Too bad. Anyhow a Torino / Ranchero might make a nice project instead of the cookie-cutter Mustangs you see everywhere. Mastermind