About fifty years in the past, Ford took its third-generation Torino and elevated it to the next degree of luxurious than any Torino had achieved earlier than. The Gran Torino Elite was born, however its lifespan was brief.

The Decide of the Day is a low-mileage 1976 Ford Elite listed on the market on ClassicCars.com by a non-public vendor in Clinton, New York. (Click on the hyperlink to view the itemizing)

“Certainly this is without doubt one of the most interesting vehicles I’ve ever owned,” the itemizing begins. “Hardly ever do you ever see an Elite to start with, and if you do, it’s assuredly both rusting out or sitting in a subject someplace.”

The Elite was categorised as a private luxurious automotive and was solely bought for 3 mannequin years: 1974, 1975, and 1976. The primary mannequin yr, it was known as the Gran Torino Elite. The next years, the Gran Torino prefix was eradicated because the Elite grew to become a standalone mannequin. The non-public luxurious automotive market had grown in competitors and recognition with automobiles just like the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Chrysler Cordoba. The Elite’s design originated with Mercury Cougar XR-7, and it was simple to see the connection between the Mercury and the Ford – particularly with the inside model and appointments.

Energy for the Elite was out there from quite a lot of V8 engines, the smallest of which had 351cid in displacement. In the present day’s function automotive has the elective two-barrel-carbureted 400cid V8 paired with a three-speed computerized transmission. The odometer reveals simply 62,415 miles, and the vendor asserts that this can be a true studying: “It begins and runs usually, easily, and rapidly, and sounds precisely the way in which it’s alleged to and the way in which you’d count on.”

Originality is the secret with this automotive, and included within the 50-photo gallery with the itemizing is a shot of the information plate exhibiting a colour code of 6PNY. The “6” interprets to gold, and I think about the “PNY” interprets to Pony, which in Mustang phrases referred to upgraded upholstery and steering wheel. Maybe the nomenclature carried by way of to the Gran Torino & Elite lineup as a result of this automotive is appointed with leather-based upholstery in addition to beneficiant woodgrain trim all through the cabin.

The itemizing supplies an almost 10-minute walkaround video showcasing the garage-kept situation each in and out. “I’ve received fairly a number of attractive vehicles in my storage that I showcase virtually each day, and it’s wonderful how many individuals touch upon how fairly the Elite is!” the vendor says.

The asking value is $24,500 for this Elite.

To view this itemizing on ClassicCars.com, see Decide of the Day.