We lately wrote about a mid-size Ford that wasn’t a efficiency mannequin however was outfitted like one. For those who dig automobiles like that, then maybe you’ll take pleasure in our Choose of the Day that’s in an analogous vein, on this case a 1969 Ford Torino two-door hardtop listed on the market on ClassicCars.com. It’s being bought by a dealership in Tulsa. (Click on the hyperlink to view the itemizing)

“Fairlane” is derived from the title of Henry Ford’s property in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb west of downtown Detroit. The title was utilized to a brand new Ford flagship beginning within the 1955 mannequin 12 months however, come 1968, Ford began to disassociate the title from its lineup as a brand new, contemporary title and mannequin joined the roster: Torino. We could say Turin in America, however the Italians name their metropolis Torino, and the Torino and Torino GT changed the Fairlane 500/XL and Fairlane GT as the highest mid-size automobiles within the Ford lineup. (Mercury did an analogous factor, introducing the Montego because it steadily started to part out the Comet title). 

The Fairlane and Fairlane 500 nonetheless continued to play a task in 1968, and the Fairlane and Torino pairs had been joined in 1969 by a brand new efficiency mannequin known as Cobra. Created as a response to the Plymouth Street Runner, the Cobra was a Fairlane-based SportsRoof (fastback) and hardtop mannequin that included all of the taxi-cab gear of the bottom Fairlane however added a normal 428 Cobra Jet, Competitors suspension, six-inch rims with wide-oval whitewalls, color-keyed carpeting, hood lock pins, blackened grille, and wheel lip and decrease again panel moldings. Confusingly, the Cobra served as the idea of the NASCAR-influenced Torino Talladega, though it was not a Torino correct.

The Torino, however, constructed up from the gear of the Fairlane 500 and added full wheel covers, accent stripe, and a distinct grille that featured a pink horizontal bar from finish to finish. Energy groups included the usual 250cid inline-six, 302-2V, the brand new 351 Windsor in each 2V and 4V kinds, the 390-4V, and the 428 Cobra Jet, each with out (Q within the VIN) and with ram air induction (R). The 302 and 351-2V had been by far the most well-liked engines for the Torino, however there was a small group of parents who spec’d out a Torino with the 428 CJ.

Within the case of this Brittany Blue 1969 Torino two-door hardtop, solely 9 Q-code CJs  had been constructed with a four-speed guide. The choice sheet on this Torino is brief however has the good things like 3.50 Traction-Lok, Competitors Suspension (which was included with the CJ), and AM radio with rear audio system. Trying on the Marti Report, it may be seen that this explicit car was initially an export automobile, although it doesn’t say the place. Contemplating the speedo is in MPH, maybe it was a service member who ordered it?

Someplace alongside the way in which, this Torino has acquired an engine transplant within the type of a 427 (which was final factory-installed in a mid-size Ford in 1967) topped by a hood scoop. It’s paired to an computerized transmission, “providing a driving expertise that’s each clean and exhilarating,” in line with the vendor. Different modifications embody air con, AM/FM radio with CD participant, energy brakes and steering, and styled metal wheels.

“This 1969 Ford Torino is a pleasant mix of traditional fashion, energy, and trendy options,” provides the vendor. “It’s a testomony to the golden age of American muscle automobiles.” For a automobile with pedigree and tasteful mods, the $40,000 asking value appears cheap.

Click on right here for this ClassicCars.com Choose of the Day.