Think about it’s 1971: high-performance automobiles are a nasty phrase, with Basic Motors beginning to decrease compression a yr sooner than the federal government mandate. There have been artistic methods to construct a efficiency automobile with out attracting a lot consideration out of your insurance coverage agent or minister, with our Choose of the Day probably being a really good instance of this: a 1971 Ford Torino 500 two-door hardtop on the market on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Volo, Illinois. (Click on the hyperlink to view the itemizing)

Ford’s mid-size hierarchy developed from 1967-71 and past. Whereas the Fairlane was the title of the sequence in 1967, two new Torino fashions had been launched in 1968 to interchange the Fairlane 500/XL and Fairlane GT. Then, in 1970, the Torino Brougham was launched, which pushed out the bottom Fairlane, leaving the Fairlane 500 as the one Fairlane mannequin. For 1971, the Fairlane 500 was discontinued, with Torino (the highest mannequin for 1968-69) now on the backside, with the brand new Torino 500 enjoying the function that the Torino performed in 1970. Confused? You’re not alone, but it surely’s the standard story of ushering within the new and changing the previous, no totally different than how the Tempest, F-85, Belvedere, and many others. had been pushed out over time.

Throughout this period, Ford allowed prospects to spec out nearly any engine for its fashions, so it was doable to order a 429 Cobra Jet for the Torino 500. A step down from there was the 351-4V, an engine that had a twin goal each as a pedestrian improve from low-performance engines in addition to the bottom efficiency engine for sporty fastback fashions just like the Torino Cobra and Torino GT. The “Cleveland” engine featured massive oval ports and canted valves, the latter which can have been a bit an excessive amount of for the road with out mods. When launched in 1970, the 351-4V (code M within the VIN) featured a excessive 11.0:1 compression and was rated at 300 horsepower, Ford tweaked issues for 1971 by decreasing compression to 10.7:1 and ranking it at 285 horses.

The 351-4V was a preferred engine for the sporty fashions, but it surely’s not widespread for the extra pedestrian fashions. This 1971 Ford Torino 500 two-door hardtop is sort of uncommon as a result of it options a number of high-performance choices whereas showing on Dad’s Torino sans stripes or cartoonish decals. Painted within the very 1971 colour of Medium Inexperienced metallic (considered one of 7,677 constructed per the Marti Report), this Blue Oval was additionally ordered with black knit vinyl bucket seats, of which solely 24 had been constructed together with the paint. Whereas buckets had been a preferred choice for fanatic, they weren’t in your common household automobile like this. The 351-4V is uncommon sufficient at 920 constructed with the C-6 computerized, and this one has the console so as to add to this subversive efficiency automobile. Be aware the color-keyed racing mirrors too! Icing on the cake? The Shaker hood scoop, considered one of 69 351 automobiles constructed with this feature.

So, what you’ve got right here is nearly an equal to a Torino Cobra or GT, however for somebody who wasn’t a peacock or maybe was in a position to navigate insurance coverage surcharges to his/her profit. Alongside the best way, somebody added Magnum 500s however, as you possibly can see from the photographs, this automobile wants little apart from your $41,998.

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