Lest one think all American branded four door sedans of the 1970s were so ornamented as to have a tackiness quotient comparable to a high quality rubber cement, let us offer this very base 1974 Ford Torino as evidence to the contrary.
For most of us, these base model Torinos have likely been relegated to the darkness and murkiness in the rear portions of our brain. Appropriate, as this Torino was found sitting at the rear property line of a local salvage yard, behind a very colorful row of second generation Neons – which still looked happy, even in death.
Ford differentiated the base model Torino in 1973 and 1974 by offering this unique nose. This is the first one I have seen in person since 1982. I’m not joking. The ’73 Torino my parents bought new had this front and this is the first one I’ve seen in person since they sold that car in (drum roll, please) 1982. As a child, I thought their Torino was some one-off goofball by Ford as I could find an abundance of Torinos with the same tail lights but never this front end.
This is the front most associated with the 1974 Torino.
Base model cars around here are not uncommon – this yard is just outside the state capital and all those base model sedans used by the various state agencies don’t migrate that far after being sold. Might this Torino be a member of that service oriented club? It’s hard to say but the possibility is there.
The base model Torinos were definitely intended for service minded endeavors. It also seems like the base Torino is the car Ford didn’t want anyone to know about as it is barely in their brochure.
It seems service mindedness only gets a person so far in life as our featured Torino is one of only 31,000 base model Torino sedans built for 1974. For comparison, AMC sold nearly 28,000 Matador sedans that same year. Add up the three body variants of the base Torino, which includes the two-door and wagon, and one is still a few units shy of the Gran Torino sedan and its 73,000 examples.
Ford, being Ford, was not satisfied with just two levels of Torino as had been the case as recently as 1972. Figuring there was money to be made in something even more gran than the Gran Torino, Ford also had the available Gran Torino Brougham, a car so nice they named it thrice. But I suppose it makes sense; one name for the base model and keep adding a word for each step up in trim level. To a degree the Gran Torino Brougham was simply gilding the lily as there were only 11,500 sedans sold.
I’m speculating our featured Torino had the standard 302 V8. Maybe it’s a 351; Ford would make the 351 the standard engine across the line for 1975.
Fuel mileage on this one would be interesting to know for comparison purposes. The fecal brown metallic ’73 Torino my parents owned had a 302 that got a very regular and predictable 12 miles per gallon on leaded fuel. It’s doubtful a 351 in one of these would be profoundly different.
Ostensibly, the 302 was rated for 140 net horsepower in 1974, up five from the previous year. Having to pack around 3,793 pounds of unladen and fluid-free Torino, it was not a thoroughbred so much as it was a work horse. For comparison, the curb weight of this Torino is within 80 pounds of a 2020 Toyota RAV-4 hybrid. While I am no fan of Torinos, perhaps all the jabs about their porkulence are undeserved since a new compact Toyota tips the scales in the same neighborhood.
Visually the Torino didn’t always do itself any favors, which could best be summed up with those bony hips that constitute the surface of the rear doors and extend to the rear bumper. As a child, when these hip bones were at eye-level, all those protuberances just seemed silly, with the door handle lurking among the creases. Other cars had much more smooth sides; I never could understand what these added to the overall package.
Looking at these as an adult, they aren’t as prominent as they once seemed. It’s strange how time can alter one’s perspective.
This being a 1974 model also alters one perspective – or their expectations. After seeing the front end, I was greatly anticipating seeing some horizontal tail lights mounted within the bumper, a la 1973 Torino. Not so much. These tail lights are the dead giveaway for it not being a 1973.
I was hoping this was a ’73 but, hey, at this point, beggars can’t be choosers.
Apart from the color, the interior is exactly as I remember – minus the weeds, of course. The speedometer reminded me of a speed trial my father took in their old ’73 Torino long ago on a flat, straight three mile section of road near where I grew up. In retrospect, it took a mighty long time for that particular Torino to huff and chuff its way up to 80 mph.
They got 123,000 miles out of their Tornio before selling it to a college student who drove it for many more miles. The only mechanical problem it ever had during their ownership was a broken timing chain.
One thing to keep in mind – that automatic transmission was an option as a three-on-the-tree was still the standard transmission.
These vinyl rear seats wear like iron. Their’s did, as has this one. A little elbow grease could make this one nicely serviceable again – but would it be worth the effort?
For the observant, there has been a little nugget seen so far which presents a mild, yet distinct, inconsistency. It signifies this Torino having had a mishap of some variety in its life, a mishap the owner appeared determined to rectify so they could keep their Torino going.
Noticed it?
Here it is. The trunk lid is from a Mercury Montego, indicating this is likely its second time in the boneyard. The trunk was still locked, so any interior inspection wasn’t possible.
I’ll admit to having been a vocal critic of the Torino. Sure they were a bit too rotund, a little too thirsty, and not known as great handlers. But it was 1974 – all cars sold in the United States had their individual challenges, be it aptitude for drink, rust, rough running, or general anemia. Some just hid their vices better than others.
Earlier today my mother, of all people, summed up the Torino most succinctly and eloquently, a statement she made about their plain and basic ’73 Torino. She said “Jason, it wasn’t the paragon of luxury but it always got us there.”
I suspect the same held true for this particular Torino. It was on the road until 2014.
It’s amazing to me how ford relegated these to absolutely bottom of the barrel trim level, it’s hard to imagine the unique pieces were ever amortized. I don’t know how rare these actually were in the day, but even in film from the period they seem sparse
Perhaps it’s the rarity of it but I do find this front end more attractive than the Gran Torino nose of 73 & 74, the Gran nose is a little ornate for my taste and kind of resembles the Mustang II a little too close for comfort(especially the 73). The design itself I find fascinating, bearing a striking resemblance to the original Aston Martin DBS. Note the signature shape, the marker light placement, mesh pattern, and headlight bezels. Ironically foreshadowing the Aston aping nose of the intermediate Fusion 40 years later
I’m with you on preferring the plainer front. Darn it, it’s got twin headlights so over here that would be enough posh for a family car. The Aston Martin comparison is interesting, mind I think you’ll find that Aston Martin DBS used the turn indicators, sidelights and probably the headlights from the (UK) Ford Zodiac.
Matt, I totally get the Aston Martin thing. Well seen and pointed out, friend.
Excellent find, photos and info. I wasn’t a big fan of Ford’s very plasticky looking grilles during this era. Or the inset headlamp treatment also used on the LTD.
This Torino appears to have been well taken care of for years. The paint looks salvageable, and there’s little rust. 1973 and 1974 remained notorious years for Ford premature corrosion. Paul prepared a great report on Ford’s rust issues, and their inadequate rustproofing, during this era. As this front page article from the July 11, 1975 Ottawa Citizen points out. Ford initially tried to mask the corrosion issues thousands of owners were having, with a special warranty. But the problem was clearly far too large, to try to suppress it. Reminiscent of the Pinto gas tank controversy. Not surprising, the special premature corrosion warranty was revealed publicly by Ralph Nadar. A dark period for Ford in many ways.
As a kid in Toronto, I remember the rusty Ford issue popped up on the news occasionally for several years. The salt on eastern Canadian roads wrecked almost all cars early. As I recall was the rust was more likely to affect the Ford structure first, compromising safety. Some other cars would develop visible holes in the body well before the chassis collapsed, a bit like a ferrous oxide early warning system.
More significantly the Ford company ended up in the media’s sights. Other brands, particularly the imports rusted equally as catastrophically , but received less attention. A news article bashing Ford (deservedly or not) always got air time or print space.
My dad steered clear of Fords accordingly, as did many consumers.
Fords from the late 1960s to the mid to late 1970s were horrendous rusters. Other than Mustangs, it seems very few Fords from this era survived. The low quality steel, the lack of any finishing to some areas of the body and the lack of any real factory rust proofing made these cars horrendous rusters. In Canada our consumer advocate, Phil Edmonston, wrote about the secret Ford warranties for rusty cars. I am not sure if those south of the border had the same coverage. Ford did improve their act and by the late 70s most of there cars and trucks saw significant improvements in rust resistance, including the use of galvanized steel.
Anecdotally I have seen this improvement in Fords trucks. Here in rust country it seems that the late 1970s Ford trucks are much more likely to have survived than the mid-70s trucks due to having much better rust resistance. It is surprising how many late 70s Ford trucks are still around here and have never been restored, where there are virtually none from the mid-70s and almost no GM or Dodge trucks from that time.
Despite having grown up considerably further south than Ontario, rust was still an issue on Fords down there.
My father’s ’70 F-100 had the body fall in on the frame. Their ’73 Torino wasn’t as affected but, if memory serves, it was a little crusty in some areas. My ’75 Thunderbird had a spot on each side behind the front wheel. This was in an area in which winter precipitation was only periodically frozen and then it was simply ice.
It reminds me of the one shown in the movie The Big Lebowski.
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_4920-Ford-Gran-Torino-1973.html
The Dude abides.
Good pictures and research here. Interesting point about finding this car outside the state capital where fleet cars dominate the streets. From the pictures, it seems the paint on the trunk lid matches the rest of the car quite well; I wonder whether it was delivered from the factory with the errant Mercury badge. Surely no one bought these because of their build quality, looks, comfort or power, so use as a cheap fleet vehicle was their only real purpose on this planet.
I too am scarred by the experience of growing up with a base model Torino in the family fleet. That basic vinyl upholstery, complete lack of padding and weak seat springs bring back memories of bracing myself to prevent leaning in to the middle passenger, usually my sister, while sitting with my knees up at chin level. Combined with prolific rust and an engine that would cut out every time when making a left turn through a busy intersection, our 1976 Torino was easily the worst car ever!
My money is that it came from the factory with the Mercury emblem. I’m sure both Torinos and Montegos came down the same line, and with this being one of the low-line models destined for fleet use, I doubt anyone thought much of reaching into the wrong parts box and slapping on a Mercury badge
“Base Torino: The quality goes in before some name goes on.”
Yup. One of my buddies had a later model Pinto (with the all-glass hatch) and it came with Bobcat badges on the back.
You are so correct about the springs in the seats. While the back seat wasn’t so bad, I remember being amazed at the amount of room between the roof and either of parent’s heads when they were driving.
The only options their Torino had was carpeting, a/c, an AM radio, automatic, and a 302.
Nicely shot, but please tell me more about the two-tone Toyota Supra to the left that presumably wasn’t the car that replaced the Shafer Torino.
I don’t mind a Gran Torino but have no quarrel with the base non-Gran front end either.
That’s a Supra? Okay. I’ve been wondering about it since I uploaded these pictures. Yes, I was there but I can honestly say I never saw that Supra. Perhaps because the Torino was facing both a ’66 Impala and an untouched Mustang II?
It is safe to say that Supra made the same impression on me all others have. 🙂
Blasphemy. But I shall turn the other cheek this time.
Yes, likely an ’83 or so (total guess) with the two tone and the narrow body. I think I need to schedule another visit, you have a ripe orchard there overflowing with bounty.
It now seems that all of the Shafers must have a gift for turning a phrase. Nicely done.
Thank you. Not all the phrases I’ve heard are good but even a blind pig can find an acorn every once in a while.
For many (myself included), the mid-seventies Torino is a reminder of the bad old days of the Malaise Era. Sure, GM sold more Chevys, but the shear ungainliness and poor packaging of the Torino is much more memorable, an obese, lumbering, brougham wannabe barge that didn’t come even close to cutting it (which is really saying something during that time period). Just one more example of how the Japanese were able to get a foothold into the domestic auto market.
The mid-1970s Torino certainly were no paragons of space efficiency, but none of its competitors were either. As an owner of both of both a Ford and Chevy intermediate, I am always mystified how people think the Fords were so much smaller on the interior than others – it’s simply not true. Since most probably won’t take my word for it, I attached a chart showing the dimensions of the 1976 intermediates sedans and a 1976 Matador. They are all very close, and the Torino certainly doesn’t have the least roomy interior. If anything, the AMC seems to be the best of the bunch for space.
Calling it unable to “cut it” is not accurate either. FWIW, the Torino out sold the Chevelle from 1972-74. Sales did fall off significantly for 1975 and 1976, although much of that was due the market moving away from large cars in general. The Torinos poor record for rust, the large base engine (351), and Ford’s poor driveability during those years certainly didn’t help matters.
Also scarred by my family owning a base model Torino. We had a 73 wagon in the same “fecal brown metallic” color that Jason’s family had. My uncle worked for Philco Ford and so got us a deal on a fleet model Torino. Ours lasted until 1986 or 1987 but only had about 65,000 miles on it. Rust did it in–the gas tank rusted through and it wasn’t worth replacing it. The other major rust was on the “magic tailgate”, which by the end was rusted through all along the bottom. Ours had black vinyl that was about 600 degrees in the summer. It also did not have any carpeting! Instead, it had this black rubber material with a very distinctive rough pattern that would leave a mark on any exposed skin. Interestingly, it had two options–air conditioning and an electric rear window. Our friends had a similar base model wagon in blue when I was young, but there’s had the crank manual rear window, which you could spot from the back since it stuck out from the back of the tailgate–ours was missing that.
I had a near-miss with one of these. My mother signed papers to buy one (a brown Gran Torino sedan with a brown vinyl roof, tan interior and a 302) and walked out of the dealer at closing time wondering if she should have put money down. The dealer called the next day before she got home from work (when we were going to drive over and finish buying it) and left a message that it had been sold. I still remember the guy’s name – Fred Midget. My mother was furious for the moment, but I think it finally dawned on her that she had been settling for it rather than it being something she really wanted. As an adult I am sure that he was only using her offer as a tool to sell some wavering buyer who was ready to pay more.
I noticed the Mercury badge right away. I remain mystified by Ford’s use of an entirely separate front end to call out the cheap buyer.
The similarity of buying patterns between your mother and my parents is amazing…Omni/Horizon, ’85 Crown Vic, and something else along the way.
My father always drove that ’73 Torino like he hated it. The story he told me was he was really wanting a Maverick but this Torino was in the very small inventory of the one-man Ford dealer.
Ever heard the adage about the early K-cars looking like Lee Iacocca? Well, the front of this Torino looks like my father. Neither assertion makes any rational sense, yet one simply cannot unsee the similarities.
Nice find Jason! It reminds me of a 1974 Torino police car that I found on the internet. Although in this case it was a very rare 2-door police car powered by a Q-code 351-CJ making 255 hp (net). (see photo below)
Ford started offering unique sheetmetal for the base Torinos in 1972. Even the 1972 models used unique grilles, fender extensions, hood and bumper. They were also a few inches shorter since they didn’t have the prominent pointed prow. This only lasted until 1974, after which base Torinos were de-trimmed Gran Torinos. I think Ford’s reasoning behind the base models having different styling was simply to differentiate them from fleet cars. Ford had already done this before in the late 60’s with the Custom and the LTDs. Who want’s their fancy brougham to look like the yellow cab at the airport? And many of these base Torinos were exactly that – taxis and police cars, which is why few survive today.
Ford was really trying to push the Torino up market in 1972, and thought that the intermediates were going to be the eventual mainstay of the industry. This sort of did happen, with the explosion of the PLCs, but Ford was late to the game on that one.
I know your family’s experience with your Torino was completely different than mine . Maybe they should have opted for a bigger engine. Oddly enough with the large 400 in ours, Dad’s old records show he averaged 18 mpg (imperial) with much of his driving being highway. Doing well into triple digit speeds was never an issue either.
Also, Q-codes were 2-door only, except for police packages, the above brochures mentions it.
I’d love to have that 2-door cop car in mint condition, lose the white top and make it a solid color.
That’s interesting about your fuel mileage. For several years the Torino was the car my father used to commute to work, fifty miles each way, and I remember it gobbling up around $20 in fuel two to three times per week. That’s not much now, but it certainly was in the mid-70s.
My father is such that he would have sought out a Torino with the 250-6 and a three-speed had he thought of it.
By the time my police department bought Torinos, it was 1976. They had the 351 engine and replaced full size Fords with 460s. Those Torinos had the same nose as the higher-trim models; there was no El Cheapo version by then. They were slow to accelerate and the power steering resembled 1960s Mopar, like you’d expect from spinning a propeller in a bucket of water. Once you got past that, they handled reasonably well. Firm springing and a rear antiroll bar made a difference.
They were very cramped in the back, with next to no knee room behind the “prisoner barrier.”
When the 1976 Torinos were retired after two years, replaced by Dodge Monacos with 360s..far superior police cars…the high bidder on them was a salvage yard. I never saw one driven on the road by a new civilian owner, unlike the department’s Dodges, Plymouths and Pontiacs (Colonnade sedans, like Buford T. Justice drove).
Great article. I’d like to point out that “porkulence” is a perfectly cromulent word.
I wish I could say a kind word for 1970 intermediate cars from GM, Ford and Chrysler, but I can’t. Because I remember them well. Driving them was such an unrewarding experience. The only thing these cars were any good at was being turned into disco broughams. As a disco-era vehicle, it’s poor fuel mileage, performance and handling just matched its poor space utilization and rustiness. The Torino was a bloated unattractive vehicle, this front end actually looks better than the higher priced Torino. But these vehicles were so sad. I look upon them now and wonder how far the Big Three fell producing these wheels.
Such a contrast to the Model A also featured today! Back then Ford was renowned for top quality materials and metallurgy, but in the seventies…..
I’m glad you braved the thicket of weeds to get close to this one. It’s like it was calling out to you — a Torino, and a base model at that… and dang, with that rear badge, it’s almost a Mercury!
The fact that it was registered until 2014 is extraordinary — I’d love to know the history of this one. Was it ever a fleet vehicle, or just bought by a frugal Missourian who sought out the only base model he could find? Was it a one-owner car, or passed down through a few generations? We’ll never know, but it’s fun to speculate.
And just this past weekend, I saw an early-1970s LTD parked in a weedy lot near Winchester, Va. As is the case with most of the early 1970s Fords I see these days, it was hard to determine whether it was abandoned or not. If it was a base Torino like this one, I would have stopped to investigate.
I read the article, but it took a couple of hours to remember the ‘74 Torino wagon we had at work back in 1983. I was 19-20 years old working as a maintenance flunky at a small speaker manufacturer. It was just my boss, Ralph, and my cohort Robert in the maintenance department. It was a plum position as me and Robert were the only two of about 50 or 60 workers who had access to the entire plant, from the offices, to the floor, warehouse, and outside grounds, and we were loosely supervised. We were also lucky to run errands in the owner’s car; generally hardware store and airport runs. He lived in New Jersey, but kept a condo and car here in Florida. I loved that ‘75 Cutlass Salon coupe; it was comfy and fast, but wasn’t good for picking up larger items such as lumber. Besides, the owner got a new ‘83 Audi 5000, and it wasn’t for us to use. They authorized Ralph to buy a company utility vehicle, he bought a ‘74 Torino wagon for $600 in the same shade of blue as this featured junkyard car. We had it only a few weeks when it overheated on me and the motor blew. Ralph, in order to save face for buying a clunker, found another 302-V8 engine for $130; he and Robert swapped it out in a day or two. Ralph was an old school guy about 65 years old, he came from the era when wagons could be considered commercial vehicles. Turns out the general manager authorized him to spend a few thousand for a van, but instead Ralph bought an old, ugly wagon on the cheap that blew up. He wanted to show how tight and frugal he was with the company’s money. Instead he came out looking like a cheapskate. The car soldiered on for a while.
I drove some of these in the mid/late 70s as police cars. With the 351s they were slow, handled poorly – but lasted forever. Oh, and they were ugly, too.
I had a 74 Ford Torino four door. I miss that car very much. Got a lot of miles out of it but it developed a transmission problem and needed it to be rebuilt. My father advised me to sell it and look for another car I did but they don’t make cars like that anymore. The computerized cars of today prevent someone like me to make simple fixes.
My 1st car (at 16, 1979) was a ’75 (or was it ’76?) Ford Torino “Police Interceptor” 4dr with a 460. Dad and I bought it at auction for $800 I believe. It was a tank. HD everything – huge anti-sway bars, beefy full frame, 15″ extra-wide rims (vs. std. 14″), re- enforced bumpers, big trans cooler, C6 with a shift kit. I think it was only rated at 265hp but had great torque and went fast enough for a 16yr old to kill himself in (which I almost did a few times). Was the perfect match to my tire-changer job at Sears Auto Centre as I had an endless supply of replacement used tires for it after burning them off almost every weekend. Didn’t match well, though, with the weekend evenings’ case of Extra Old Stock + weed lifestyle so in under a year I crashed and sold it. In hindsight it wouldn’t be the 1st car I would want my son to own. Ultimately I think it led to my parent’s divorce :-O
A friend from high school drove a new 73 Torino to school one day. I asked for a ride home and had never seen any car so stripped!! That interior that is in the article, no carpet, a six cylinder with and automatic, and his dad had the dealer add a blue vinyl top!! He told me that his dad’s company car was a 1970 Chevy Biscayne and he thought the Ford was a nice step up!!!
Thanks for the memory