1971 Ford Torino

As the 1960s were coming to a close, American carmakers were coming under increasing pressure to dial back their performance claims. Owners of high-performance automobiles were facing major premium increases by insurance companies, and the Federal Government was starting to raise safety concerns. Additionally, there was a growing movement to cut back on emissions which greatly reduced horsepower ratings. A few vehicles remained with seemingly unlimited horsepower, including the Torino Cobra with the J-code 429 Ram-Jet V8. A total of 3,054 Cobra packages were built in 1971, including 1,613 Ford Torino GT convertibles. 30 were big block Torino convertibles. 1971 would signal the end of the 429 Cobra Jet engine.

The Torino was introduced in 1968 and remained part of Ford's intermediate model lineup through 1976. It was named after the city of Turin (Torino, in Italian) and was initially an upscale variation of the intermediate-sized Ford Fairlane. By 1970, the Torino represented Ford's primary intermediate model, with the Fairlane now a subseries of the Torino before being dropped in 1971. All-new styling was introduced in 1970, shedding the boxy lines of the full-size Fords and embracing the popular coke bottle styling of the era. They had long hood short deck styling, were longer, wider, and lower than the 1969 models, with full-width grilles, quad headlights, a raked windshield, and a lower and less formal roofline than in previous years.

To accommodate the longer 1970 bodies, the chassis grew to 206 inches (209-inches for the wagons) and the wheelbase to 117 inches (114-inches for the wagons), an increase of five inches over the previous year's length and an additional inch in wheelbase. The wheel track was widened to 60.5 inches at the front and 60 inches at the rear, which both improved its road-holding capabilities and added extra width between the spring towers allowing for the larger 385 Series V8s to be installed.

The interiors of the 1970 Torino were all new, with High Back bucket seats available for all 2-door models, a linear style speedometer centered on the driver, and a relocated ignition switch on positioned on the steering column. The column-mounted shifter and steering wheel locked when the key was removed.

Motor Trend named the 1970 Ford Torino its Car of the Year and sales reflected the public positive reception, with 230,411 Torinos built, along with 110,029 Fairlane and 67,053 Falcons.

The 1971 Ford Torino
Having undergone drastic and well-received changes for 1970, Ford limited the updates to minor revisions for its intermediate line, the biggest being the loss of the Falcon and Fairlane models.

Along with the sporty GT and Cobra packages, other Torino trim levels included the base, Torino 500, and Torino Brougham. The bodies were similar to the prior years, with a slightly revised grille. Body styles available on the base trim level included a sedan, hardtop coupe, and a station wagon. The hardtop coupe was the most popular on the base trim, with 37,518 examples built.

The Torino 500 had the body styles of the base, plus added a hardtop sedan and fastback coupe (SportsRoof). The 2-door hardtop coupe (SportsRoof) was again the most popular, with nearly 90,000 examples sold. Torino 500's added color-keyed carpeting, cloth and vinyl interior trim, aluminum wheel-well and rocker panel moldings, and an Argent-painted egg-crate grille.

The top trim level was the Brougham which added additional chrome and luxury items. There were chrome exterior moldings, wheel covers, Brougham ornamentation, cloth interior trims in four available colors, and a standard 302 cubic-inch V8 rated at 210 horsepower.

The base six-cylinder 250 CID engine had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, seven main bearings, a Motorcraft one-barrel carburetor, and developed 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. Most of the 1971 Torinos received this engine. The Broughams, Squires and GTs came standard with a 302-2V engine as standard and the Torino Cobra had a 351-4V engine. The 302 CID Windsor V8 had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, five main bearings, and produced 210 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. The 351 'Cleveland' four-barrel V8 had five main bearings, overhead valves, and produced 285 horsepower at 5,400 RPM. Additional optional engines included the 429 CID CD with 370 horsepower and the 429 CID SCJ (Super Cobra Jet) with 375 horsepower at 5,600 RPM.

The Torino Cobra, only offered as a 2-door SportsRoof, was powered by the 285 horsepower 351-4V paired with a four-speed manual with a Hurst shifter. It had a competition suspension, a blacked-out grille, F70-14 tires, hub caps, and Cobra emblems. The Cobra could now be optioned with the reflective laser stripe which had formerly been exclusively optioned on the GT models. The Torino GT, offered as a 2-door SportsRoof and convertible, came with the 302-2V engine, GT identification, a non-functional hood scoop, full-width taillights, dual color-keyed racing mirrors, and chrome trim on the foot pedals. With Ram Air Induction, the Torino GT had a shaker scoop.

Ford built 1,613 examples of the Torino GT with the convertible body style and a total of 3,054 Torino Cobras for 1971. A total of 326,463 examples of the Torino were built for 1971.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019