Torino
Residing on a new platform since 1972, the Torino was Ford’s general purpose car of the 1970’s. All three major body styles were sold— coupe, sedan, wagon. They were used primarily as taxis, police cars and fleet vehicles.
When pressed into civilian service, the vast majority were used as basic transportation. Buyers were typically those who wanted a bit more than the smaller Maverick and Pinto, but were not interested in a lot of fancy upscale features.
These are the lighter-weight alternative to the Gran Torinos, therefore you’re already ahead performance-wise.
Speaking of police cars, Ford took this market very seriously, offering several trim levels for police departments. These were as follows. Sentry included a 250 CID 1bbl I6 engine. Ranger included a 302 CID 2bbl V8. Pacer included a 351 CID 2bbl V8. Trooper included a 351 CID 4bbl V8. 400 Police included a 400 CID 2bbl V8. 429 Police included a 429 CID 4bbl V8. 460 Interceptor included a 460 CID 4bbl V8. All of the above also added heavy duty cooling, high output alternator, heavy duty battery, heavy duty axle, heavy duty wheels, plus a calibrated speedometer.
In 1975, the Torino adopted the nose of the Gran Torino, effectively giving both cars the same appearance. The final year for both cars was 1976.
