I’d recognize that car anywhere, even if I identified it incorrectly. Yes, I had my fun with it, in this post a couple of years ago. No, it’s not really a rare Australian Fairlane, but it is rare, which is why I was sure it was the same 1972 Ford Torino I shot in Eugene a couple of years ago when I saw it posted at the Cohort by Eric Clem. I strongly suspect it’s the only one left of its kind, a rare low-trim six cylinder non-Grand Torino. And just to be sure, I have proof.
That sticker on the left side of the trunk lid is the proof.
There it is, on my shot of it taken a couple of years ago in Eugene. The owner did tell me he was trying to sell it, so it all makes sense, right down to it being shot again by one of our intrepid street walkers in Washington.
Related reading: 1973 Australian Ford Fairlane ZXGLQ-FU CC – That Thing Got A Femi?
I remember that article well– as I recall, it was very well researched.
I just checked the date on my computer no not April 1 yet, I remember the last time this car was featured great to see its still alive and well.
I’m getting the TV detective feel from this car.I’ts a nicer looker than the Mopar and GM opposition.All that was to change for the worse next year with the horrid new Torino
The ’72 WAS the new Torino. The only thing that changed in ’73 was the front clip to meet the new bumper regulatons.
Got confused there,I meant the Starsky & Hutch Torino was the one I don’t like
I wonder what horrible things Paul might have done to himself or others if he had know in the fall of 1971 that these would still be in production 7 years in the future. I hate to even think about it. 🙂
Seriously, this car just makes me stare at it, almost vacantly. So many battling thoughts. I have not seen one of these without holes in the body since maybe 1973. Weren’t they all painted brown? I almost like this front better than the Gran Torino version. However, it does make the car look almost like a 71. Like wow. And on, and on.
It does look quite ’70 – ’71. Certainly a lot better looking then than the low end front on the ’73.
Or worse, the low line ’74 Torino. Yikes!
Give this thing a Starsky & Hutch paint job! 🙂
The resemblance to the XA Aussie Falcon becomes so clear at the no-trim level.
Sadly, this post may not make 2014’s list of CC’s top page hits
Frod Australia were masters at raiding Dearborn’s parts bin. Looking at Aussie frods, Americans will recognise steering wheels, wheels, wheel trims, window winders (cranks) pedal pads, engines, gearboxes, diffs.
Not to mention entire model ranges & names.
Frods? Chves and Mapros ~ lol !
Here’s a 1972/73 Australian Fairlane for comparison. Note that the Fairlane was a luxury trim in Australia on a 5″ extended wheelbase.
This model was not popular because it shared too much with the standard Falcon/Fairmont short wheelbase car. Of the external sheetmetal, only the hood, roof, rear quarter panels were different, plus a change to the rear panel to make way for full-width tail lights.
And rear. The tail lights in bumper thing only infected the HQ Holden (1971-74) out here.
There’s a lot of the 1970-71 Torino in there, plus an interesting take on the ’71 full-sized Ford’s beak (apparently courtesy of “Bunkie” Knudsen, who brought the Pontiac beak to Ford). For us in the U.S., seeing the Australian Fords of this period is like looking into a strange parallel universe.
“…right down to it being shot again by one of our intrepid street walkers in Washington.”
An ingenious use of prostitutes to take CC photos?
No the prostitutes are in different locations around Seattle. The Torino was parked two blocks from Washington’s largest methadone clinic. My neighborhood’s streetwalkers are more like zombies.
Very cool! A neighbor of mine drives a 71 Ford Custom 500, same color, black walls, those very cool flat dog dishes. Streets of San Francisco!
The Dude
…abides.
That’s not an Australian Ford Fairlane. It’s an American Ford Torino. I don’t know whether American Ford cars were ever exported to Australia by this time or not, particularly since Aussie Ford had now long since been established in Australia.
Sorry Jason, but it looks like we have snagged you in our trap to catch those who comment after reading only the headline and looking at the pictures. 🙂
These base level Torinos are relatively rare, but there are still a few kicking around. Most got used up as fleet vehicles when they were new. The 1972 Torino was a relatively popular cab. In a group I participate in there are several of these cars in existence, including one base wagon with a six and three on the tree. I always wondered why Ford went to such great lengths to differentiate the look of the base models. The base Torino’s used unique grilles, hoods, fender extensions and bumpers. Good luck finding sheetmetal if it gets crunched.
For 1973, the base Torino’s still used a unique front end compared to the “Gran Torino” and it was changed significantly from the 1972’s. This same front end was used in 1974 for base models, with only very minor variations, while the 1974 Gran Torinos were facelifted again. For 1975 and 1976, the base Torinos had the same nose as the Gran Torinos.
BTW Paul, it’s “Gran” Torino, not “Grand”, supposedly to be consitant with its Italian name.
Ford tried this goofy strategy once before, back in the late 1930s. In 1938, 39 and 40 (I think) the Ford DeLuxe got new front end styling, while the Ford Standard got a slightly revised version of last year’s front end.
Ford also made a particularly ugly front end on the 1973 lower full size models, and a much nicer one on the LTD. Masters of the costly and aggressive upsell.
Good point on the similarity to Ford’s late ’30s styling strategy.
Good point, but that was when Ford only had really one size car. By 1972, it had 6 lines, so it added even more compications to a much bigger line-up. I guess it kept the buyer of a Gran Torino from having a car that looked like a cab or a cop car.
I also just remembered the two model Ford strategy of 1957-58. Maybe all of these were ways of trying to compete with 4 GM divisions on the cheap.
Looks like they made about 90k non-Gran Torinos out of 480k total (including Rancheros) – worth the trouble really.
On the other hand you can take things too far. Ford Aust. made the 2009 Falcon base model look quite ordinary against the G6 or XR6 mid-spec models (3 different front fascia/bumper treatments) so the latter in particular were what a lot of the fleets bought, which I thought defeated the purpose. The resale more than made up for the extra cost.
Chevy did this with front ends for a couple of years as well – ’74 Caprice = ’75 Impala; ’75 Caprice = ’76 Impala.
I always thought the ’73-4 base Torino looked better than the Gran.
Next time you see this car, check the fifth digit in the VIN. This will tell you what engine it has and if it is indeed the six. Many base cars came with 302-2Vs. “L” is the 250 six, “F” is the 302-2V, “H” is a 351-2V. It could also have (unlikely) a 400-2V “S” code, or a 429-4V “N” code. The 351-4V “Q” code was not available in any four door but the Police cars.
There’s no need to. The owner told me it had a 250 six. And it was obvious from the exhaust sound.
Was it a three on the tree or auto? Looks to be a fairly solid car overall.
Automatic.
Cool, another non-compact sized car with a six-cylinder. Maybe there should be a collective article of all the non-V8 intermediate and larger CC cars so far.
CC effect. Caught this 1971 POQ Torino last weekend
I must admit I actually like this entry level front clip. better than the overwrought carp mouth of the Upper ‘Gran” series. Maybe it is because it is reminiscent of the 70/71 style, albeit with the widened center section.
So it migrated from Oregon to Washington. A well cared for 72 stripper. And small bumpers. Wonder if it get’s 20 MPG hwy? A true survivor. I agree with Jason, the base grill looks much better.
Such a treat to see after a week of Volvos! 🙂
The 1972, two-tier Torino was actually one of those few instances where it was actually worth all the trouble to differentiate the base car so much from the upper level models. Both look equally good and appropriate for their intended purpose. If you were a cheapskate or truly couldn’t afford a better looking model, the base Torino still looked okay and got the job done.
The plates are cool, the number and letter combo is neat.
I’ll just leave this here:
Awesome! I love it, and would love to drive one and see what it’s like!
On the other hand, according to my dad, this was a terrible car. I think this very model, 1972 torino with a six, was the last american car my dad ever drove as a daily driver. It was so bad in the snow and such a disappointment compared to the BMW 2002 he wanted but couldn’t yet afford, that he may have unfairly judged it. But he had to load up the trunk with all sorts of road salt and other heavy items and still could barely get out of our hilly driveway.
Before the Torino, Dad had never had a european car. After the Torino, he never had another American car. He moved on to a Opel 1900 sportwagon, then an Audi Fox, then a Mercedes 300D and never bought himself another daily driver american car. He bought my mom a Chevy Vega and then a 1975 Jeep Wagoneer, but soon she went to european and then japanese cars with a brief stopover for a 1987 Taurus wagon.
Ugly as sin. I’d still cruise it tho. Beats driving some boring belly-button AltCamCord.
Chevy tried two tier with Chevelle Laguna and Malibu in 1973, but upper level mid-size car buyers were turned off by the Laguna’s rubber nose. So the ’74 Malibu Classic replaced its spot, and sold much better. [And one of the few Chevy names still around]
As with the Grand Am of the era, the non-chrome look wasn’t ready for prime-time.
I have grown to appreciate el-strippo cars…as long as they have a/c. I can’t deal with vinyl seats and no a/c.
About 20 years ago a friend & I who are both aware how unusual these cars are were walking thru a parking lot and spied a fairly clean green 2 door base Torino nothing fancy just an old used car…..so we though as we walked up to it. As we looked inside we where both stunned to see what appeared to be a factory 4-speed nestled up next to the plain green bench seat, of course neither of us had a camera. We waited for the owner to show to get more info but never did see them. If it was converted somebody went thru a lot of trouble to do it the way Ford would have, correct column & shifter, but this car did not have ‘the look’ of a car owned by an enthusiast. To this day I wonder if that car was built that way or something that was made from pieces.