Well do ya? Yes. Yes I do. I will immediately admit that, unlike the movie Dirty Harry, which I misquoted in the title there, I haven’t yet seen Gran Torino. But I did find one that looked like an exact copy of the one in the film. And the funny thing is, this is not a recently imported one that was made to look like the star car. Did I feel lucky? I did. And you will too.
Many of you know a lot more about Torinos than I ever will, but in the interest of those who are not up to my (mediocre) level, let’s start this off with a few basic pointers. This intermediate Ford model got started in 1968 as a higher trim Fairlane, using a unit body design. In 1970, the Torino name became the dominant one and styling got longer and more Coke-bottly. The range was very complete, including all manner of body styles from convertibles to wagons and everything in between, as well as the SportsRoof fastback coupé. Trim levels got busier too and engine options ran the gamut from the 250ci (4.1 litre) 6-cyl. to the 429ci (7 litre) V8.
For 1971, the Fairlane and Falcon names were retired, leaving the Torino as the only game in intermediate town – though the inevitable me-too Mercury models did stick around. The big change came for MY 1972 though, as Ford re-engineered their mid-sizers completely, only retaining the name and some trim and drivetrain elements.
Part of Ford’s grand reinvention of the Torino was to ditch the monocoque and revert to body-on-frame. Not sure why they did that, but they were hardly the first Detroit maker to make that move. Another big difference with previous Torinos was that two-door cars had a shorter wheelbase (114’’ versus 118’’ for sedans, wagons and the related Ranchero pickup), which helped the coupes look sportier. Alas, convertibles were not afforded that opportunity, as they never made it past MY 1971.
Here’s what the Torino range looked like for 1972. Four body styles, two wheelbases and three trim levels – pretty straightforward, really. Base engines for all Torinos was still the 250 straight-6, except for the Gran Torino Squire and the Gran Torino Sport, which came standard with a 302ci (4.9 litre) V8.
Our feature car is a spicier variant, though. Which must have been the case for quite a few of the SportsRoof coupes, I suppose. If any Torino was to have a hot engine, it would likelier have been one of these.
Here’s what’s under the hood. Stupidly, because I am unfamiliar with these engines and this shot is a little blurry, I’m not really sure what we actually have here. The owner, who I had a talk with, did tell me what it was, but I took these photos a while ago. It doesn’t look eaxctly like the 351 Cobra Jet V8, or the Cleveland, but I’m no good at identifying V8s. Someone will be kind enough to point out what this is in the CComments section, I’m sure.
In my defence, the part of the engine bay I was much more interested in was the one that included this little inscription. This is the original importer’s plaque, the first time I photographed one, positively confirming that this car has been in Japan since new. New Empire Motors was the largest Ford importer in Tokyo, having been in the business of selling blue oval products since the mid-‘20s – including those that were assembled locally. The company still exists, but is now focused on auto parts and maintenance, having closed their dealership branch back in 2000.
Besides the importer’s plaque, the Torino’s current owner had a binder full of documents, including a copy of the original order form, which was dated from early 1971 as I recall. The 1972 cars’ basics, trim and options list must have been communicated ahead of time to the Ford reps in Japan, as this Gran Torino was special-ordered well before the ’72s were officially out. It took the car the better part of a year to reach its destination. Shipping a Gran Torino Sport halfway across the planet takes some doing, and apparently quite a long time.
It was given a thorough (and probably quite costly) restoration recently and re-registered, which explains why this 50-year-old Ford looks like it’s fresh off the boat. It’s now ready to carry on for another half-century of faithful service.
Detroit’s interior styling in the ‘70s was very hit-and-miss. For instance, most GM products of that period, with their pseudo-cockpit dashes covered in plastiwood, are downright awful. But this is a definite hit. Superb colours, elegant and uncluttered design – a very pleasant surprise.
I imagine not much changed in this regard when the ’73 models came out. Which is more than we can say about the exterior, of course.
The Torino’s ’72 face, with its wide-open maw of a grille underlined by a complex front bumper, was famously a one-year-only design, being heavily reworked for 1973 to include a giant prognathous railway tie of a 5mph bumper that dramatically altered the car’s looks. Not that the original is an oil painting, but still, Ford could have designed something a little less jarring for ‘73. Or allowed for the mandated bumper change to be integrated in the ’72 front end better to begin with.
According to CComments in previous posts on the matter, the differences don’t end there, either. The beefed-up bumpers called for chassis to be modified as well, which means the ’72 frames are a one-year-only oddity. Someone in Dearborn was not doing their sums right.
Whatever the case may be, this must have been one of the most expensive Gran Torinos ever bought, given how many optional extras the original customer ordered and where said order was placed. One can only surmise how that person must have felt when taking ownership of this big green coupe in the spring of 1972. Must have felt pretty lucky too.
Related posts:
Vintage Ads: 1972 & 1973 Ford Gran Torino – How Much And How Little Changed In One Year, by PN
CCOTY Nomination: 1972 Ford Torino, The Fertile Breeder, by Jason Shafer
Auto-Biography, Part 1: 1972 Ford Torino · A Torino, Fathers, and Sons, by VinceC
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day – 1972 Ford Gran Torino, by Jim Klein
“Get off my lawn!” – Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski in “Gran Torino” (2008). This one was delivered about one (1) year before OPEC shut off the oil tap in 1973. It must have cost a small fortune to fill it in Japan, even before the oil embargo took hold, since Japan, like Europe, imported almost all of its oil from the OPEC nations. Under the embargo, American gasoline doubled in price almost overnight, from $0.30/gallon to over $0.60/gallon, I shudder to think what it cost to fill it up in Japan at the time, let alone now! Can anyone tell me what gasoline cost in Japan before and after the embargo in 1973, and what the price is now? It’s O.K. if you have it in Yen/Liter, I can convert to $/gallon!
Can’t get the ’70s prices, try as i might, but they definitely went berserk after Yom Kippur. However, the Japanese government had the power to cap the price increases for retail prices, so things weren’t quite as bad as they would have been elsewhere. Current price of petrol in Japan is about 170 yen per litre.
That’s O.K., the present price is a good start. 170 Yen/L, well according to XE Currency Converter, 170 Yen is $1.13, and since one Liter is just a hair over one quart, and four quarts equals one gallon, multiplying the price per Liter by four is close enough for Government work, or right now the Japanese are paying the equivalent of $4.52/gallon, give or take a few pennies. The exact figure is 0.946 quarts per Liter. Once upon a time, those figures would have shocked most Americans, but thanks to a combination of Bidenomics and CA Governor “Gruesome” Newsom’s policies, many motorists, particularly in CA, are pining for the days when gasoline was less than $5.00/gallon!
https://www.xe.com/
https://www.onlineconversion.com/
The less-than-specific guideline I’ve seen in period articles is that Japanese gasoline prices in the early ’70s were roughly twice the U.S. average on an exchange rate basis.
Modern prices are not particularly revealing in this way because the modern exchange rate is much lower (until 1972, the yen was fixed at 360 to one dollar under the Bretton Woods System), but Japanese incomes in the early ’70s were lower, so the cost of gasoline relative to income was high.
This of course also didn’t account for the very sizable road tax involved in running such a big car in Japan.
So the person who bought this example was a person of “some means” as our British friends might say, to be able to afford the purchase price in Japan, the insurance, taxes and high fuel costs required to own and operate a large, thirsty American car in Japan. If it has a 429, I’d be very surprised if the mileage exceeded 10 mpg in normal driving, and it probably took hi-octane gasoline, to boot. If U.S. gas prices were about $0.60/gal. in 1973, that would put Japanese prices at about $1.20/gal.. If that beast had a twenty-five (25) gallon tank, you’re looking at $30.00 to fill the tank in 1973, a large sum at the time!
Given the shape of the heads, I shall go out on a limb and say this Torino has a 429…which would go along with how well it’s equipped elsewhere. While I’ve not seen a tremendous number of Torinos of this vintage, I can safely say none have had power windows. Somebody knew what they wanted as this car is quite well equipped.
A while back I stumbled upon a video clip of a movie called “Fear Is The Key”. It’s a British film, later released in the US, with part of it filmed in Louisiana (or at least set there). A red ’72 Torino Sport makes a grand appearance.
In the book the hero stole a Corvette. Amazing what trivial details stick when I read it in high school over 50 years ago.
Further trivia, Fear is the Key starred Barry Newman from Vanishing Point. An actor most famous for playing Kowalski steals a 72 Gran Torino sportsroof in the film while Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Torino is named Kowalski and owns a 72 Gran Torino sportsroof!
Did anyone notice that during the chase alongside the railroad tracks how the Louisiana Patrol car morphed from a Pontiac into a Ford and Back??? 🙂
I never saw “Gran Torino” either. This is a nice one you found, but my favorite Gran Torino from a movie would of course be the “Dudemobile” from the Big Lebowski.
Jason is on the money. This is a “N-Code” 429 powered Torino. This was by far the most rare engine choice for the approximately 60,000 1972 Gran Torino Sport “Sportsroofs” (fastbacks) that were produced. Only 1207 were made with this engine, in comparison to the over 12,000 351-CJ Q-Codes, which was actually the better performing engine. Regardless, N-Codes are very rare and cool IMO.
On top of that, this being an original export Torino makes it even more rare. The DSO stats show that only 84 Torinos were ordered the export DSO. So, this car is certainly a one off. I actually know this Torino. I am part of a Torino group and we had a member who made contact with the owner of this car. We tried to get him to join our group but he was hesitant due to the language barrier.
We were able to get some more information on this car. From the documentation, it was built in July 15, 1971, which is the earliest build 1972 Torino I have ever come across. It shows the order went in on February 1971, well before the 1972 Torino was released. So maybe the original order was for a ’71 Torino but it got changed to a ’72. The option list, as Jason mentioned, includes power windows, which was a very rare option in 1972 Torinos, in particular the Gran Torino Sport.
The full option list is as follows:
Laser Stripe
G70-14 RWL Tires
Electric Clock
Visibility Group
Power Steering
Rim Blow Steering WHeel
Power Front Disc Brakes
Bumper Guards
Door Edge Guards
Air Conditioner – Selectaire
Electric Rear Window Defogger
AM Radio
Console
Dual Rear Speakers
Intermittent Windshield Wipers
Tinted Glass
Power Side Windows
Magnum 500 Chrome Wheels
Left Shift Headlights
Export Label
Metric Speedometer
Accessory Packaging
Of note on that option list is the “Left Shift Headlights” the “Metric Speedometer” and the “Export Label.” Interestingly, the car seems to not have the optional suspension, which would mean it should have the mushy base suspension. However, it being an export model, likely came standard with a stiffer (better) setup.
Also, based on the paper work I have seen on this car, while it was originally painted in Dark Green Metallic Paint, it originally had a white kit vinyl bucket seat interior with green components (white seats with green dash, door panels and carpet). There is no mention of the vinyl roof either, so I think the green upholstery and the vinyl top must have been changes during the restoration.
I worked on the ’72s when they were new. My recall (maybe getting faulty due to age), the AC equipped models in ’72 still were using the York “paint shaker” compressor.
I don’t know if export models got a different compressor of if this one has been replaced somewhere along the line. You seem pretty familiar with these models. Any idea of whether this setup came from the factory?
Yes, Rob your remembered correctly, they used the large York compressors. My guess is this car was updated with a modern compressor during the restoration. There are several other things not 100% correct on this car, but it’s a very well done car IMO and close enough to original for me. The fact that it is a loaded car originally exported to Japan and has survived 50+ years is very cool.
2 observations–Why would he just get an AM radio, & amazing it is still there. Japan DID have FM stations in the 70s.
Why didn’t the purchaser get the Instrumentation Group?
That’s the first thing usually checked on these.
It is strange. I wonder if the very early order date resulting in 1971 order translated into a 1972 order. Why not just tick off the Rallye Equipment Group and then he would have got the instrument group and the competition suspension? That was a fairly popular option group. Oddly, there is a fairly significant percentage of these 1972 Gran Torino Sports without the instrument group option. Ford should have made it standard equipment (they eventually did in 1974).
Superb contribution, thanks.
Knew this post would be right up your alley, Vince, but wow! All this extra info is amazing. This has to be the most extensively documented car I ever had the honour of writing up on CC thanks to you. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing the photos and story! These are a rare sight in North America, I can only imagine what the sight it must be to see one in Japan.
Excellent find and pics. One of my favourite Hot Wheels die casts from their 2010 collection.
I remember seeing an early exposé in the summer of ’71 on the upcoming new Torinos and thinking they were attractive. This is high praise coming from a Chevelle guy.
Two different grille styles as well.
Regarding the CJ-351 vs 429 it is actually true that the 351 made more horsepower in as-delivered & emission-compliant tune, 246 net (266 in Mustang) vs. 212 net, which seems paltry now but was the norm in 1972. The torque figures were naturally higher on the 429 though. NASCAR racing back in the U.S. had made larger Boss 429 engines run restrictor plates making them uncompetitive (like Chrysler Hemi) because of their dominance over the competition. Meanwhile the mid displacement engines had no such restriction and were free to wail, making them more attractive. The 4-barrel Cleveland 351s had big canted valves combined with less reciprocating weight flying around (shorter stroke, smaller pistons) and higher volumetric efficiency. As good as it looks on paper over the 429, still an accessory-laden street car the 429 with its abundant torque would make a great choice. That is until you talk to your insurance rep about having a 429 under the hood. In a pre-OPEC embargo world…
When I started reading this article it was not immediately apparent this car is in Japan.
Great find – and as much as I like the Torino, I’m completely fascinated by the New Empire Motors plaque. As far as I know, New Empire, Yanase, Toho, and a handful of others controlled Japan’s imported car market for many years, and there were very strict restrictions on the numbers and types of imported cars that that could be sold.
In addition to Japan’s high import tariffs, these importers could charge even higher prices due to strong demand for “prestigious” foreign cars, so I’ve read that the original prices for cars like this were exorbitant. I’m sure you’re right that this was one of the most expensive Gran Torinos ever sold.
A neighbor had the Mercury equivalent, a ’72 Montego 4 door, yellow with black vinyl interior that made the back seat dark and dismal on a sunny day. Its principal asset was the insanely long hood.
I’m surprised the importers weren’t forced to put the outside mirrors above the front wheels, but maybe they were moved in the restoration.
Fender mirrors were not strictly mandated for imports, as far as I know, though some did have them. Some bigger cars, such as Cadillacs or Rolls-Royces, got the standard door mirror on the driver’s side and a fender mirror for the passenger side (for ex. this one: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1962-cadillac-fleetwood-sixty-special-very-sixty-and-very-special/)
Just for a moment, looking at that last shot, I was reminded of a 1970 Buick Skylark. That pronounced fender flare and the length of the fender itself was very reminiscent to me of the Skylark. Possibly FoMoCo was influenced by that styling cue.
What a car you have found. This looks so much better than the ones to succeed it, with the much heavier bumpers. Great find.
I find the dark green and vinyl roof, lend a bit too much conservatism for me. A bolder factory colour, and no vinyl top, would improve its swagger. Love the look of Vince C’s Gran Torino.
I don’t know why dark green and a black (and snug) vinyl top work for me on cars of this era but they do. There are huge numbers of extremely nice cars in Tokyo but very few “common cars” of this age and personal specification, no real problem finding a Mercedes or Bentley but a Ford? A spectacular find overall and a great writeup of something not necessarily in your own personal historical wheelhouse.
Thank you, Jim-san. Very true about the relative rarity of Fords here. The exception to that rule is the Mustang — lots of those about, though some generations are more common than others.
The hexagonal theme front styling of the 1972-only Gran Torino was the strongest styling element, the remainder bland derivative of recent A-Body GM’s. It wasn’t long in rust-prone areas to discover how quickly and badly these cars dissolved before your very eyes. Ford had finally developed floor and rocker structures that withstood the effects of rock salted roads but the lower sheet metal directly above and the door bottoms opened up to reveal the substructures.
Another car to switch from unibody to body on frame came from within the Ford stable a few years earlier, the 67 Thunderbird. Keep in mind the previous unibody Torinos were essentially 1960 Falcon derived stretched in every direction but height, which inherently had some compromises, especially with the changing of the tide from musclecars being the primo variants of intermediates to the PLC isolation chambers, which body on frame with rear coil springs was better suited. There’s also surely a cost factor inthat the 72 Torino frame has some degree of commonality to the full size cars to spread the cost. Even Chrysler sort of got on the isolation bandwagon in a less dramatic fashion with the B body by isolating the K member, torsion bar anchor and rear leaf spring mounts with rubber in 1973
There’s also surely a cost factor in that the 72 Torino frame has some degree of commonality to the full size cars to spread the cost.
Bingo. The frame and suspension on these ’72 Torino/Montego cars is essentially the same as on all the larger FoMoCo cars. A great expansion of commonality of parts and production.
The frame on these cars are, indeed, derived from the 1965 and newer full size Fords. The basics, of which, morphed and survived until 2012 as the Panther platform.
I have several 72-79 midsize Ford products. My brother in-law has a 2006 Mercury Gran Marquis. The hard points of the frame are remarkably similar. I have P71 (police spec) springs in my 72 Gran Torino Sport as well as body mounts. Quite a few other parts directly interchange or are easily adapted with fabrication.
What a great find! As a kid I wasn’t a fan of green but how that has changed! I find these lines particularly suited to this dark green / black combo. Those tall deck 385 valve covers are really impressive as well. The hanks for sharing this gem.
I loved the ’72 Gran Torinos when they first came out, especially the SportsRoof model. However, as swoopy as they looked they didn’t cut the mustard in NASCAR for two reasons: Holman-Moody (the unofficial Ford factory team) was winding down, and that huge open grille acted as a parachute aerodynamically. The few ’72 Torinos that ran tended to be middle-field runners.
Ironically, the Wood Brothers did much better when they moved over to the Mercury (Cyclone?) version of the Torino; its grille was much better aerodynamically and they cleaned house most of the time they ran.
Hey, is that a Lotus Esprit photobombing the first picture?
Yes it is. Those are almost common here (as are Europas and Elans), though not as mundane as the Elise. They are absolutely Lotus mad in this country.
I’ve got an exact diecast 1/64 model of this car down to the green color with black vinyl top and the same stripe and wheels. It’s a Johnny Lightning model and I tried to post a picture but I can’t save to JPEG on my computer.
Probably a Torino that would not be bad to have and drive.
I saw the movie Gran Torino when it came out, and found it to be a really good story. This car is really close in color and trim to the one from the movie – which I kind of found to be a curious choice for the fictional auto worker to have chosen and kept. But then all of us make curious choices, so it worked.
Having read the comments above, this has got to be the most expensive brand new Gran Torino ever purchased, given the super-high level of options and the import to Japan. I was not a great fan of the dark green color combo when these were new (it was being so overdone then) but I love it now.
I had one years ago,my car had a 351 Windsor.
My brother’s “75 Torino” was about this color green. ((white inside)).
Was so quiet to drive..
Very attractive, and a nice colour scheme. One of those cars where the size of it isn’t immediately apparent. But at 5.2m long, it must be a beast to manage in Tokyo.
My parents, ordered a 1972 Torino Wagon. 351 Windsor, Heavy Duty Suspension, Air Conditioning, whitewall tires, yellow (I asked my Mother why yellow? Her response, it was the only decent color) with black interior. To replace our beloved 1968 Falcon Wagon (green with a parchment interior) 289, that was a good car.
It was a terrible car.
It handled well. But dieseled, coughed, and ran like crap, on regular fuel. Despite being rated for it. The high back bench seats were uncomfortable. The rear window’s had this rubber mastic around them that we kids played with, but was emblematic of the crappy quality.
The nail in the car’s coffin was the brake master cylinder failed as my mother was driving my sister to nursery school. The brake pedal went to the floor at the bottom of the hill we lived on, and my mother just managed to get the car to a stop before oncoming traffic. It was only two years old.
I believe the Torino name was dropped because we weren’t alone in the terrible quality of the car. It earned a bad reputation and the resale value showed it.
The interesting part is that all of the parts to fix the driveability issues exist today. Retrofitting modern electronic ignition and electronic fuel injection to these cars fixes all of the issues the primitive emission controls of the era caused, while improving both emissions and fuel economy over the stock power plant as well. All it takes is money, but not as much money as one would think. A new TBI system, with matching electronic ignition, probably runs about $1200 or so. Less than $1000 if you already have electronic ignition installed, not much more than a brand-new four-barrel carburetor. A full port injection system, complete with electronic ignition and a new intake manifold will set you back about $2500, not including sales tax. Installation is free if you are a handy DIY person, figure about four (4) to eight hours for installation labor if you pay to have it done.
Add more money for new cylinder heads to boost the motor’s anemic compression ratio, along with exhaust headers and a custom duel exhaust system to really uncork the engine’s potential.
My father had a 72 Gran Torino Sportsroof with the 429 as a company car for just under a year. I was not impressed with the handling as there was some wallow. Didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t see any of the cars four corners when in tight spots. The 429 didn’t seem to be all that fast as compared to a 7 liter Galaxie of previous yes. But, damn, the car sure looked great standing still.
Some might remember this
Ok, I might have to print a retraction to my statement below regarding the vinyl top on these… That maroon and white combination is GORGEOUS!
Sometimes yes. Maybe due to the color of the entire car. Some monochromatic colored cars look great in just their one color like the green Torino and the red Torino you posted. Other times a color could be considered boring and would need a little pizazz. Ford’s Seafoam green Mustang and Cougar seemed so plain to me. However, both in Augusta Green looked great. Whether the dealer put the vinyl top on my car, be it the thing or for pizazz for the color, no one will ever know. Of course in black it would have been blahhhhhh
That is a great looking car in that color combination!
Love that green on the ‘72 Gran Torino. Especially with the laser stripe. Visually, they just go together well. For the movie, when they cast that color combination as Clint Eastwood’s eponymous ride they chose wisely. Not a fan of the vinyl top on these, however. To me, the ‘72 Torino looks better how Vince’s looks with no vinyl top…
That’s a 429 engine no doubt definitely can move
I like the styling of the previous generation unibody Torino a bit better, but I prefer the body-on-frame construction of this generation. I will admit, however, that I never cared for the large, gaping grille opening on the 1972 edition. I like the more rectangular grille used from 1973 on, despite the presence of the chrome “railroad tie” Federal 5 mph bumper below the grille on the later models. Of course my comments also apply to the Torino’s ute sibling, the Ranchero. I’ve always preferred the Ford ute offering to the GM ute twins, the Chevy El Camino/GMC Caballero, particularly when the Ranchero also got the full frame treatment, like its competition from GM.