autoevolution
 

Modernized 1970 Ford Torino GT Is a Brutishly Simple Muscle Car

Nowadays, when you outgrow a Ford Mustang, it probably means the student loan is paid off and it's time to get some expensive German SUV. However, back half a century ago, Ford created the Torino GT specifically for those who wanted a bigger pony.
Modernized 1970 Ford Torino GT Is a Brutishly Simple Muscle Car 3 photos
Photo: wb.artist20/Instagram
Modernized 1970 Ford Torino GT Is a Brutishly Simple Muscle CarModernized 1970 Ford Torino GT Is a Brutishly Simple Muscle Car
The Mustang is one of the cars that created the muscle car segment. But unlike Dodge or GM, Ford doesn't have many other iconic nameplates. The Torino could fill that void in the classic car segment, and people obviously know about it, but you don't see it flooding your social media feeds.

We don't need to tell you that the Ford Gran Torino worked well as a movie car. It was the vehicle of choice for Starsky and Hutch between 1975 and 1979. Also, there's a really cool Clint Eastwood movie that made ten times the original budget back about a decade ago.

But what we're proposing today is that somebody should take a Mustang and make a modernized Torino out of it. For a bit of inspiration, we propose this rendering by wb.artist20 who wanted to create a modernized "homage to the 70s Gran Torino." As you can probably tell, we see this as more of a second-generation GT rather than the post-1972 model that's implied here.

Our assumption is based on the model that inspired this, which was a mint-condition 1970 Torino GT that RM Sotheby's sold in 2014 for $30,800. What a bargain! Plus, everybody knows muscle cars from the mid-70s are inferior specimens.

If this rendering seems at all familiar, it's because of the pickup connection. Starting from 1968 the Ranchero became a member of the Torino family, along with the wagons, sedans, and convertibles. A few weeks ago, we featured a modernized Ranchero image that featured this very front end.

The 1968-1971 Torino was itself a spinoff from the Fairlane, built because Ford wanted to keep the customers who wanted a muscle car but had outgrown the Mustang. The GT coupe was offered alongside a SportsRoof fastback model.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories