It might not be perfect, but this 1969 Ford Torino GT is quite a clean car that would appear to be rust-free. It has no obvious urgent needs, and any work that is required could easily be tackled in a home workshop. Making it all the more tempting is the fact that is has a claimed 31,000 original miles on the odometer. This is a car that is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately, making it a tempting proposition. The Torino is located in Roselle, Illinois, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has been pretty lively and has pushed the price along to $9,001. The reserve hasn’t been met at this stage, but there are 101 people who are watching the listing.
The owner doesn’t supply a lot of photos of the Wimbledon White Torino’s exterior, but he does supply this single shot of the vehicle’s underside. I have to say that it looks clean and dry, which is a pretty encouraging sign. The owner makes no mention of any rust issues with the Torino, and as seems to be the case with the floors, the panels all appear to be clean and solid. The paint looks quite decent for a car of this age, but there is evidence to suggest that it may have received at least a partial repaint at some point. The external trim and chrome look quite good, while I can’t see any significant flaws with the glass.
Powering the Torino is a 302ci V8, which is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. This wasn’t the most potent combination in the Torino armory, but with 220hp on tap, the Torino was still a respectable performer. The owner states that the car drives really well and that it has recently received a new clutch and new brakes. It is that last claim that I find interesting because if you scroll back up to the photo of the Torino’s underside, you can see fluid leaking down the tire. I don’t know about you, but that looks suspiciously like brake fluid to me. Maybe the photo was taken before the brakes were done, but that is a question that would be well worth asking. The owner also claims that the Ford has a genuine 31,000 miles on its odometer, so it would be worth enquiring about the possibility of evidence to verify this claim as well.
The Torino’s interior is interesting because while it doesn’t look bad, there are some aspects that look tired and baked. The seats look quite good, with no obvious rips, tears, or major fading issues. However, the tops of the door trims and the dash pad look really cooked and are potentially beyond salvation. There are a number of plastic trim items that have also deteriorated and would need to be replaced if the interior is to be presented to a high standard. My initial thinking was that a trim kit might be on the cards, but there are so many good pieces left inside the car that I believe that this could be a waste of money. After all, a complete kit will leave no change from $1,700, and on top of this, you would still need to allow for the cost of restoring or replacing the pad. With those factors in mind, sourcing individual parts might eventually be a better option to consider.
This ’69 Torino GT would appear to be a solid car with plenty of potential. Rust doesn’t appear to be a problem, and whipping the interior into shape could quite easily be tackled in a home workshop. Its specifications mean that it is not going to be a car that is worth huge money, but if the mileage claim can be verified, then that will have some impact on its ultimate value. In its current state, I would expect that bidding might push up around $13,000, although it could go slightly higher. If it is solid and clean and the reserve is less than that figure, it could potentially be a pretty reasonable buy.
I ‘ve always liked this model Torino, and this looks to be a good buy. The only thing I’d change would be to swap out the GT wheels for Magnums! GLWTA! :-)
Nice looking Torino, I could add it to my Christmas display for next year. Maybe replace the Javelin?
Nice car, likely rare with the 3 speed. Brake fluid on the tire may simply be from bleeding…
I had the exact same leak on my old Ford Mustang. Needs a new rear axle oil seal replacement. Probably a new bearing too. Will need a shop to press it on the axle.
get a HF press & bearing holder thingie, di it yo-self
Nice clean car. The condition of the pedals seems to back up the 31k mileage claim.
I looked on the ebay listing and I still can’t locate the shifter!
Look closely at the steering wheel, expand the pic, and the shifter is directly in line with the spoke of the steering wheel at about 2 o’clock.
Yeah, looking thru the windshield there’s barely a glimpse of a column shifter, but I can’t see it looking at the interior, or its got one heck of a short floor shifter. Nice car for showing, needs more displacement for going, but it’s just too nice of a rare car too mess up. Rare these days anyhow.
A classmate in high school had a 390 Torino GT and he got smoked by every small block Camaro in the school. Hate to imagine how much slower the 302 is.
Not a lot of info from the seller though the car looks good overall. The base 302 with 220hp wasn’t exactly a screamer so I’d want to know what the seller means by his “302 High Performance” claim. Does that mean some hi-po modifications were done to the original 302? Some work and expense will be required to the interior if you want to this Torino to look it’s best but you could certainly enjoy the car as-is and chip away at it over time.
I’ve always wanted a Torino fastback and this is exactly the way I’d want one. With the small block, it would be affordable for me as opposed to a big block. I like the GT wheels and the colors in and out look sharp. The only thing I’d change would be to have a floor shift instead of the column shift. I had a ’69 Torino GT convertible with the column shift and didn’t care for it at all. I’d also probably install A/C as well but that would be about it. I’ve had my fair share of big block muscle cars but these days it’s more about having a good-looking classic Ford. I’d look pretty good tooling around in this one.
Biggest mistake my brother ever made on his 68 Torino 390/C-6 GT was replacing those GT wheels with something else.
Great looking Torino.
I hate to be the grammar police but the use of the phrase “door trims” seems to be showing up with increased frequency. I think that a more accurate and common term would be “door panels”. While some may think that that may be the term for the outside of the door, that phrase would be the “door skin”. While I am wearing my official badge may I also suggest to Adam that he could cut his use of commas in half with no problem at all.
We now return to our regularly scheduled program.
Peace
Very nice car, I always liked those torinos. Not to knock 3 on the tree , for this car I would swap in a nice 5 speed . Three on the tree is cool in a falcon, this car deserves better
I would add A/C daily drive this one.
I have a 1969 Fastback 302 Automatic for sale, if interested shoot me a message for pictures and more information.