The Ford Torino is one of those autos that served ably in several different capacities, offering everything from economical basic transportation to blistering high performance. In 1971, engines ranged from a thrifty inline-6, all the way up to a monstrous 429 Cobra Jet. While it’s not disclosed which engine this one was originally equipped with, potential buyers should be excited to learn there’s a 429 CID V8 under the hood now. The seller has accurately deemed this vehicle a project, and I concur with his assessment that it appears to be a decent base for becoming something serious. This 1971 Ford Torino 500 is in the Bronx, New York, and can be found here on eBay, where the seller has set the buy-it-now price at $11,500 and is also listening to offers. Curvette, thanks for another great tip here!
Other than informing us that a 429 is already in place, the seller doesn’t share much additional detail, such as its source or date code. However, he does confirm that the Torino starts right up, runs strong, and drives, with the performance described as powerful. There’s also no mention of the transmission, but the interior shows both a column shifter and a B&M automatic floor shift unit, so all we know is that it’s not a manual. The third member specs also remain a mystery.
Not many specifics are disclosed about the exterior either, and it’s unknown whether any significant bodywork has been performed in the past. Looking at the photos, most of the panels appear to be reasonably structurally sound, except for the left quarter. An experienced bodyman can probably get all of the passenger-side imperfections straightened out, and replacing the grille pieces shouldn’t be a big deal. It also appears that the rear bumper has been lightly tapped in the past, but overall, the outside seems to be at a fairly good starting point for a restoration.
My late father would have appreciated the interior here, as he was also a fan of using different colors of duct tape to repair just about anything. It might be more rewarding to axe the front bench, install some buckets and a console, and swap out the steering column for one without a shifter. How high to take the interior level will be entirely up to the next owner, along with choosing how much attention to give the sheet metal before it gets a fresh coat of paint. However, having the 429 already in place is a plus here, so hopefully it’ll be a long time before any future decisions are needed regarding the engine. How would you recommend moving forward with this 1971 Ford Torino 500?
Gawd almighty do I love that steering wheel!
That’s a rare 2 shifter Torino 😲
Nice you spotted that. I missed it completely.
Is that a 6 spd automatic ???
Damn Joe, you beat me to it!
This car is a mess, the “seller” has 4 other cars currently listed on eBay and several more in completed listings. This car showed as sold, but the transaction was not completed, potential buyers need to be vigilant and inspect it carefully.
Steve R
Wow.. he could rep for duct tape.
You should see his daily jeans with his special patches on the knees.😂
I had a 70 Torino with the 429 thunder jet and the triptomatic transmission (auto) and curious if this has the same automatic .
It needs a whole lot of luv…💀🤠
My dad used green furnace tape on his jeans as well! The dings and dents are definitely from the mean streets of the Bronx. Probably parked on the street for years.
They don’t make them like that anymore.
Just short of a couple rolls to turn the steering wheel into a vintage NASCAR mussel grabber…..lots of work here. Anything from the ’70’s back east….you better check it close.
Red Green would approve of the duct tape treatment. If you know who he is then you know.
I met him at a conference where he was the key note speaker (entirely in character) some 30 years ago. There were some very confused Americans, because his show was only on select PBS stations, but we Canucks were killing ourselves. I still have my Red Green autographed duct tape bow tie.
The steering wheel is shiny and smooth. That might be electrical tape.
lol too true lol
Yep, this owner must be a direct descendent of Red.
Burnt my down snow coat on the exhaust from my snow blower and duct taped it to keep the feathers in. Almost 20 years later the duct tape is still holding! Didn’t use as much as what’s on the steering wheel though.
This is an interesting vehicle. Would love to see some underside pictures to see if there’s any rust but the trunk looks really clean.
This car certainly looks like it needs some work, but it looks like a brutal street fighter. Once you figure out which shifter to use, I think this would be fun to cruise around in hunting for prey!
Just noticed, where’s the power steering pump???
Or the heater hoses? RUNS STRONG AND STEERS HARD! It looks great from 30 feet away.
what a wet hot mess. it looks like the Bronx. 3k tops and that would be for the motor the rest you can throw away
Who would be BRAVE enough to visit the Bronx??????????