Though the Fairlane nameplate had been a Ford staple since the mid-1950s, it had been applied to an intermediate-sized automobile starting in 1962. Things were winding down for the Fairlane in 1970 as the Torino had already become the car line’s primary torchbearer. These Fords were redesigned in 1970 and treated to an aerodynamic look, yet they weren’t all that popular and would be redone yet again in 1972. The seller’s ’70 500 4-door sedan looks like your typical family transporter and may only have 20,000 miles (not verified). Located with a dealer in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, this bland beauty can be yours here on eBay for $18,900.
Only three body styles carried Fairlane badging in 1970: a 4-door sedan, a 2-door hardtop, and a wagon. Total sales were still decent at 110,000 units (two-thirds were surprisingly the hardtop). Six-cylinder power was standard fare, but the original owner of this Ford opted for the 302 cubic inch V8 (2-barrel), an automatic transmission, and power steering. Just to make things fun, factory air conditioning was also checked on the order form. Detroit entered the 1970s with designs going back to a boxier look, so the swoopy Fairlane/Torino harkened back to the wild late 1950s/early 1960s.
This family sedan is finished in Medium Gold Metallic paint, which we’ll guess is original. It’s not perfect, but you have to look hard to find the issues. There is only one noticeable rust spot on the undercarriage. And the black interior looks as though it’s hardly been sat in, though the carpeting may have faded a tad. The selling dealer says this is the first one of these Fairlanes they have taken in on consignment.
No power accessories here to speak of, so you’ll have to hand crank the windows rather than push a button (Holy Stone Age, Batman!). The car is said to drive as well as it looks, so we assume this is a turnkey purchase that you could show off at Cars & Coffee next weekend. Considering that 4-door sedans are the least collectible cars overall today, this Fairlane may be a rare find in any condition.
I enjoy seeing the basic family cars of their day. This Fairlane 500’s charm is its very-“basic-ness.” When the most eye-catching features are whitewalls and wheel covers, you know it’s simple. It’s even a very non-descript color.
We had a 1970 Torino back in the day, ordered by my dad with minimal options. In hindsight I wonder why he didn’t order a Fairlane 500, as cheap and basic was his thing.
Thanks Russ.
That year was even a Falcon with little to nothing for options Bob.
Not very popular?..403,000 sales across the 17 models(17!!!lol…that’s too much LOL ) Still good enough for 2nd in the intermediate field.I personally prefer the 68/9 and the 72′ over the 70/71 but still love them all.
My dad bought one exactly like this only yellow with a 351. They were teachers and we drove from St. Louis to Colorado every summer to camp. He drove that thing like he stole it across Kansas. We got stuck in Fairplay, Colorado during the first Arab oil embargo, and only one gas station in town had gas. Wow, the things you remember….
I thought that all of these were used up producing the Starsky and Hutch television series!
Paint is all different shades