If you were a fashionable person in 1975 and were looking for a personal luxury car, you had a few choices. Most of them had two doors, and a lot of them were loaded up with wide trim, vinyl tops, and landau tops, some had opera lights, and they had huge bumpers. This 1975 Ford Elite can be found listed here on eBay in Chester, New York, there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $9,449.
This car appears to be in outstanding original condition and I don’t know if a person could have loaded it with more hoo-has, jim-cracks, and doo-dads if they tried. The abundance of trim alone is almost overwhelming and yet it all works together to show just how weird this era was. The really strange part is that it wasn’t that weird at the time, it was normal!
Ford offered the Gran Torino Elite beginning in 1974 and made them until the end of 1976. The 1975 and 1976 models were just called the Ford Elite, the Gran Torino portion of the name was dropped after 1974. There’s just so much going on with the exterior of this car that it’s hard to take it all in, but the seller has done a wonderful job in providing some nice photos and plenty of them. They show everything, including a tiny rust hole behind the right rear wheel. I would bet that could be fixed, painted, and blended in so nobody would ever notice.
The frame and underside would benefit from a dry-ice-blasting session, but it looks really solid underneath. The interior really shines in this car, from perfect-looking seats both front and rear to having power windows. An option that we usually don’t see in luxury cars of this era let alone mid-level luxury cars. “How’s the trunk looking, white-shoe-wearing Scotty G?” It’s funny you should ask, the seller even shows us the trunk! As expected, it looks almost perfect.
The engine is Ford’s 400-cu.in. (actually, 402) OHV V8, which while looking great here, only had 158 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power to the rear wheels through a Cruise-O-Matic transmission and the seller says it runs and drives flawlessly and everything works, including the cold AC. This is the one to get if you wanted a fancy car but still wanted to buy from your Ford dealership. I would love to own this one, have any of you have a Ford Elite?
I think you nailed this one Scotty. When we look back fifty (!!) years, what were we thinking? Big two-door coupes, how inefficient could we make a vehicle? And the more trim, the better. Yet they sold, and quite handsomely in many cases.
So, for many, this Elite would be a big “no thanks.” But for me, I’d be glad to have it, as a representation of the times. Looks to be in good shape, well-equipped, the styled steel wheels (though not original to the car) look great, it has the instrumentation group. And it’s even brown. Make a statement at the next local Ford show for not much money.
Anyone reading my previous posts will know that I am a lover of Divine OTT Decadence. Too much has never been enough! Although I prefer the GREAT AMERICAN LAND YACHTS, this era was the best (except perhaps for late 50s) over chromed, over stuffed excessive luxury. My one smaller car was a 77 Monte Carlo, styling was frequently called Baroque. While I love my current Town Car Signature Limited, I wish it had more lavishly applied.
Very first car I ever got to drive at age 14.
I had a pretty basic 1973 Gran Torino with a 302. It was a pretty good and reliable car. The only issue I had was that it was extremely front heavy and horrible in heavy snow which we don’t get anymore
Not a car comment but a comment on heavy snow “which we don’t get anymore” Where I live , when I was a kid winter (weather wise) was November, December and January for the heaviest weather. Now it’s late January through March. Temp wise they used to flood the cranberry bogs, it would freeze and the kids would skate for weeks on them. They actually did it so they could run little sanders on them, when the ice melted the sand would drop into the bogs (replenishment). They don’t do it anymore, we don’t get the freeze we used to. 3ven the trees, I used to be done with cleaning up leaves and pine needles by Halloween, now we’re out there in December. This is all the last 30 years I’ve lived in my house.
Live in the northeast… I have a cherry tree in my back yard that I took pictures of on Dec 28th because it was blossoming… Currently I’m staring out at the lake I live on – Jan 1 – and its completely unfrozen… I could have still been mowing my still green lawn thru most of December (but didn’t)… all this would have been unheard of 30 years ago…
Those torinos ltd IIs elites were fish on wheels..horrible cars..with 14 inch wheels
According to the build sheet they’re 15’s
Odd optioning. P/W but no P/L, full gauge dash but not Tilt/Cruise.
Oh fo the days you could order JUST what you wanted!!!
None of the 73 to 75 Torinos or elites came from the factory with 14″ wheels.. They were 15″.
Nothing exceeds like excess. Or, something like that. What a great looking Elite. Rich shade of brown and a matching roof rather than a contrasting color that so many came with. Vinyl flight bench seat, power windows and 400 V8 are less common features. The wheels complete the great appearance.
For me EXCESS equals SUCCESS. See my other post for verification
This one is a nice one. True that the elite was a fluffed up Torino with Cougar bits thrown in that became the Ltd II / Cougar combo. They weren’t inovative but made with proven and reliable components. My only worry here is the ( crocked ? ) non original battery holdown and the negative post with the disconnect that looks ready to mangle the top hose at least ftom that angle. Its a keeper.
This car, a paisley shirt, and some stretch knit bell bottoms. Maybe even a subscription to Playboy. Everything a guy could want…
Odd optioning. P/W but no P/L, full gauge dash but not Tilt/Cruise.
Oh fo the days you could order JUST what you wanted!!!
No such thing as a Cruise-O-Matic in 75. It’s either an FMX or a C6. Being the 400, my guess is a C6.
Greg, I use Hemmings and Automobile-Catalog.com a lot when researching specs, and they both list a Cruise-O-Matic for the Elite. The C6 was introduced in either 1964 or 1966 (the problem with the internet) and the Cruise-O-Matic (MX/FX) went away in the later 1970s, although it had been reworked and you may be correct on the official name not being “Cruise-O-Matic” by this point. Confusing. Thanks for bringing that up.
C4 was available still, they were used behind 302 and 351 and straight six.
Yep, Jim-cracks galore, but no cruise.
Very nice car, I wish I could buy it, even though I’m not a fan of Ford’s milk chocolate brown that they put on every other car in the 70s. My parents had a 74 Montego with a 302 2bbl, by the time you got up to a decent highway speed, you were there already. I’d put dual exhaust on this 400, preserve and enjoy it for what it is, a handsome, nice riding car in beautiful condition. I hope it finds a good home.
ELITE to Thunderbird and then, On To VERSAILLES ! These automobiles made you feel like a KING 🤴 of the road.
My gawd!!… Those battering ram bumpers…
I was the body shop manager at a Ford dealer and got a Demo to drive and this was the exaclt same color I got. Problem was we were allowed only 3,000 miles use and then they took it and sold it. I only ever got one as they seemed to sell too fast so they switched us to LTD’s. Really liked that Elite. This one sure brings back memories.
Best kind of demo are the ones that don’t stack up on the lot.
Had one of these in the exact colors. Was a great running and comfortable riding vehicle. Wish I had kept it and not listened to my teenage son that wanted me to trade it for a Camaro. BIG mistake!
Growing up in the 70s I was surrounded by lots of Fords. I just look at the picture and I can hear it.
My father had one of these back in day, a 74 that was first a Ford executive car, white, with white leather interior, red carpets and dash. Loaded to the max power everything, moon roof, like a half dozen speakers, with a 351 four barrel loved that car, got to drive it few times until my father traded it in 80 for an LTD.
You sure don’t see these Elites every day. Beautiful color and I dig that super clean interior. I hope whoever buys this will give it the same care that it seems to have recieved for the past 49 years!
I currently drive a 76 Blue on Blue Elite.. It will pass anything but a gas station.. Beautiful smooth comfortable car.. Long trips are a breeze.. It’s my daily driver..
I had a ’74 GTE with a 351 Cleveland. It had 48K miles when I bought it in ’76. paid $3600. It had manual windows and no cruise control. It would fly, or so it seemed. It also was prone to bending push rods. I was working for a car dealer and paid one of the mechanics $150 to do a valve job and replace the push rods. I drove it for 2 years and sold it for $2000. Beautiful car, wonderful ride, but it couldn’t pass a gas station without stopping in.
Auction update: this one sold for $9,949, a great deal, in my opinion!
This, or a ’75 Cordoba or Monte Carlo. Depends on which of the Big 3 you line up with. All of them about the same in my book, although if pressed, it would be a Cordoba for me.
That is one good looking Cougar, I mean Ford Elite. Those bumpers saved me a couple times. 16 years old flying into a parking lot and couldn’t stop cause of ice/snow but slam into a car with those big bumpers and no damage. Drive away
Buddy of mine had a 74 grand Torino elite. Had an awesome ride. As an old teen, he never respected it (I never respected my 69 Chevelle and paid the price), and it ended up in someone’s living room. Until that instant, he was winning lol. Was a great car. So smooth.
I bought this car on eBay and hope to use it for stepping out this coming cruise season!
Greg Phillips