This 1969 Ford Torino GT has led quite a life. It isn’t unusual to find these classic parked for many years, but this car has gone through the whole experience twice. It has recently been returned to active duty and is set to head off to a new home. It is located in Scottsville, New York, and has been listed for sale here on eBay in a No Reserve auction. The action has been spirited on this vehicle. There have been 40 bids submitted to this point, which has pushed to price along to $10,100.
The Brittany Blue Torino is a fascinating vehicle because it doesn’t seem to be any the worse for the life that it has led. It first went into storage in a garage in the mid-1990s. It was revived in 2007 and was driven for a single Summer before being parked in a pole barn. That sort of location is not normally conducive to preservation, and the Torino spent the next 13-years parked there. It was removed from the barn earlier this year, and its condition was surprisingly good. The panels are straight, and there are no signs of any exterior rust problems. This is a case of the beauty not just being skin deep because the owner states that the floors, trunk, and the inner fenders are as solid as the exterior. The paint isn’t perfect, but it is undoubtedly acceptable for an original survivor. The Ford comes equipped with tinted glass, which appears to be in good condition. The chrome and trim could be considered to be acceptable for a survivor-grade classic. However, all of these components could be restored to as-new condition, and none of them would need to be replaced.
The Torino comes equipped with an H-Code 351ci V8, along with a 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power front disc brakes. It isn’t explicitly stated whether the vehicle is numbers-matching, but I get the impression that it is. The 351 should produce 250hp, which would be enough to propel the GT through the ¼ mile in 16.3 seconds. The car was dragged out of storage earlier this year and was returned to active duty. The owner doesn’t specify what work was performed, but he says it runs and drives nicely. Purists won’t be thrilled by the Moroso air cleaner and valve covers, but these are just two of the changes that have a 1980s feel to them.
The Torino’s interior will need some work, and there have been plenty of changes made over the years. The owner has a Marti Report on the vehicle, and this indicates that it rolled off the line fitted with a white bench seat. This has made way for a set of black buckets at some point, along with a matching rear seat. The upholstery on the rear seat looks reasonable, but the front seats will need new covers. The carpets are badly faded and could stand to be replaced. The rest of the interior trim looks acceptable for a survivor, but there are a couple of nicks and marks that could use blind patches. Aftermarket additions include a cluster of gauges and a Sun Tach, a radio/cassette player, and a B&M shifter. These are the sorts of modifications that were typically performed during the 1980s. Nobody considered whether this might have an impact on values in the future. The good news is that none of these changes would be regarded as permanent, and all could be easily reversed. The Marti Report indicates that the Torino was ordered with air conditioning, but I can’t see any sign of the compressor or brackets when I look at the engine bay photos.
This Torino has lived quite a life, and I’m sure that I’m not alone in feeling glad that it has emerged from the pole barn in such good order. There is no doubt that it could be a stunning car if treated to some restoration work. However, even left as a survivor, it is a classic that would attract its share of attention. I admit that the aftermarket additions don’t thrill me, but they are typical of a specific era in our motoring history. If I were to buy this Torino, I would probably remove these items and restore the interior. I wouldn’t touch the exterior, because I believe that this is a car that wears its survivor tag proudly. What would you do?
IT’S TORINO MONTH! here at Barn Finds
You’ve got that right!
More like Ford month, even a real ’63 lightweight Galaxie drag car a day ago. I never saw this many interesting Fords in one month since I last subscribed to Super Ford magazine! A long time ago, haha…..
It´s just another run of the mill Ford. Yawn.
Maybe they’re common where you live, but here in western Pennsylvania these didn’t see five winters before dissolving into a rust pile. At least this one didn’t fall victim to an alcohol-fueled “Hey y’all, watch this!” mishap.
The write-up says 40 bids pushing the price up to $10,100. The auction says 35 bids at $8,800. Someone get cancelled out?
Looks like an engine swap to me but
Perhaps not…..
69 never came with a 351 cleveland, so it’s a swap
Right. H code was the 351 2V which was the Windsor in 1969. For 1970 H code could be either the Windsor or Cleveland with supposedly the same horsepower and torque figures.
Had one of these with a 302. OK driving car but nothing to write home about. It was also a bear to parallel park with that roofline.
That shifter looks like crap. First thing I’d get rid of.
I wouldn’t return the 351 back to its ho hum 2 barrel roots, no way. But the gold Moroso dress up kit blue block unpainted aluminum intake manifold and that red hose sure is a bit much. At least it’s not sun blinding chrome junk, haha.
The big floor shifter looks close to the dash from this angle, I would like a smaller Hurst quarter stik instead, leave the tachometer, I’ve driven/owned cars with way worse looking interiors..
Outside is where the GT shines in blue, heck yea, blue with black interior…my kinda ride. But I keep looking at that small emblem on the front fender behind the front tire… is that a Cobra snake? What’s it doing here on this car. Maybe it is something else.
Torque Thrusts and larger tires, save the originals for later. Nice old Torino.
I can’t believe how fast the years go by.
Back in about 1975, my 18 year old cousin (I was 19) got a hand-me-down ’69 Torino GT with the 390. He was in deep crap with his father for some reason and was told he could only put 200 miles on the car over the weekend while his dad went up north fishing. My uncle supposedly checked the mileage before leaving on a Friday morning.
Sunday, my cousin pulls up into my driveway, tells me the story about the limited mileage and asks if I could do anything about it.
I was the tinkerer in the family-I took everything apart to see how things worked.
I told him I could try to roll back the odometer (I had never done this before) but it couldn’t be too hard, could it?
I got down under the dash and managed to get access to the odometer and turned it back about 3000 miles and then reinstalled it.
I don’t think it was possible for my cousin to put that many miles on the clock just tooling around town but I made sure he had some leeway.
If my uncle HAD checked the mileage before and after, he never said a word about it.
U could get it this way or notch, no? My buddy in hi drove oneadoz, kept his cigies in 1 ofda 1/2 doz circles that composed the dash. Then he gota ‘stang – Boss.
What?
I had two 69 Torinos. I remember the bench seat was ok for the two door , but the fastback needed bucket seats, a center console and a floor shifter, I tried to change mine too.
What on earth are you blabbering about?
I thought the 351 Cleveland motor wasn’t available in Torinos until 1970??
What?