The Ford Torino, which had been the upscale version of the Fairlane, became the series leader for 1970 and was totally restyled, receiving a low and aerodynamic look. The fastback version was now called the SportsRoof and Ford sold more than 56,000 of them that way with the GT package. This one was finished in Bright Yellow, which meant that you could never lose it in a parking lot. It’s drivable, but just around the yard because the brakes are shot, and the tires are hard as rocks. Located in Batesville, Mississippi, the one bid so far here on eBay is $6,500,

If you put a ’69 and a ’70 Torino side by side, they wouldn’t look much alike, which presumably was Ford’s goal. The hood was long, the deck short, and the roofline on the fastback, I mean SportsRoof, was almost flat, making it nearly impossible to see out of it backing up (too bad back-up cameras didn’t exist back then). The Mustang fastback had the same problem. The SportsRoof had a DirectAire ventilation system as a standard feature which eliminated the need for side vent windows. The Torino GT, like the seller’s car, came from the factory with a non-functional hood scoop molded into the hood, GT emblems, dual color-keyed sport mirrors, and full-width taillights with a honeycomb effect. Visually, it was an exciting car and Motor Trend deemed it “Car of the Year” for 1970.

The seller’s Torino has its share of troubles, yet there’s still hope. The car has likely been sitting outdoors for quite a while, and the scattered rust throughout the car would attest to that. But back in 1970, it was quite the looker. The original paint is still there, but it’s gotta go. The rear quarter panels have rust, the right-hand rocker panel is dented, the grill is broken and the GT emblem missing, but the worst part perhaps is that the floorboards are rusted, and a few good whacks could open them up for Fred Flintstone to drive. The Magnum 500 wheels look to be salvageable and the gas tank is fairly new.

Don’t expect things to approve once you open the doors. Besides the aforementioned floorboards, the front seat upholstery is shot, although the back seat doesn’t look bad (maybe nobody sat back there due to the lack of headroom?). The headliner is falling down, the carpeting is MIA, and I’m betting the covered dash pad is cracked. There are wires hanging down from under the dash and the fuse box has issues, which might relate to some of the outside lights not working. Better call your electrician!

Things under the hood aren’t as exciting as you might expect. A 302 V-8 resides there, but someone beefed it up by giving it a 4-barrel carb, an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold, and dual exhaust. The transmission is an automatic. But at least the Torino starts, runs, and shifts gears, so have faith. The car has power steering, but the braking is all on you. The car has air conditioning, but it doesn’t work.

I checked with Hagerty and others and couldn’t get much feedback on the value of a car like this. $15,000 was top dollar in a couple of places, but that doesn’t sound right. This GT will take that much or more to make it right, plus whatever the auction will set you back. But you’d have a real stand-out at car shows if you take it back to the way it was when it left the factory.