“You won’t find another one as it took me over 10 years,” states the seller of this 1970 Ford Torino GT convertible. Well, I’m down with that considering that only 3,900 Torino GT convertibles were assembled in ’70 – they’re not an everyday find. The seller claims lots of originality here, so let’s get into it and see what makes this West Hollywood, California drop-top tick. Those with an interest will find this rarity here on craigslist where it’s available for $23,500.
Ford was well into the “Torino” name by ’70, considering that there was a standard Torino, a “Brougham”, a “GT,” and a “Cobra” as part of the midsize lineup, but the old “Fairlane” namesake from which the Torino evolved was still on the books, too, for one last hurrah. In the case of this GT, it has all of the tell-tale GT characteristics with its obvious badging, side strobe stripe, and Magnum 500-style wheels. It’s also obvious that this baby’s a twenty-footer, as close-up images show the degradation of the claimed original finish (it looks like it got a steel wool buff) and a hole in the rear driver’s side of the convertible top. Still, I appreciate his car’s originality and completeness. Maybe most surprising is the laser stripe; the seller claims it’s the born-with piece, and it still presents extremely well. Unfortunately, there are no included images of this convertible’s driver’s side or rear end; the seller does state, however, “I’ll be updating the post with more pictures.”
The odometer is reading 47K miles while the seller claims a rebuilt engine is holding court in the engine room, so I’ll make the big leap here and assume the odo has been once around. And the Moto rebuild explains the pristine appearance of the 250 gross HP, 351 CI “Cleveland” V8 engine. “Runs and drives great,” is the seller’s claim with motivational assistance provided by an automatic transmission.
The interior is not well photographed, so it’s hard to say what’s what with the black vinyl upholstered environment. It’s a mundane setting, no bucket seats, etc., but it appears to be in decent nick, so it has that going for it. A/C was not on this Torino’s option list, but that’s often the case with convertibles of this era.
While I prefer the styling on the previous generation Torino, I rate these (’70 & ’71) editions highly. This car’s originality is refreshing (Yeah, the engine has been rebuilt, but I consider that to be an advantage, assuming it was done correctly), but it’s the convertible body style’s rarity that is this Torino’s calling card. Now, anyone could find one of these in a lot less than ten years, but I get what the seller means; it took him time to find the one he wanted. How about you? If you’re looking for a ’70 Torino GT convertible, here you go, no ten-year wait necessary, right?
A 10-year quest and now he’s going to sell it?
Why not, not everyone is in a position to keep a treasured possession forever. Unless it’s a flipper making that claim the motivation of the seller really isn’t important.
Torino GT convertibles are hard to find in decent condition, if the paint can be brought back to life and it runs good it’s worth considering as a driver.
Steve R
Love to see the Marti report. Nice Ford for sure 👍
Look at the trunk lid. My guess is clear coat peeling which means it’s likely a poor quality repaint that needs to be taken all the way down. Convertible top is shot. Likely needs a lot more. IMO asking $ is highly optimistic.