Nicely optioned muscle wagons don’t surface all too often, but for me this Torino Squire takes the cake. Wood paneling, air conditioning, and a 351 V8. Does it get much better than this? Well to top it off, the surviving appearance is quite acceptable for a driver, and it would seem that there is little rust in this old wagon. With several days remaining, bidding has reached $2,810. Check it out here on eBay out of Ozark, Missouri.
Packing a 351 Cleveland V8, with an automatic, power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning makes it easy to see why this is such a special wagon. Based off of the eBay ad, it sounds as if this wagon has been hibernating for quite some time. While this Torino is a runner and a driver, it sounds like a bit more checking and refinement is needed for this wagon to return to full street duty.
Possibly the least exciting aspect of this wagon is the flat milkshake brown interior. There are a few cracks in the dash, and it looks like there is shag carpet installed as well. The door panels look very reasonable, but I would say that the interior would benefit from a bit of refinement. By no means is this a bad starting point, as a solid cleaning and perhaps some fresh carpet would revive this Torino. Perhaps fresh seat covers too?
Still quite shinny in a few places, the white paint doesn’t show too badly. There are rough spots, but a good cleaning and polishing would make this wagon presentable enough. It looks like the only fault with the body is the passenger side front fender looks to have sustained a minor fender bender in its past. The body appears very rust and rot free, and the underside looks great. The wood applique isn’t terrible either, but it has started to deteriorate in a couple of places. I think the Torque Thrust style wheels are a great fit, and I wouldn’t change them whatsoever. With some fine tweaking and polishing, this wagon could be an absolute blast with air conditioning for the family, and a little performance as well. Are you a fan of this muscle car era Ford Wagon?
While very cool, I would not refer to this as a muscle car. Miss my dad’s 351-2V ’73 Gran Torino wagon that he only allowed me to drive when home on leave in 1983. My uncle’s ’69 GS350, which I drove a lot more, was definitely a muscle car.
Cool looking with those wheels on it, some will disagree. As for muscle, that’s kinda funny to say about a heavy machine like this with a 351Cleveland 2 barrel. Good enough for the family hauler though.
It is cool, but definitely not very muscular. My first car was a 1970 Torino 2dr hard top with a 351 2V and a 4 speed. It was not fast, by any stretch of the imagination. This wagon will be even slower.
Steve R
I really hope that’s the metal floor and not the carpet!
I like it..always loved these big land yachts. Wouldn’t mind having this one either but..can’t right now…so many projects…..so little money….
A Torino, even a wagon, is not a “land yacht”.
Nice, smaller than a full sized wagon. Had a 69 country squire once, if I didn’t have my hands full, I’d be all in. Would have to check for rust though.
Looks like a Land Yacht. Still cool.
Not a bad wagon overall but it’s pretty well worn in and out. If you want it to look nice there’s a lot of work to be done. The interior needs a lot of help as does the exterior. Then there’s the mechanicals that have to be gone through, especially the fuel and brake systems. I’m a big fan of wagons and while I do like this one and think it’s got a lot of potential. A restoration won’t be cheap but vintage wagons are fairly hot right now so I’d bet it would be worth it in the long run.
The 2-barrel Cleveland is a good motor and should suit this wagon nicely but it’s not what most would consider muscle car material.
Ditch the woodgrain, make the pearl white shine, put redlines on it, keep the Torque Thrusts, new carpet, redo or replace the seats, somehow wake up the engine and then what do you have? Not much unless you are really into 70s wagons. You and about 99 other folks on the continent. It would look better but it would still be a wagon with a smallish v8 and a slushbox.
i had a 1972 gran torino wagon with a factory heavy tow package , which provided a c6 instead of the p.o.s. fmx transmission, a 32 spine positive traction 9 inch rear end, larger breaks, foctory applied
external transmission cooler and power steering cool. i got a hold of some early 1970(actually produced in august 1969) closed chamber 4v heads, exhaust and intake manifolds and was gonna build a BOSS 351 TORINO wagon. but you know how women can be when they annihilate your heart and humanity, starts with breaking the heart, i cried and cried over that car, god i miss her even 6 years after b!+{h sold it and all i had collected(everything) FOR $400! pure and simple old fashioned communism.
If its a good running 351c the performance might surprise you. These mills had huge valves and breathed extremely well. Looks cool all the way around. Depending on what level you wanted to take it to, This is a great old wagon for someone. Good luck to the new owner!
Cheers
GPC
I had 1970 Torino wagon with 390 in it. It too was no muscle car. Incalled it the big pig. Sold it around 1980. Kinda wish I had it back now. Maybe. I’d like a nice wagon but not this one.
In the mid 80s I found a 67 Fairlane wagon for sale at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership…for $700. It, too, was white with a tan interior, and was owned by one family from new. That one had a 390 with, I seem to remember “3 on the tree” (though I could be wrong, it’s been 30+ years), and power steering but MANUAL brakes.
I can’t speak for this car, or even this powertrain combo, but from the factory Ford had a habit of tuning cars like this for torque. I drove a 69 full-sized wagon with a 429 and automatic once…a real slug.
The look of a torino wagon is not bad a all , it actually looks good but no way would i cruise anywhere with my family in a car that has no collision protection whatsoever!
AND a 3 speed trans , a stinky carburetor and exhaust…well, i guess i am pretty much over the old cars by now , it has to be injected and protected if i m gonna drive it !
Claudio, percentage wise, how many cars on this site are injected or protected? This would make an awesome father/son project, and cruise while making it better!! Would feel fairly safe cruising this, especially if we can get everyone to put their cell phones down!
This was the second last year (70-71) that Torinos were a reasonable size in my mind. I think this was the last year for leaf springs too.
It’s kind of an oddly optioned car. Upgraded drive train (302) with the 351 Cleveland, but it’s not a 4 barrel. Base trim interior, vinyl, manual windows, with the Country Squire exterior trim. No roof rack. No hidden headlights.
I still like it and the absence of the roof rack is a plus as far as appearance goes. I like the idea of putting 351C 4 barrel heads on it, but I’d rather drive it and spend money on overhauling the interior.
Load up the kids in the family Truckster and Make it a driver!
I love it!! Why did they paint the fake wood panel on the tail gate and leave the sides alone???? It’s would be a moot point if it were mine anyway cause the paneling would be gone!!
I’m thinkin that may B the sun, not paint?
Anyway, gimmie the further dwn sized fox wagon (’83/6 LTD/Marquis) just add the aol to my name.
Bought a ’71 2-dr. sedan in the bottom-of-the-line trim (did they call those Fairlane 500s or Falcons, I can’t recall) from a little old lady who gave up driving about 30 years ago. It had the 351 2-barrel, automatic, A/C, power steering, but the front suspension squeaked and squeaked and no amount of lubricating or shock replacing or anything else would stop that squeaking. It was a fairly low-mileage car, around 50,000 or so. As others have said, the 351 2-barrel was no powerhouse. Sold the car after a few months of getting tired of being announced by suspension squeaks every place I went, and a teen-aged driver backed into the plastic grille, then told her father that I hit her car, and I was out the repairs & replacement parts. No happy memories from that car.
Yea, peter, that annoying squeak was from the upper inner control arms, that had no factory grease fittings or access. We had a kit where you would unscrew the plug in the end of the control arm nut, screw this little thumbscrew with a grease fitting in it , grease it and put the plug back in. The more Neanderthal approach was was to blow a hole in the inner fender with the smoke wrench and put a grease fitting in, then you could grease it anytime. Ugly but effective. All the unibody fords squeaked like this!!
Cheers
GPC