The seller caught my eye with this 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport, which does look an awful lot like the movie car in the Clint Eastwood film, Gran Torino. Owned by fictional character Walk Kolowski, a community patriarch who remembers when men were men, it becomes a source of strength for a character running light on muscle. This example could likely do the same for anyone else in the same boat, as those meaty tires and induction hood would suggest the driver means business. Find the Gran Torino here on eBay with a $15K Buy-It-Now.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about its current condition, or the addition of alterations like those wheels. The Gran Torino is said to have come out of a large collection of vehicles and remained in the same town in which it was purchased new until just recently. The body likes look quite tight, but the seller notes the front clip was replaced with one from a Gran Torino with matching paint.
The replacement of an entire front flip suggests accident damage, but it’s not been confirmed. The clip itself and the car were never repainted, notes the seller. The interior looks quite nice, with an untorn bench seat and clean carpets. As an unrestored example, the preserved condition is always good to see, and the seller notes there are under 80,000 original miles indicated on the clock.
Power comes from an unconfirmed-matching 351 V8 paired to an automatic. The replacement front clip would demand confirmation as to the engine’s originality, in my opinion. The movie connection is a loose one, as it’s not an actual movie car and not many folks even saw the film when it was in theaters (shame; it was an enjoyable flick). What you’re buying is a solid example of a great looking muscle car that will always be able to intimidate.
Man, that thing looks like it would beat you up for not putting the good gas in it. Love the green. If the powerplant isn’t original, I’d be tempted to drop in a big block only because the rest of the “street brawler” look is already there.
The 3/4 view on the Gran Torinos definitely give that ‘get off my lawn’ vibe
looks like the air cleaner says ‘400-2B” – I cant see enough of the valve covers to tell if this is a cleveland, a windsor, or heaven forbid a 400 – I hope its just the air cleaner.
The 400 is a tall block Cleveland. Put a timing chain kit from a 71 LTD with a 400, re-curve the distributor, bump the timing up to 10 degrees initial and you have quite a performer (even with the 2V carb.
1972 Gran Torinos came with 302 2V as base, 351C 2V, 400 2V, and 429 4V and the performance engine was 351C 4V. The 429 was rated @ 205 hp (net) while the 351 CJ was rated @ 266 hp (net).
The only way to get a 4 speed was with the 351 CJ.
The air cleaner says ‘400-2B’ – I hope the air cleaner was just swapped- I cant see enough of the valve covers to tell if this is a windsor, cleveland, or heaven forbid a 400
Actually it reads ‘400-2V’.
Not sure why you are maligning the 400. The 400 is just a stroker 351 Cleveland. It’s square 4.0 bore x 4.0 stroke made it a good torque motor. Certainly smog equipment and a 2 barrel kept it down, but the engine has lots of potential. Also, unlike the typial 351C, it is designed to bolt up to the heavier duty C6 trans.
Youre right about the V – I saw my mistake after posting.
Im not trying to malign the 400 – I had one in an old f350, and it is a good motor. If given a choice of the engines for a torino I would go with the 351C 4V. Lighter, smaller dia mains for less friction, shorter, just the power band is up high
mainly the post says a 351 without mentioning which and I noticed the air cleaner could mean the post is incorrect
If the 400 is just a stroked 351, why doesn’t a 4bbl manifold fit on the 400 engine?
I was told in another thread here that the engines are different.
Miguel, the 400 is taller deck version of the 351C block. The intake would be too wide for a 351C- but oddly enough it would fit the 351M (modified) which was a 351 crank with larger mains and very tall pistons put in a 400 block.
Very similar to how the 351w is a tall deck 302
Thats 3 engines with 351 displacement using 3 different blocks – go Ford!
The Q code 351-4v comes bolted to a C6…
Brett; Ford actually had 4 engines that were 351.8 cubic inches.
1958-1967 352 (FE design)
1969-1994 351W
1970-1974 351C
1975-1982 351M
All 4 had 4″ bore with 3.5″ stroke.
Just like a 427 FE is only 425 cu in.
It Says 400-2V On The air cleaner not 400-2B , but you never know if that is the original air cleaner, and I think the car has already been sold because it takes you to another car.
2 barrel is often shortened to 2bbl or 2v(im guessing venturi?)
Robert Rose, yes, the “V” is for venturi.
I like the “Fear in is the Key” red better. Better movie too. Like the green, but the chases in Fear are whats up. Paint it red!
Already gone! Someone did the $15k buy it now.
Although I like the followup auction better since it’s a 4 speed car, when did eBay start the annoying practice of showing a running auction instead of the listing which had ended upon clicking on the expired link?
eBay has been working in conjunction with Facebook for about two years and it shows. Always changing things just for the sake of change.
There is a line through the price, which means they accepted a lower offer.
Steve R
Ad says “sold for 14,999″…no line
Are you kidding? Gran Torino is Eastwood’s second highest grossing film to date!
I don’t know when eBay started that but it has led me down many rabbit holes, spending way too much time trying to decipher what about the listing I’m currently looking at has to do with the listing I clicked on! wuzjeepnowsaab–“get off my lawn” was the theme of the Eastwood movie Gran Torino. And yes, it was a very enjoyable flick about a neighborhood anybody who grew up in 1970s middle American would recognize. Of course, it takes place in the 2000s which is the other point of the storyline.
I’m not angry, I’m from Detroit! https://youtu.be/VXD8yOxIPB0
I guess that they make more money on active auctions than ones that have already ended.
They always did say Ford was “late” to the muscle car competition, surely excluding the year 1964…. but that profile on that vehicle is well worth any wait
I have always loved the 72’s..very mean looking..,
despite having no real guts!Priced pretty high…
it should be in much nicer shape..for that kind of dough!
I Just watched Gran Torino again…a couple of weeks ago…
still a great movie…,although I wished Clint would have driven it
in a chase.This car needs a “hot”engine,5spd, buckets and a console.
I see about $8000 there,but not much more..it very nice though.
When did Gran Torinos become $15,000..? musta been one
on a Barret Jackson auction…,LOL…..
The offer they accepted was between $12,500 and $12,900.
Steve R
Steve R, where do you get this information?
Gran Torino Sports have been climbing in value since before the movie.
$15,000 is about all the money for this car, but I’ve seen them go for $35,000.
I have a 72 GTS with a 393 stroker Cleveland, TKO 600, and 3.55 gears. Mine has some guts ;)
“Get off my lawn Punk!”
Lovely looking car. I watched the Clint Eastwood movie “Gran Torino”. And although not my favourite year for the car, my favourite year is 1974, it’s still a nice car.
Nice car, even without the original wheels. Interesting how a movie can help renew the popularity of a particular car. I remember the Starsky and Hutch car spawned a lot of clones. Of course we cannot forget Smokey and the Bandit….
walt KOWALSKI!!!
Best styling year of this generation Torino: pre Fed bumpers and ugly grille changes. Lower weight as well.
But in profile it made me think Ford was trying to make the 2 door fastback version look like a puffed up Pinto.
Also, the laser stripe glowed at night when headlights hit it.
Wags referred to it as a “Loser Stripe.
I wouldn’t say that few people saw “Gran Torino”. It made $270 million dollars and was #1 at the box office when it opened. One of Clint’s most successful pictures ever.
These cars look like they should be so much faster than they were. Being smog choked and octane starved, they never had a chance. Sure they could rumble through a parking lot or spin their tires a stretch. But they were never able to throw you back into your seat and put the fear of God and thrill of acceleration into your heart. A true waste of a good looking car.
These engines can be easily built to put out 400-500 hp. I don’t understand why people still denigrate these motors.
There not mechanics and as a result they don’t know what needs to be done to boost up the power.
Also good advice to run an oil restrictor plug to the lifter gallery to keep those big mains properly lubed!
The front vinyl bench seat with no seat belts would worry me at the first turn.
I worked for a Ford dealer in the 70s and from about 71 to 78 Ford went a little crazy with various versions of the 351. You had the 351 Windsor the 351 Cleavland and the 351 M or modified the 400 was a modified. While most people can easily recognize the Windsor the difference between the Cleavland and Modified motors are the blocks. You can tell by looking at the timing cover area. The area there sticks out much more than the Cleavland. The block is beefier internally also. The Modified motors were great motors to build and in stock form took a hell of a beating. You’ll find the Modifieds in pickups ambulance and most other heavy duty applications.
I like that bench with the Ford pickup tailgate for the back pictures near the house 👍
Now we know what happened to all the leftover Edsel grilles. They got turned 90 degrees and stuck on Torinos.
My late brother who was two years older than me and 18 at the time, owned a ’72 Gran Torino Sport that was White with the Gold Laser stripe and a buckskin colored interior. It had a 351 Cleveland 4V with automatic transmission that would haul the mail. I loved the car and just about the time I started thinking he might hang on to it long enough for me to buy it, he sold the dang thing.
Gone baby gone
Ford beat GM to the punch in ’72 with a newly styled intermediate, I read somewhere that the ’73 GM bodystyle was actually supposed to be out in ’72, didn’t happen.
Would rather it had the 351 Cleveland 4 barrel than the 400 the air cleaner plainly states. Heavy car that’s for sure, but very sharp looking.
When I went to the site it showed a entirely different Torino? They were very nice cars and pretty fast for the time!
If you click on the highlighted word ‘listing’ in the blue header above the photo of the car it will take you to the original post.
Ended: Jul 31, 2018 , 8:10AM
Sold for:US $14,999.00
Thanks! Great tip. I had never noticed that in sold/expired listings before.
According to the door sticker (63R), this is a regular Gran Torino, not a Gran Torino Sport, which explains the plain jane interior, and probably why the front clip was changed. I hope the buyer knew what he was getting…
63R is “Sportsroof” body. All sportsroof (Fastbacks) were Sports, but not all Sports were Fastbacks.
Door panels are Sport specific. Ralleye gauges, floor shift, and buckets were optional.
You are correct.
One large dip in the road, and there go’s the transmision again.
These cars always looked bloated to me, But another car that seemed to disapear seemingly overnight and now exceptionally rare to see today.
But the 351 Cleveland was one heck of a motor and one that was THE engine to have in NASCAR if you ran Fords, Waddell Wilsons Racing engine preparation book featured the 350 SBC, the 340/360 Mopar and the 351C,, Knew a couple guys who built the Ford 351s for street and track and they were a potent motor if done right. Would love to have this car today with suitable hot rod mods… A period custom like I grew up with in the 70s,, still remember fish tailing down the street in a friends back in the day when he planted the pedal.