The year 1964 (and a half) saw the Ford Mustang launched in a big way, enough for it to lead the muscle car pack well in the ‘70s. But the oil crisis and the all-new stringent emission controls stripped a lot of that muscle and sent many of these cars to heaven to forever rust in peace.

In the late ‘60s though, the muscle car was carefree and getting as much power as its chassis could support, and then some. Apparently, the Mustang wasn’t enough. Ford wanted more of that muscle car market chunk and so in ’68, it introduced the Torino and the Torino GT, redesigned and renamed from the Fairlane series.

Since the Mustang was the flagship of Ford, most don’t realize the kind of power a Torino GT bore, and why it could make for a great classic buy. Especially for anyone who has had enough of the ‘Stang but not of Ford.

So, here’s what you need to know before buying the Ford Torino GT…

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The Advent Of The Torino

The Torino Was Merely Exterior And Aesthetic Changes Though, For The Fastback And A Standard V8, You Had To Go Up To The Ford Torino GT
via Hagerty

The Fairlane as a brand was introduced by Ford in 1962 as an intermediate between the pony-sized Falcon and the large Galaxie, the name coming from the ‘50s trim of a full-sized Ford. Public response was to buy the car in hordes although later, competition subdued the sales. Ford redesigned the Fairlane in 1966 and added the 500XL trim on it for better power. When the sales began yo-yo down again, Ford reworked its magic.

By 1968, Ford made its mid-size cars bigger with the length going up by four inches, which increased cargo capacity as well as cabin space. The cars also got a design upgrade and looked cooler. With the fastback option added on the Torino, the Torino GT began to resemble a Dodge Charger, thus adding to the cool factor. To complete the trifecta, Ford reduced the prices of the cars too.

Finally, as the cherry on the top, Ford decided to put a cooler moniker on the Fairlane considering the Fairlane did not sound like something muscle car cognoscenti would go barreling down the highway in. And so the Ford Fairlane 500XL was renamed the Ford Torino, and the Fairlane 500XL GTA was reborn as the Torino GT. The base models still carried the Fairlane and Fairlane 500 nomenclature.

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The Torino GT Details

The 1968-69 Ford Torino GT Came With Only V8s, Although After That, Six-Cylinders Were Added Back To The Line-Up
via BringaTrailer

The Torino was merely exterior and aesthetic changes though, for the fastback and a standard V8, you had to go up to the Ford Torino GT. The 1968 Torino GT was available for $2,772 as a hardtop, as $2,747 as a fastback, and $3,001 for a convertible.

The 1968-69 Ford Torino GT came with only V8s, although after that, six-cylinders were added back to the line-up. The 1968 Torino GT was supposed to come with the 201-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 but a worker strike forced Ford to downshift to a slightly less powerful engine, the 4.7-liter 195-horsepower V8, with the other engine becoming an optional one later. Along with the Torino GT getting a fastback body style and different options of V8s, it got special wheel covers, exterior trim, and door panel lamps as well.

Ford’s gamble paid off, with more than 371,000 Ford Torinos finding a home, and 103,384 of them were Torino GTs. In 1969, the sale dropped to 1969, going further down to 68,000-plus in 1970.

Remember though, the Ford Torino GTs came with a whole host of V8s, some of them even bearing a Cobra Jet engine, but for the latter, expect them to be hard ridden because most buyers went for this option only when they wanted to go drag or amateur racing.

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Current Values Of The Classic

For A Ford Torino GT, Expect To Cough Up An Easy $20,000-Plus, And Hagerty Places The Average Value Of A 1968 Ford Torino GT At Under $30,000
via Mecum

The Ford Torino GT, despite having featured in the movie Gran Torino, and getting rather popular as the red and white version in the classic ‘70s cop series, Starsky & Hutch isn’t a classic that has gone above and beyond six figures.

Many were made and sold, and to date, many survive. Parts for old cars are not really a problem because there is plenty of aftermarket Ford parts available, and many of its internals are interchangeable with the Ford Mustangs of its time.

For a Ford Torino GT, expect to cough up an easy $20,000-plus, and Hagerty places the average value of a 1968 Ford Torino GT at under $30,000.

That said, many auctions have seen values climbing up to at least $50,000 for Concours examples of the car, and more if the engines are bigger and powerful, like the Cobra Jet. Of course, as is with any classic, the cheapest cars to get are often the ones that need a lot of work to become roadworthy again.

Whilst drivetrain of the these cars is nigh well indestructible, you have to check any car for normal wear and tear and rust, as is usual for any classic of this time. The distributors tend to wear out as well, and the brakes could also be corroded. Other than that, the Ford Torino GT can be a rock-solid addition to your garage and fulfill every classic car fantasy you have, and then some.

Sources: Hemmings, Hagerty

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