1971 Ford Torino Cobra 2-door hardtop
Original cost: $3,295 base; $4,457 total with options
On loan from: Fred Teel, Hays, KS who acquired it in 1979
Previous owner(s): 2 previous owners; originally ordered by a dealer in Colby, KS; built Oct. 14, 1970
Number made: 3,054 Torino Cobra hardtops; 652 with 429 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine
Notable: Of the 652 with the Cobra 429 engine, 339 had the C-6 automatic transmission; of these, only 30 were Grabber Blue; of these, 19 had black vinyl bench seats; of these only 7 were equipped with Magnum 500 chrome wheels; three had the Traction-Lok rear axle; and only this Torino was produced with the optional Visibility Group (additional lights under the hood, in the interior, and in the trunk).
This car is one-of-one.
Engine, etc.: 429 cu. in. (7.0 L) Cobra Ram Air Jet, 8 -cyl., 370 hp; Shaker Scoop; Grabber Blue – original color, #3657-A; 60,000 miles; select-shift Cruise-o-Matic, column shift; power front disc brakes; 3,140 lbs.
The Ford Torino was an intermediate sized car built for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was named for the Italian city of Turin, considered the “Italian Detroit”. It originally was an upscale version of the Fort Fairlane, a name that was dropped in 1971. By 1971, Ford had lowered compression and resulting power in their engines as a result of high insurance rates for muscle cars and concerns about emission controls. All engines except the 429s were affected.
The 1971 Torino line had fourteen models including the two-door fastback and a convertible, four-door sedan and a station wagon, and a pickup similar to the El Camino. Except for the trim and grille there were few styling changes to 1971 models compared to 1970. The 1971 Cobras continued to use the same grille as in 1970.
The Torino Cobra was introduced in 1970 with a 428 Cobra Jet engine with a four-speed manual transmission. The Traction-Lok limited-slip differential and “shaker” hood scoop were options.
Although the 1971 429 Cobra Jets had the same rated horsepower as 1970 models, two car magazines reported disappointing results when they tested a 1971 Cobra. Their best quarter-mile was about 15 seconds at 97 mph. A third magazine, Cars, had better results when they tested a ’71 Cobra with the Ram Air 429 CJ. With some “proper tuning”, it did a quarter mile in 14.5 seconds at 102 mph.
Production of the Torino ceased in 1976 when it was replaced by the Ford LTD.
Sources: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11649/Ford-Torino.aspx-
http://www.torinocobra.com/images/71-CobraSSarticle-p1.JPG (Pg. 1 of article)
http://www.torinocobra.com/images/71-CobraSSarticle-p2.JPG (Pg. 2 of article)
http://www.torinocobra.com/images/71-CobraSSarticle-p3.JPG Pg. 3 of article)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Torino
See also:
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford/1971_Ford/1971_Ford_Torino_Brochure/dirindex.html (Original dealer brochure)
