Vehicle Description
Straight from the high-banked ovals of NASCAR, this 1968 Ford
Torino was the fastback aero champ of the late-60s, at least until
the arrival of the Mopar winged wonders. With a period-correct 390
cubic inch V8, an awesome red-and-black color combination, and a
very comfortable black A/C interior, this should be your next
muscle car.
The fastback body style scales up from the Mustang pretty well,
don't you think? Big, bold, and looking seriously fast, this
sinister-looking red Torino is all about street presence. The paint
job was done a few years ago and certainly suits the fastback
shape. There are a few minor flaws, of course, but none of them
detract from the vintage NASCAR look that simply screams
performance. Black accents on the hood scoop, grille and headlight
surrounds, window trim, and pillar 'gills' do a great job breaking
up the red paint, capped-off on both ends by the blacked-out
bumpers fore and aft. Those aforementioned pillar 'gills' highlight
the wonderfully aggressive quarter panels without being too
excessive, and this Torino wears some cool-looking Cobra and GT
badges for great effect. When packaged with the slick profile of
the Fastback body style, the red-and-black color combination looks
pretty darn sinister with off-the-charts curb appeal. We haven't
heard this many "Wow, what's that?" quotes in a long time. Perhaps
more importantly, the glass remains in good original condition,
particularly the giant rear window, which is surely almost
impossible to replace, further proof that this Torino is game-ready
right now.
Black bucket seats with a T-handle floor shifter sticking out of
the transmission tunnel make this car feel as sporty inside as it
looks outside, and the seating surfaces are wide, comfortable, and
perfect for the era. The upholstery is in good condition, certainly
broken-in with a few comfort marks, but not showing anything other
than light signs of use and regular wear-and-tear in the high
traffic areas. Correct black carpets are in equally good shape and
it's possible that the door panels are original, albeit in nice
condition as well. The dash has a racy look with four round pods
for the gauges, but the Torino's upscale mission is reflected in
the three-spoke steering wheel, which has a super-cool Cobra horn
ring in the center. The stitching on the black dash is pure
old-school cool, with awesome patina on the bright metal accents
that run from end-to-end. Options are relatively sparse but you do
get power locks, an upgraded JVC AM/FM/CD/AUX stereo, and factory
A/C that's blowing cold from the front vents thanks to a hardware
and compressor upgrade pumping R134a refrigerant inside the cabin.
The trunk opening is rather narrow, but once you're in there, trunk
space is impressive under that fastback roof line and includes a
correct plaid mat that finishes things off nicely.
With 390 cubic inches pushing it around, this Torino has the moves
to match its looks. Originally born with a humble 289 V8, this '68
was upgraded immensely with the introduction of the period-correct
390 V8 under the hood, and the experts that installed it did such a
great job it looks like it was actually born there. A blacked-out
firewall and matching inner fenders were cleaned up and painted to
match, while the chrome valve covers and matching air cleaner adds
some pop to the presentation. It's obvious the motor's had a lot of
recent attention, with a clean Edelbrock aluminum intake and a big
4-barrel carburetor on top helping the big block eat, fresh plug
wires and a newer coil helping it spark, and a fresh H-pipe dual
exhaust system with Xlerator mufflers underneath providing the
killer soundtrack. It idles smoothly and pulls with mountainous
torque, and if you want a big block you can drive every day, this
is probably it. Other newer parts include the A/C compressor, the
modern alternator, and the power brake system that's hooked up to
Wilwood front discs with drilled and slotted rotors. This Torino
handles really well too, with a responsive power steering system
and upgraded shocks. The chassis isn't overly detailed, but it is
quite clean and shows lots of newer components, so you know it
doesn't have anything to hide. The C6 automatic transmission shifts
smoothy and spins a heavy-duty 9-inch rear end, so it's an easy
cruiser that's still punchy around town. Blacked-out 17-inch Foose
wheels are the perfect complement to the color scheme, and they're
wrapped with 225/40/17 front and 225/55/17 rear Continental radials
that give it the right low, sleek look.
Nicely restored, and ready for the road today, this is a rather
unusual Ford performance machine with a great pedigree. Call
today!
