1974 Ford Torino Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Torino is a classic 70s muscle car. It is big and heavy with a V8 and looks awesome. It has decent acceleration, terrible cornering, and manual brakes that lock up easily. It is terrible in the snow, easier to leave it in the garage. It is difficult to see out the back because the rear window (back light) is so small. Ford built these things very solid, but the vinyl roofs are body filler nightmares. The original paint started chipping after just 5 years (or so I have read). Interior and exterior styling are classic and cool. Car is a lot of fun to drive with automatic on floor, has a good muscle car feel. Gets around18 mpg.Dec 15, 2010

I bought a 1974 Ford Gran Torino from an old lady in my neighborhood for $500 and was really not expecting much out of it. It was clunky-looking, had rust spots, worn chrome, and a gas guzzling 351 Windsor V8. It was my first car and I expected it to be one of those cars you just putter around from point A to point B in. But after I bought it, I realized pretty quickly how fun it was to drive. With a little body work, a good de-rusting, a fresh coat of paint, and re-chromed trim, it ended up looking like a pretty cool car. I got complements on it all the time from friends and strangers alike. It's performance was lacking for something that takes up that much gas (which is common for many classic cars) but it sounded really mean. I didn't put headers or glass packs on it. It just naturally sounded mean. I can't imagine how it would sound if I HAD modified it. It was the most mechanically sound car I have ever owned. And it was over 30 years old! I never had a problem with it other than having to clear the fuel lines when I first bought it because the old lady hadn't driven it in so long. Not only that, the body shop that I took it to to smooth out some of the body work said that it looked like it had been rolled, but the roof hadn't collapsed. It was, by far, the toughest vehicle I've ever had, even moreso than a truck, and I've had two of them. I was hit twice, once by a Chevy 1500 going about 20 miles per hour, and was suprised to find absolutely zero body damage. Only scratches in the paint. It was really built like a tank. The gas mileage was about what you would expect for a Classic with a V8. I would estimate 12 MPG in the city, 15 MPG highway. The biggest issue I had with the car was its handling. I've never been much of a fan of the "floaty" feeling the larger Fords had in the '70s. It feels more like driving a boat than a car. Despite its gas consumption and handling, the 1974 Ford Gran Torino was very, very fun to drive and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a classic but doesn't have much money.Oct 18, 2008