Ford Gran Torino Sport, 1973
Ford Torino III
Ford Torino III•
•46 views
Chassis No.: 3H35Q172370
Auction: Indy 2019
Auction date: May 19, 2019
Lot No.: T221
$25,300 | Sold
- Exterior: Green
- Interior: Green
- Matching numbers 351 CI V-8 engine
- 4-barrel carburetor
- Rare factory 4-speed transmission
- Heavy duty suspension
- Power brakes with front discs
- Ivy Moondust Metallic with White vinyl top
- Longitudinal striping
- Green interior
- Bucket seats and center console
- Factory air conditioning
- AM/FM radio
- Rim Blow steering wheel
- Hurst shifter
- Magnum 500 wheels
- BF Goodrich radial tires
- Copy of original window sticker
Heavily redesigned for 1972, the midsize Ford Torino (and its Mercury Montego stablemate) now featured separate body-on-frame construction, while still retaining the popular long-hood, short-deck styling. Three model lines were now offered with a wide range of body styles, ranging from the basic Torino to the upmarket Gran Torino and performance-oriented Gran Torino Sport, which succeeded the former Torino GT. Buyers responded enthusiastically to the updated Torino lineup, which outsold archrival Chevrolet’s Chevelle for the first time in 1972, and then continued virtually unchanged as America’s best-selling midsize cars for 1973.
While practicality and luxury were the new automotive watchwords for the 1970s, the Gran Torino Sport demonstrated that performance still counted at Ford, and this example from 1973 is an exciting case in point powered by the healthy 266 HP Cobra Jet derivation of the Cleveland 351 CI V-8 engine with a 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, and mated to a rare factory 4-speed manual transmission. Selection of this powertrain combination also delivered Ford’s “Rallye Equipment Group,” a performance-oriented option package including the Instrumentation Group, heavy-duty Competition Suspension, G70-14 raised white-letter tires and a Hurst shifter.
Power brakes with front discs are another desirable feature of this high-specification Gran Torino Sport. Finished in Ivy Moondust Metallic paint with a white vinyl top over a striking green-upholstered interior, this Gran Torino Sport features numerous desirable features, including an AM/FM radio, bucket seats, a center console, a rim-blow steering wheel and factory air conditioning. This Gran Torino Sport is further accented by eye-catching longitudinal laser stripes along its “Coke bottle”-inspired flanks.
Riding on a set of Magnum 500 wheels mounting BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires, this 1973 Gran Torino Sport amply demonstrates how Ford very capably held the performance line during the early 1970s. *Contrary to the printed catalog description, this vehicle will be offered with a copy of the original window sticker
https://www.mecum.com/lots/371409/1973-ford-gran-torino-sport/
