1971 Ford Torino 500 - Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Ford obviously took a page or ten from the then current Chevrolet Chevelle playbook when they baked up this 1971 Ford Torino 500 hardtop. Not a bad thing as this is the rarest of Fords even a dyed-in-the-pile-carpeting Chevy fan like me could love. This popped up on Facebook Marketplace for sale not far from the Old Triple Wide recently with an asking price of $35,000. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it also ain't cheap. 

This black beauty is in fabulous shape and has just 45,000-miles on her 55-year-old ticker. 

The poster of the ad doesn't say if this is an "Ohio car" or not, there's not a spec of rust on her so at the least, it's not from up here on the "North Coast" where old cars rust out just sitting in garages, storages facilities and barns. 

Us car nerds will note that Ford didn't have a four-barrel version of their 302-cubi-inch V-8 for 1971. This is a harmless upgrade that could be easily undone although two more "venturis" would add some much-needed deep breathing. There are no details in the ad about what may have been done to the engine aside from a fresh coat of "Ford Engine Blue" and the four-barrel carburetor. 

Ford "Magnum 500" rims where standard on Torino GT for 1971, they may have been available on these cars but definitely not these 15-inch versions; all 1971 had 14-inch rims. No points off here since the larger wheel and tire help beef up the look of the car. Improves handling too. 

I'm generally not a fan of vinyl tops but it works well on this car. I've always thought it odd that most cars with vinyl tops had seams in them. They couldn't order sheets of vinyl wide enough to cover the roof in one sheet? 

Ford doesn't get the credit it deserves for "inventing" the intermediate sized automobile when they introduced their "mid-sized" Fairlane in 1962, two-years before GM rolled-out a mid-sized car. From 1955 to 1961, a Ford Fairlane was a full-size car but for '62, it was a whopping 16-inches longer than a Falcon, 12-inches shorter than a Galaxie, "mid-sized", indeed. Problem was its styling was typical '60's Ford, meaning it was derivative, not that this isn't, but bland; miracle of miracles how Ford whipped up the Mustang in 1964. Ford revised styling in 1965, but it was the 1968 reboot of the line when things finally started getting interesting. In '68, "Torino" was introduced as a luxury-tinged subseries of the Fairlane that was so popular that in 1970, Fairlane became a subseries of Torino before being put to pasture. Another reboot for 1970 included our hardtop '71 here along with a fastback version they called the "Sportsroof". 

Above is a 1970 Torino with the Sportsroof. Ford started calling their fastbacks such in 1969, a name change from the previous "Fastback 2+2". You'd think fastbacks wouldn't be that big of a deal to pull of successfully, I guess not. The sickly green on this car along with the puny tires and horrible wheel covers do nothing for this car. Even the lack of a vinyl top can't save it. 

For 1971, Ford had a gaggle of Torino models from rental-car basic to screaming muscle car to a station wagon to the pseudo-luxury 500 like our Marketplace darling here. The Torino 500 sat at the top of Torino the ladder and was the plushest and cushiest.

Although, looking at this vinyl drenched, injection molded plastic interior, hard to believe this in any way was construed as a luxury car. 

Ford redesigned the Torino for 1972 turning into a whale of what was supposedly a mid-size car. Things went really south in 1973 with the safety-bumpers, 1974 brought about the Starsky and Hutch Torino, a car that "car guy" Paul Michael Glazer, ("Starsky") led him to utter the immortal words, "Torino's suck". 

Well, most of them do. Not this one, though. 

1962 Plymouth Fury - Context is Everything

The origin story of full-size 1962 Plymouth and Dodge models has it that in May or June of 1960, Chrysler executives received intel that General Motors was downsizing their full-size cars for 1962. And just-like-that, Chrysler rebooted their planned 1962 full-size models chopping nearly a foot off their length, made them five-inches less wide and dropped six-hundred-pounds off their curb weight. Big Dodge models got zapped too; the Chrysler division models remained as big as they were. While critics lauded the smaller and lighter models for their performance and efficiency, buyers stayed away and sales for 1962 big Plymouth's and Dodge's were down significantly from 1961. 

Turns out tough that that GM wasn't downsizing but, in fact, introducing a new compact car called the "Chevy II" in 1962. Whoops! Everyone involved in the debacle eventually got fired and Chrysler has been a dumpster fire since. Not that it wasn't prior to that. 

That's the old wives' tale although having worked inside the skunk works of big companies, it's too pat-and-dry to believe any auto maker would react to what could have amounted to conjecture at a cocktail party let alone get the entire job done in what, less than 15-months by some accounts. 

What probably happened was, intel or not, Chrysler gambled on where the full-size market was going. While they were correct with their assessment that buyers wanted smaller, more maneuverable cars, GM did in fact come with somewhat smaller full-size models in 1961, in addition to injecting the automotive equivalent of Ozempic into these cars, stylists took things a step or two too far for a conservative buying public. 

Styling that I've never seen what buyers didn't see in it; save for the paint scheme, I don't think there's a bad line on this car. Then again, I wasn't there to see the whole debacle through the eyes of American's that had seen automobile design change seismically in the years following World War II. Context is everything. Same is true of the Edsel; I don't see what the big deal about it was. Looks like another big, old, ugly, 1950's Ford to me. 

In any event, I'm glad the Chrysler Corporation came out with these cars in 1962 as they've always been favorites of mine. I get that some may construe them as weird, and they are, but they're weird in a cool, mid-century design ethos kind of way as opposed to the "what-the-hell-is-that"? bizarre many an American Motors design was. 

I know I'm not alone seeing this one is listed on Facebook Marketplace with a $40,000 asking price. Yes, friend-oh, forty-thousand-dollars. 

Wait, it gets better. Not only are they asking forty-large for it, but it's also not "original and unrestored". The paint, again, its shade makes me sad, while in nice shape, is an older respray and under the hood, the "Slant-Six" it was born with has been tossed for a god's-green-earth, 413-cu. in, "Max Wedge" V-8. Say what you will that an original and unrestored '62 Fury with the 413 would sell for twice the asking price, $40,000 is a ton of money to blow on a clone. And a clone that's not a clone of Chevrolet Impala SS. 

Explains why the listing is nearly six-months old. I might get my head around dropping half the asking price on this; that would be an impulsive purchase, and not a rational one. Not that buying any 64-year-old car would be a rational decision but it's best to hedge your bets if you do. 

1981 Lancia Beta Zagato - A Bad Day at the Office

 

This 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato popped up for sale on my Marketplace feed the other day not far from the Old Triple Wide here on the far west side of Cleveland, Ohio. Excuse me, a what? A Lancia, Beta...Zagato. Lean on each syllable of Za-ga-to to make yourself sound even more suave. I've heard Lancia pronounced LAHN-chah, Lahn-CHIA, or Lahn-see-yah depending on how sophisticated or cultured someone's trying to be. Ham-fisted as I can be, I drop the "d" from land and pronounce it, Lan-seeyah. 

You're not alone if you've never heard of these cars, few people have although many who have are ribald fans. Like blue cheese, coffee, dark beer, raw oysters and Vienna sausage, they're an acquired taste; their proportions are, choosing my words carefully, different.  A Fiat X 1/9 or Lancis Stratos they are not. They're kind of a mashup between a 1979-1993 Fox-body Ford Mustang and mid-'80's Nissan Sentra. And then given a haircut of questionable quality. 

Prior to becoming part of Fiat in 1969, Lancia built beautiful, hand-built cars that were expensive and, no surprise, they weren't profitable. After taking over the cash strapped company, Fiat attempted to mainstream the brand with the front-wheel-drive Lancia "Beta", in 1972. The Beta was available as a sedan, wagon, coupe and a 2+2, retractable roof two-door known as the "Spyder" in Europe. It was known as the "Zagato" over here to help differentiate it from the Alpha Romeo Spyder. As if the Alpha Romeo Spyder wasn't for sale in Europe at the time but, I digress. 

Fiat chose the name "Beta" to highlight a new beginning for Lancia, the founder of Lancia, Vincenzo Lancia, was fond of using letters from the Greek alphabet to name his cars. They avoided using "Alpha" to avoid confusion or legal issues with Alpha Romeo. Lancia, along with Fiat, has been part of Stellantis since 2021. 

The Beta Zagato's started out at the Lancia plant in Turin, Italy as Beta coupes. The unpainted bodies were shipped to the Zagato coachbuilding plant in Milan where their craftsman sliced, diced and hacked them into convertible form using blueprints drawn up by the legendary Italian design house Pininfarina; seems everyone has a bad day at the office every now and then. The semi-completed cars were then shipped back to Turin for final assembly. 

This isn't a full or "true" convertible. The roof over the driver and front seat passenger is a removable fiberglass panel while the rear window folds down leaving the center pillar intact like a basket handle. The window frames for the doors remain in place as well. 

Reminds me of a 1990-1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass with its top down. Unlike the Zagato, though, the basket handle on the Oldsmobile wasn't structural, the door handles for these cars are above the doors in the center post. Bonkers. 

Fiat\Lancia was concerned that in the all-important U.S. market, increasingly stringent rollover safety standards would eventually ban convertibles here, hence, the off-beat chopped top. Of roughly 9,600 built, less than 2,400 were shipped to North America. Seems all the effort was for relative naught. 

Aside from appearing somewhat unconventional, I'll stop short of saying "weird" like the Olds Cutlass was, and subjective as that is, these cars have their upsides. They feature a fully independent, MacPherson strut suspension, four-wheel-disc brakes, and all came with a 5-speed manual transmission in a day and age of four-speed gearboxes; there were no automatics. Fiat's excellent iron block, aluminum head, 2-liter, double-overhead-cam, inline four-cylinder engine is under hood, on this Marketplace find, it has fuel injection helping it make 108-horsepower, a thirty-percent bump in power compared to the 83-horsepower versions with a carburetor.

Weighing in at 2,760-lbs, contemporary road testers recorded Zagato's going from zero-to-sixty in around 13.5 seconds, knocking down the quarter mile in 19.2. Slow then, glacial now. Their handling was lauded although the driving position was cited for being awkward, tiring even. 

Legend has it that Russian steel was used for the bodies, steel that was thin, of poor quality and stored improperly. Therefore, Zagato's had a reputation for premature rusting that was so bad, Lancia bought back many cars from customers and gave them new ones. They probably weren't Zagato's as Lancia stopped making them after 1982. The Russian steel angle is somewhat unsubstantiated, one thing for certain, though, Zagato's tend to be rust buckets. 

This one though, for sale in the heart of the rustbelt, appears to be remarkably clean. It's not without its problems, though. For $8,990, you get a car that runs only with an external fuel supply, you'd think for that number of Euro's, they'd have sorted that out for the potential buyer. Then again, finding a mechanic or tech who'd go near it around here are hard to find, My mechanic, who specializes in imports, wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pasta noodle. The seller is willing to work with a buyer for shipment anywhere in the world. 

Fun fact, 1981 Zagato's were the last Lancia's imported to the United States. 

 

A 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato. Red with a black leather interior. 86,000 original miles. A very nice and straight boy. The original paint is old and there are some blemishes as you can see in the pictures. Completely rust-free undercarriage. The original interior shows well, the targa top and the rear folding top are both in good shape. Mechanically the engine runs with external fuel supply, needs fuel system to be revised. It was off the road for some years. A rare, and excellent original car, needing work. Any questions welcome. (We can help to make arrangements for worldwide shipping.)

Built from 1973 to 1984, designed by Pinnanfarina, built by Zagato. ? total of 9390

Only the US received the 120BHP 2.0ltr fuel injected Aurelio Lampredi designed engine, with everyone else getting the carburettor version. Indeed the car was referred to as the Spyder Zagato in the US, to help differentiate it from the Alfa Romeo Spider.

All of which are noted rust prone areas on the Lancia Beta (and the Fiat x1/9 as

1964 Imperial Crown Coupe - Mid-Century Design at Its Finest

Popular between the end of World War II and approximately 1970, mid-century modernism emphasized functionality and minimal ornamentation. Coincidentally or not, given that I was born during that swath in time, I'm a huge fan of its zeitgeist. Not surprisingly, I'm a huge fan of this 1964 Imperial Crown Coupe that in my opinion, embodies the spirt of that mid-century ethos like few other cars do. 

The 1964 Imperials were the first Chrysler's designed by Elwood Engle after he left the Ford Motor Company following a 1961 design department power struggle. Engle, arguably most famous for designing the seminal 1961 Lincoln Continental, was immediately tasked by his Chrysler bosses to draw up an Imperial that would not only be the equal if not superior of anything from Cadillac and the Lincoln Continental he created but an American Rolls Royce. 

Taking more than a page or two from his Continental playbook, Engle came up with a car that was, dare I say, a better-looking Lincoln Continental than the Lincoln Continental was. Better looking than anything Cadillac was doing at the time too. 

Not to be outdone, though, Cadillac and all GM full-size cars were all new for 1965, GM designers cribbing a line or ten from an Elwood Engle Ford and Lincoln. Especially it seemed was particularly guilty of that. With nominal updating, Lincoln kept Engle's Continental around through 1969. 

From 1955 to 1975, "Imperial" was the Chrysler Corporation's top-of-the-line brand they marketed above their Chrysler line. From the company's founding in 1926 through 1954, "Imperial" was an on-again, off-again nameplate for Chrysler usually denoting their Chrysler division's most prestigious models. Starting in 1955, Imperial was its own make with models that were separate from anything else Chrysler made. 

As a division, Imperial sold about half as many cars each year as Lincoln did and a tenth of the sales of Cadillac. That due in equal parts to an underdeveloped brand image and competing in an all too narrow market niche dominated by Cadillac. 

Shame too since Imperials, for the most part, were spectacular. The '64-'66's my favorites, the hardtop Crown Coupe my favorite-favorite; there isn't a bad line on these cars inside or out. Therefore, these cars were damned for what they weren't, that not being a Cadillac or a Lincoln for that matter, their handsome design notwithstanding. Which, in my opinion, again, is highly underrated. 

This one is for sale Blackhorse Motors in Massillon, Oho, about an hour-and-a-half's drive south of us on the west side of Cleveland. Asking price is $11,000. Quite reasonable if you ask me. A 1964 Cadillac or Lincoln Continental in this condition would go for at least twice that. 

The hyperbolic copy for the ad for the car on the Blackhorse website claims the car is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. The finish seems a bit worn, though, you'd think the dealership would have "buffed it out" to a showroom shine if it was that good. Maybe they tried. "Patina" can be a wonderful thing, dropping $11,000 on a sixty-two-year-old Imperial and then having to paint it makes it not the bargain it would have seemed at first. I put this through the filter of what my wife would think if I dropped eleven-large on this or any old car then told her it needed a $10,000 paint job. She wouldn't be happy. 

Things get a tad funky under the hood. The 413-cubic inch, Chrysler "RB" engine this was born with has been replaced with a god's-green-earth, Chrysler "440", the engine that replaced the 413 in Chrysler's engine portfolio in 1967. There's no information in the ad about what year this engine is or what if anything has been done to it. The Edelbrock air cleaner and after-market valve covers may be all for show. 

1964 was the last year for the push-button transmission gear selector for the Chrysler "Torque Flite" on these cars. Unnecessarily complicated, fussy and problematic, the buttons were gone for 1965 replaced with a dutiful column shifter. To me, the push-button transmission enhances the mid-century-ness but then again, I love a quirky old car with goofy, non-sensical gimmicks. Problem is when they break or stop working, like you know they will, good luck getting them fixed. Parts are hard to find too. 

Unlike Dodge, Imperial, like Plymouth, never had its own stand-alone dealership network, Imperial's lumped together with Chrysler and Plymouth models in the same showrooms. Can't say for certain that hurt sales, but I have to imagine a buyer or ten thousand went into an Imperial-Chrysler-Plymouth store to look at an Imperial, and drive home in a equally equipped and less expensive Chrysler New Yorker. Or a Plymouth Fury III or VIP for that matter. 

1980 Lincoln Continental Mark VI - Hot Rod Lincoln

The Ford Motor Company had literal and figurative big brake shoes to fill when they introduced their downsized Continental Mark VI for 1980. The "VI", like the 1980 above I found on Facebook Marketplace, replaced, the 1977 to 1979 Mark V, the largest and best-selling Mark of all time. 

Contemporary road test reviewers weren't enthralled with the new "little-big-car", which, at 216-inches long, 78-inches wide and weighing more than 4,200-pounds, wasn't "small". They did note improvements in handling, braking and packaging, though. They also noted that the VI had as much cabin and trunk space as the V despite being more than a foot shorter, two-inches narrower and being 800-pounds less heavy. Despite the damning with faint praise accolades, and designers following marching orders making sure the VI had every ersatz and baroque bauble and bit the V had, sales of VI in 1980 were approximately half of that of the 1979 Mark V.

So, why did the Continental VI sales implode? It wasn't because the car wasn't as big as the V; we need only to look at the 1976 Cadillac Seville and 1979 Cadillac Eldorado for proof that size only matters so much to luxury car buyers; if the design has the je ne sais quos well-heeled buyers crave, regardless of the size of the vehicle, build it and they will buy it. The problem with the VI is that it looked like a "wannabee" or facsimile of a Mark V as opposed to being its own unique design. 

Say what you will GM hatahs, but the 1979-1985 Cadillac Eldorado looked nothing like the brutes it replaced, and it was the best-selling Eldorado of all time. The relatively diminutive 1976 to 1979 Seville was a watershed of sedan design as well while having little in common with any Cadillac before it. Although you can't argue with their logic, The Ford Motor Company tried to take the "easy way out" and got their trunk hump caught in the trunk lid. 

In a vacuum, though, and this is an easier pill to swallow all these years later, the Mark VI isn't a bad looking car; this one for sale outside Detroit with an asking price of $6,000. Seems a grand or two north of what I'd hit up my ATM for, but you do get a pretty clean VI that's got some interesting easter eggs hidden in it.  

The aftermarket, speed-o-meter blocking, steering column mounted tachometer and full, Autozone-equse gauges tell us something may be stirring under this car's gigantic hood. Seems I didn't snag the only engine picture in the posting (the car has been sold), but it showed the engine this car came from the factory with, either a Ford throttle-body, fuel-injected 302-cubic inch V-8 or 351-cubic inch engine with a "variable-venturi". 2-barrel carburetor. was tossed for the "low-output" version of Ford's 1986 circa, port-fuel injection "5.0" V-8. Big deal, right? 

Poster of the ad claims the engine has Brodix 171cc heads, those are not cheap, Ford Racing lifters, Manley pushrods, JP Performance timing chain and, oh yeah, a 125-horsepower, "cold fusion" wet nitrous kit. Talk about a literal hot-rod Lincoln. 

Not sure why someone would do all that, I wouldn't but I bet this car goes like stink in a straight line. I'd have gone the late 1980's, junkyard Ford Mustang GT "5-Point-Oh" route to make this a "Hot Rod Lincoln" but that's just me.  

Fun facts, all Marks through 1985 cars were technically not "Lincolns" but rather "Continental's". From 1986 through 1999, the "Continental" nameplate was dropped, the then current Continental Mark VII became the "Lincoln Mark VII". Subsequently, the 1993-1999 Mark VIII was the Lincoln Mark VIII. Yes, there was a Continental Mark VI four-door sedan that rode on a three-inch longer wheelbase and was 219-inches long. 

Sales never improved through the VI's truncated production run through 1983. The 1983-1992 Mark VII didn't either for that matter. Same for the 1994-1999 Mark VIII.