Save for Lincoln's 1970-1973 Continental Town Coupe, there isn't a Ford from the '70's we'd take over GM's crummiest ride from the same era. Alright, maybe a 1970 Ford Mustang but in our book that was a '60's design. We like the Continental Mark V and we'd take most Chrysler's too but anyways, much in the same way you can't help but look at a fat man in red tux, cars from the 1970's, regardless of what they are, grab our attention and take us back...back...back. So our brown on brown on brown 1973 Ford Gran Torino here gets points for no other reason than it's old and in apparently very good shape.
Starting in the late sixties but especially in the early seventies, Ford, in particular but GM and Chrysler were guilty of not responding either, dumped on consumers a series of forgettable, sloppily assembled, poor performing gas guzzlers the likes of which had never been sold before in this country. The big losers where American car buyers who really had no alternatives. That was until the OPEC embargo of November 1973 changed everything forever and eventually, for "good".
Ford's 1972-1976 "Gran Torino", not to be confused with a Ford's fabulous 1968-1971 Fairlane Torino, certainly had its flaws. Like most American cars of the time, it was inordinately large for no other reason than to be large and suffered from the lashes of burgeoning governmental regulations and an insolent insurance business. Thelatter taxing the daylights out of anything from anywhere that could be construed as a "performance car", the former requiring heretofore safety and tailpipe emissions regulations that strangled performance and fuel economy. 
Starting in the late sixties but especially in the early seventies, Ford, in particular but GM and Chrysler were guilty of not responding either, dumped on consumers a series of forgettable, sloppily assembled, poor performing gas guzzlers the likes of which had never been sold before in this country. The big losers where American car buyers who really had no alternatives. That was until the OPEC embargo of November 1973 changed everything forever and eventually, for "good".
Yes, these are the cars we grew up and while we're not proud of them, we find ourselves being overly understanding and apologetic (to a point) with regards to them. Like the way we cover for family members whom are less than perfect human beings. Hey, remember the time mom fell asleep with a lit cigarette in her and set the couch on fire? Sorry, we digress. Some memories, like big loathsome brutes like this Ford Gran Torino, are a part of us and we can't do anything about it.
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