Spring “Halo” Edition: 1971 Ford Torino 500
To perk up sales interest in the Spring of 1971, Ford introduced the “Halo Torino’s” which were only on the assembly lines for three months. They were not “limited productions” except in terms of colors offered as 32,900 of them were built. In Medium Brown Metallic, this Torino is one of those cars and it has survived nicely as the seller makes no mention of any restoration work (though we see a new gas tank in one of the photos). Located in Farmington, New York, this beauty is available here on craigslist for $25,750. Thanks for this neat tip, T.J.!
The second generation of the Ford Torino was produced in 1970 and 1971, but it was a rebranded Fairlane which dated back to 1962 as a mid-size car. The styling was quite slippery and attractive, compared to the boxier shapes that came before and after. In early 1971, Ford announced a vinyl-roof option on the Torino 500 that were called “halo” editions because the vinyl material and chrome strips did not cover the entire roofline. Only three exterior/interior color combinations were offered with the one on the seller’s car being the most popular at 14,587 copies or nearly half of special production.
This Halo Torino was first sold in Asheboro, North Carolina and much of its service history has survived, at least from 1985. The most recent owner had the car for 35 years and only used it for show purposes. The body, paint, and interior are rated at 9.5 on a scale of 10 by the seller, so the automobile presents extremely well even though the odometer reading is approaching 100,000 miles.
Under the hood resides a 351 cubic inch “Cleveland” V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor and an automatic transmission. So, it’s no muscle car but should get down the road spritely. We’re told the Ford runs and stops well and needs nothing except a new place to call home. It’s never been in the snow or on salted roads and comes with a cover and some spare parts.
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Comments
Anyone who doesn’t like brown cars needs to see this. What a great-looking machine.
The 1970-71 Torino was a nicely-styled car. This example is clean and attractive. It’s not a muscle car but it doesn’t need to be.
Very nice Torino.Looks great in shades of brown.Interior is nicely done.
That one cream stripe in the middle of the backrest really makes it work. Nice car.
Downtown Brown 👍
Beautiful car,I used to own one. Hope somebody grabs it before a classic car dealer buys it and tacks on another ten thousand dollars to the selling price,that is happening a lot
Definitely one of Ford’s “Better Ideas”.
Sweet ride and the price is right!!
Halo, or toupe?
A single plane manifold and a 600CFM carb makes for major power increase on the Cleveland 2V engine.
This one has been around for a while for sale. I looked at it (online) a couple of months back and the price was less. Guess I should have jumped on it!
Nice example and agree, this was one of the era’s better bodystyles, esp for Ford IMO.
Even though this was listed some time ago, did it sell? I remain interested.
Thank you,