1 Of 15: 1970 Ford Torino Type N/W
Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for regional car dealers to lobby their manufacturer for a special edition just for their area. One such example is the Ford Torino Type N/W which was intended for the Pacific Northwest Region (Northern California, Oregon & Washington). 601 copies were intended, 395 produced, and only 15 with the 351 4-barrel V8 like this one. This rare car is located in Shingletown, California (east of Redding), and available here on eBay. The bidding is up to $3,650 with an unmet reserve, but there is a Buy It Now option of $12,000, so the reserve is probably near that.
The second generation of the Ford Torino debuted for 1970 and was sleeker and leaner than its predecessor. This made it a great choice for a regional promotional car. After the Oregon Ford Dealers Association saw the “California Special” edition that Ford did with the Mustang, they lobbied for what would become the Torino Type NorthWest (N/W). The N/W was largely a decorative package, available in just three colors: Pacific Blue, Washington Green, and Oregon Orange. These were Grabber colors with regional names. They came with a black matte hood and locking pins, body-colored sport mirrors, rally-style wheels with trim rings, and special N/W graphics. While 601 were envisioned, just 395 were made.
The breakdown of the 395 cars produced is as follows. Mechanically, 374 came with the basic 302 V-8, while 15 (like the seller’s) had a 351 and six others had a 429 under the hood. 177 of the N/W’s were painted Pacific Blue, 142 (like the seller’s) were finished in Washington Green and 76 wore Oregon Orange. The seller thinks that maybe just five of the cars came equipped like his and how many of those have likely survived?
(Sources: Drivertribe.com and Americancarcollector.com)
This 1970 N/W is original and needs restoration, according to the seller. We don’t see much evidence of rust in the photos supplied and one part by the right front fender has been primed. The matte black hood is starting to show a little patina of its own, aka surface rust. But there are a lot of shadows in some of the pics, so we can’t be sure if there is more. And we don’t know about the undercarriage.
The interior looks well-used for its nearly 90,000 miles, with most of the wear apparently with the front seat. The back seat looks good, as well as one door panel and there may be a crack in the dash pad. On the bright side, the seller says the car runs and drives great, so hopefully, the 351 won’t require any attention. “Drive it while you fix it” is the seller’s mantra.
Hagerty places the resale value of a 1970 Ford Torino a between $7-24,000, depending on condition and equipment. But since this is a special edition car, you would think it would command a bonus. The seller’s Buy It Now price of $12,000 might turn out to be pretty much on the money.
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Comments
No mention of a Marti report, that costs $$, but would back up the claim of low numbers. I get the N/W is low production, I’m sure that is published on the internet, (N/W production numbers as a whole) and I vaguely remember one of these featured in a muscle magazine.
This is neat and deserves some love, and the Marti report tells the potential buyer they will have “#of#”.
Paperwork, any valid paperwork on a classic vehicle, can get a buyer excited and excitement usually means more $$.
Bottom line: due diligence.
Update: Marti report is now in the auction picture lineup! Woo who! Let the bidding commence…
While waiting for the seat covers, a black towel for the seat bottom would be in place.
I have seen many decent results using a spray can (see YouTube,) so why not try it on the right front corner?
And, would you paint the tail panel black like the HP models? Or replace it with a black one and save the original?
I have a thing for low production models. This would fit that bill.
WoW! I haven’t seen one like this since our friends in Adams,Or had theirs. Bought new and kept in immaculate condition the elderly couple drove it ever so slow on the highway barely going 50mph. Theirs was a 302 and three speed on the tree. Charlie would laugh saying none of the young kids could drive it so they stopped asking to buy it. I could drive three on the tree but the car was passed on to family members upon their passing in the late eighties. I didn’t know they were regional cars and I do not recall seeing the Graphics on the car either. Black hood and pins sure had them. Theirs was green and black.
I read the article and it is a cool story and a cool car!! No mention of the transmission at all!! It would be nice to know what that is!! I’m assuming it’s an automatic from the pictures!! It would also be nice to know if it had a posi rear and what gears are in there!! To me if the car just has a unique color and some graphics but no go fast parts that make it a little more of a performer then the standard Torino then it’s really not worth extra money!!! In my opinion!!!!
FMX automatic transmission, 3.00 gears in the rear, that trans and the year it was built tell me it’s a 351 Cleveland, missing a belt it looks like, and as you said not a barn stormer in the performance but the potential was there. Nice looking car, that’s for sure, I’d like it better with torque thrusts or some nice period correct hot wheels, and a healthy sounding exhaust.
The 351 Cleveland with a 4 barrel had 300hp in 1970. I’m sure that moved this along pretty well.
I’ve always thought this generation of the Torino was the best looking , but the interior and dashboards were about as exciting as a taxi’s
Hmm, not seeing the “1 of 15” in the Marti Report. I’ve never actually seen a 302 in one of these – though have heard of the bigger engine.
The first car I owned? A “Pacific” or Grabber Blue Torino Type N/W, with a 351 Cleveland, top loader 4 speed, “side to side” tach, and nothing else – manual / manual / AM / tach / Type NW / Stop. I grew up, and still live in Oregon, so these cars are not unusual to see – and I’ve seen dozens with the 351 over the years. They truly are plainer than a goats rear, but man was it fun to drive with the 4 speed, 3:80 gears, and Cleveland. Passed everything but a gas station, surprisingly quite a few are still around – I passed on buying mine back a few years ago. If you google Torino Type NW and look at videos, there’s a couple of mine, sans hood and front fenders when the then owner got it running and moving again. I was able to ID it from the license plate. Cool find? Sure. One of 15? Maybe identical to it, one of one with that serial #, aren’t they all? :-)
Please let me know what diet the previous owner was on, so I can avoid it. The drivers seat looks nasty