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Gran Torino 1972

A movie soon to be released "Gran Torino" opened up some memory bank of a ride which I had in this car. The car in it's day was a remarkable appearing car, and it say really stated by it's appearance total consumption. The ride I discuss is strictly by recall.

I was a kid of age who did not own a car. Before you get out the violin and play it for me, sometimes this allowed me to experience rides in a variety of cars. I was walking in my home neighborhood and there had been a slight drizzle. Back in the day when many cars leaked oil, I remember oil rain fed rainbows landscaping worn street asphalt, like a landscape surreal painting.

So there I am in my "Billy Jack" Levis blue jean jacket when along comes a neighborhood tough-guy, or at least he wanted to be, and he pulled up in his car next to me and offered me a ride in his car. Would you turn down a ride in a brand new 1972 Gran Torino? Lucky I did not own a car of my own. No sun was "out" but tough guy had on dark shades. So I hop in this ride. First thing you felt in this car was the enormous front seat leg-room. It must be like sitting in an airplane "First Class" so I thought. The vehicle's door must had weighed a ton at least to me. This vehicle by memory was a automatic transmission. No fancy stereo in it just an old Ford button type, perhaps related to the brand "Philco." In that time period if you wanted an FM radio you had to purchase a converter similar in principal to this new age "DTV" crap.

Tough guy floored the pedal, yes in a residential neighborhood and the streets being already slick did not grab the tires rubber. Smoke from rubber and friction white smoked the street though like a fog truck emitting mosquito killer. This Torino had a very short trunk, with a rear window made by today's standards not functional for visibility. The vehicle had two mirrors, one on each front side of the car. They were not plastic, like todays outside mirrors and probably weighed close to 3 ponds each. The back seat of this vehicle existed but "Pity the Fool" who had to sit back there.

You often saw this vehicle jacked up from the rear. The car was made more famous by a television show in the 1970's titled "Starsky & Hutch." The shows intro displayed a Torino in a chase scene. If memory serves me the car in this series was red with this crazy loopy stripe. Engineering concept for domestic "sports car"vehicle's back in the day were not made for efficiency. I do not know the meaning of the word "Torino" but "Gran" con-notates large or big. That this car was. From the back of a Torino if you saw one "fish tail" you would envision a boat on land. In fact if the car could float it could probably pull a few water skiers.

The power came from a velocity force huge engine with little compensation for rear weight. This was probably a car you do not drive in snow or ice unless you just do not care. This is one of those cars you do not see too much these days restored or not rusting in a junk yard like a dinosaur stuck in the tar-pits. It's one ride I won't forget, and did I mention this car's resurrection in the movie "Gran Torino" with Clint Eastwood? This movie will be an Eastwood classic, and the right car was picked for this movie. The Gran Torino was a dying breed of vehicle. If you see the movie and do not like it you will appreciate the car. Never again will they make one like it.