Some of the most popular cars that left the Ford factories in the 1960s and 1970s carried the names of Torino, Fairlane, Fairlane 500, Fairlane GT, Torino GT, Cobra, Talladega, Thunderbolt, Torino Brougham, Torino Squire, Torino Sport, and Elite. Prior to the 1962 Ford model year, the Ford Fairlanes were full size automobiles. That all changed when the Ford Motor Company decided that America needed a resized Ford that fit between the compact Falcon and their full-size Galaxies, and thus was born the new mid-size Ford Fairlanes. Those new Fairlanes would be joined by the upscale Torino models in the 1968 model year and over the course of fourteen years from 1962 through 1976 Ford would ship over 5.25 million of these cars. including one for this author. Right from the start these Fairlanes and Torinos were designed and equipped to appeal to a wide range of customers; from the cost conscious customer who liked the "Plain Jane" basic Fairlane sedans to the Torino buyers who liked the upgraded trim and convenience items found in their Broughams, Sports, GTs, Squires, and Elites. In addition, Ford offered a wide range of performance oriented Fairlane GTs, Thunderbolts, Torino GTs, Cobras, and Talladegas equipped their 289 "Hi-Po," 351, 390, 427, 460,428, and 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra engines.

For Ford enthusiasts, the 1960s and 1970s were loaded with interesting cars and trucks that we fondly remember now. In this book we will cover all the different mid-size Fairlane and Torino models that Ford offered from the very first models built for 1962 as well as the last models built here in the United States in 1976. As a bonus we will also cover Ford's racing history from that period when modified Fairlane and Torino models were racing and winning on tracks from coast to coast and helping to promote the performance image of these special Ford cars.