In the many cars that came through the yard when I was a kid, only a few really jumped out at me as being “good”. One of them was a gold 1972 Ford Gran Torino, the one with the formal roof line. It had slot mags, it had a 351 of some kind, and what little I remember of the car was that it would swing it’s ass end sideways at the tip of the throttle. Prior to the granting of my own driver’s license, I’m willing to bet that I did more drifting in that Gran Torino than any other car, save for maybe the Mercury Comet. It looked oddly tough…it wasn’t the first car I would’ve thought of as a solid choice but after a few rides, I was hooked. 
Aside from three high-profile Hollywood roles (the Starsky and Hutch car, Fenix’s Torino in Fast and Furious and Walt’s baby in Gran Torino), Ford’s midsizer all but lost it’s luster with the new-for-1972 body. 1973 was the last year the car could pass for handsome…sorry, Ford fans, but version with big bumpers at both ends was just bloated…and was the start of Ford’s acceptance of weight as an accepted trade-off in the name of inbound safety regulations in addition to the horsepower neutering that affected all manufacturers. 
So what makes a pretty blue Gran Torino Brougham worthy? The answer is simple: 351 Cobra Jet. 246 horsepower and 312 ft/lbs. of torque sounds like an all-out letdown compared to just a couple years prior, but a lot of that change came due to the switchover from gross horsepower ratings to SAE net ratings. It’s no 429 Cobra Jet, but the Q-code 351 won’t embarrass itself by any manner. Other than the wheels, tires and a re-worked vinyl top, the Gran Torino is left alone.
We can dig a nice, mild Day Two build, and if you really wanted to go back to the days of steel wheels and hubcaps, they are included in the deal. But why would you want to? The slot mags give the Torino a personality change. It’s like seeing the accountant in his suit leaving work, yanking the tie loose just a little. Day to day, he’s solid and reliable, but when work ends on Friday, you’re probably better off not asking what’s on the agenda.
Mecum Auctions’ Kansas City 2018: Lot T114 – 1973 Ford Gran Torino Brougham
Always liked the ’72 Torino but the ’73 nose just kills it. Convert it to ’72 nose and then the car is right.
Oh…so many ideas…so little money and time.
Found this article. Nice right up, this was my car.