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I've posted this on torinocobra and Fordmuscle, but felt you guys need to see this crap.
Damn LA times, bashing the Torino.
I got pissed, fired off an Email to the author.
RE: comments on Gran Torino movie.
Dear Sir:
While you are simply just another movie critic, some "car guy" you really are.
Please research before you start mind numbing conjecture.
A novel concept of "Think! It might be a new experience!" might help you, so when properly writing an article, and save the mindless bashing one praticular vehicle or company. While I'd like to hope the people of the great state of California would honestly have good judgement, it seems quite the opposite for most of the media.
The 1972 Ford lineup had a completly re-engineered lineup in the intermediate class; they went away from the unibody design at that time, and went to body-on-frame construction, and the benifits were many-fold.
The body-on-frame construction enabled the engineers to better isolate any road noise, it was a good HD chassis that served many civic and government service positions.
The 1972 Ford Intermediate class line up, offer some things so many new cars can't even pretend to offer.
The choices in options, drivetrain selection, and comfort seems to quite exceed most new cars.
If you bothered to do proper research on the matter, the Torino out sold the closest competitors by a fairly large amount, the feedback at the time was noted in many of the magazines, I suggest also looking back to Car and Driver, September 1971. The press seems pretty happy with it.
Braking performance was one of the best out of comparable vehicles. Compared to newer vehicles with ABS, for such a "outmoded relic" as you like to infer, the performance is pretty damn good for a car weighing what it does, equipt with manual front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
As far as the handling, if these cars were optioned correctly with the maximum handling package, with the correct gearing, a 4 speed, and the quicker ration steering, these cars are quite able to handle any road...it's not going to be like driving a Porsche from the same era, but compare apples to apples.
Also, take a good look at the local Police next time you are out...most of our nation's finest depend on Crown Victoria's day in and day out and they seem to still be using the descendant of the Torino's full frame chassis.
I wonder why that is? Maybe because they are a durable platform that handles real service duty that most unibody cars seem to fold up under extreme use?
Then again, one could surmise, you probably prefer to wrapped up in a newer-model vehicle that seals out any possible experience of actually enjoying the drive in a car that does not look just the same vehicle next to you at the light.
Any way, have fun with the belly-button-bore-us-to death '69 Camaro, Toyota Prius, or other non-descript vehicle that you drive.
Andrew *
Omaha, Nebraska
Member of Fairlane Club Of America
Torinocobra.com
Fordmuscle.com
GranTorinoSport.org
eliteman76@*
------------------------------
I didn't send this to him, but something for all the guys on the Torino boards:
{If that upsets anyone, I'll take it down, but some how I don't think it will...}
And some of the ammusement at TorinoCobra.com forums:
Andy
Damn LA times, bashing the Torino.
I got pissed, fired off an Email to the author.
RE: comments on Gran Torino movie.
Dear Sir:
While you are simply just another movie critic, some "car guy" you really are.
Please research before you start mind numbing conjecture.
A novel concept of "Think! It might be a new experience!" might help you, so when properly writing an article, and save the mindless bashing one praticular vehicle or company. While I'd like to hope the people of the great state of California would honestly have good judgement, it seems quite the opposite for most of the media.
The 1972 Ford lineup had a completly re-engineered lineup in the intermediate class; they went away from the unibody design at that time, and went to body-on-frame construction, and the benifits were many-fold.
The body-on-frame construction enabled the engineers to better isolate any road noise, it was a good HD chassis that served many civic and government service positions.
The 1972 Ford Intermediate class line up, offer some things so many new cars can't even pretend to offer.
The choices in options, drivetrain selection, and comfort seems to quite exceed most new cars.
If you bothered to do proper research on the matter, the Torino out sold the closest competitors by a fairly large amount, the feedback at the time was noted in many of the magazines, I suggest also looking back to Car and Driver, September 1971. The press seems pretty happy with it.
Braking performance was one of the best out of comparable vehicles. Compared to newer vehicles with ABS, for such a "outmoded relic" as you like to infer, the performance is pretty damn good for a car weighing what it does, equipt with manual front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.
As far as the handling, if these cars were optioned correctly with the maximum handling package, with the correct gearing, a 4 speed, and the quicker ration steering, these cars are quite able to handle any road...it's not going to be like driving a Porsche from the same era, but compare apples to apples.
Also, take a good look at the local Police next time you are out...most of our nation's finest depend on Crown Victoria's day in and day out and they seem to still be using the descendant of the Torino's full frame chassis.
I wonder why that is? Maybe because they are a durable platform that handles real service duty that most unibody cars seem to fold up under extreme use?
Then again, one could surmise, you probably prefer to wrapped up in a newer-model vehicle that seals out any possible experience of actually enjoying the drive in a car that does not look just the same vehicle next to you at the light.
Any way, have fun with the belly-button-bore-us-to death '69 Camaro, Toyota Prius, or other non-descript vehicle that you drive.
Andrew *
Omaha, Nebraska
Member of Fairlane Club Of America
Torinocobra.com
Fordmuscle.com
GranTorinoSport.org
eliteman76@*
------------------------------
I didn't send this to him, but something for all the guys on the Torino boards:
{If that upsets anyone, I'll take it down, but some how I don't think it will...}
And some of the ammusement at TorinoCobra.com forums:
Andy
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