Some enthusiasts might think that the Ford Torino and Fairlane are completely different. While they do share similarities, one would surge ahead of the other.
The Ford Fairlane and Ford Torino are often mistaken for rivals, proof that many motorheads are yet to discover that the two were cut from the same cloth. In fact, when the Torino name entered the scene, it was simply a trim level under the Fairlane lineup, before gradually edging its older sibling off the stage.
Suffice it to say, the two vehicles were mechanically similar, employing the same 116-inch wheelbase and sharing different body types. However, Ford marketed the Torino as a sleeker and sportie vehicler. By 1970, the Torino had built a name for itself, completely displacing Fairlane as Ford’s primary mid-size vehicle, and by 1971, relegating it to the past. This was during a time when consumer tastes for cars were shifting, moving away from raw muscle cars — which the Fairlane had versions of in the GT and GTA trims – to sleeker, more style-forward offerings.
Ford’s solution at the time? Give the Fairlane a stylish facelift and rebrand the higher-end models under the new Torino badge. In fact, when the 1968 Torino debuted, it was still a Fairlane copycat, only with a new name and better trim. It wasn’t until 1970 that the Torino outsold the Fairlane and pulled way ahead in identity, leaving the classic Fairlane to fade away quietly after.The Fairlane was Ford’s mid-size workhorse and muscle pony
The Ford Fairlane had established itself as a reliable mid-size vehicle by the early 1960s.
