On top of numerous limited and special edition models offered to the American public, Ford also produced a handful of lesser-known local variants such as the High Country and California-spec Mustangs. After the immense success of the Dearborn brand tapping its Kansas City dealer network to promote its Mach 1 Mustang, the midwestern city’s dealerships requested that the Blue Oval deliver a 90 unit order of Torinos that would be sold through the same Twister Special promotion behind the Mach 1s.
Powered by a Rochester 4-barrel carb-fed 429ci (7.0L) Cobra Jet V8 engine, the limited-edition American muscle car sported a slew of upgrades over the base model Torino including custom color-keyed racing mirrors, Firestone Wide Oval “polyglas” tires, rear-window Sport Slats, front and rear spoilers, and a race livery based on that of the Mustang TS. Of the 90 specimens produced, only 30 examples were built with a four-speed manual transmission, one of which—a matching numbers Torino TS that’s been restored to its original factory spec—is slated to cross the auction block at Mecum’s upcoming Kissimmee auction in early January. Part of the prestigious Larry Carrell Collection, this 1970 Ford Torino Twister Special is expected to fetch between $200,000 to $250,000.
