Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of the democratization of luxury in the late ’60s and early ’70s than this 1971 Ford Torino Brougham. Built the same year that Rolls-Royce went bankrupt and was purchased by the British government, the Torino marries the mass-market Blue Oval badge, made famous by the ubiquitous and utilitarian Model T, with the kind of high-end trappings long associated with far more expensive and prestigious marques like Rolls. Ultra-luxury and high wealth were out—comfort and style for the masses were in.
Ford itself may have kicked off the so-called “Brougham epoch” that lasted through the 1980s with its introduction of the full-size LTD for 1965. After equipping its standard Galaxie models with special trim and upholstery, plus so much sound deadening that contemporary advertisements called out Rolls by name, it was only natural that the midsize Fairlane/Torino line would offer something similar in an easier-handling, thriftier (or sportier, depending on one’s
