SURREY, England – If you’re reading this, you probably consider yourself a Ford Guy (or Gal). Of course there are many subdivisions of this concept – Mustang Guy, Ford Truck Guy, Fairlane/Galaxie/Falcon/Model T/Model A Guy, Lincoln-Mercury Guy, ad infinitum.
And then there’s Torino Man. His name is Wayne Wisbey.
Wisbey is a born-and-bred Brit, originally from and still deeply connected to pastoral Surrey County, England. Wisbey is a deep and committed Car Guy (and loves motorcycles too, it turns out). He’s ridden off-road trial bikes all his life and currently tops his fleet with big-banger cruisers from Harley-Davidson, Buell, BMW, and others. Not to mention a handful of vintage tractors, with at least one of them a Fordson. He’s owned, bought, restored, and sold a lot of cars over time, but has settled on one particular brand of Ford, which you’ve by now guessed to be the Torino (and by extension, this includes various models of the Torino Estate (which we Yanks call a station wagon) and Ranchero.
And he currently owns six of them – only 1970 and ’71 models so far need apply, with one exception – that being his half-ownership of a ’73 Rancho split with longtime car bro Nigel Hutton. And again, with one notable exception, his Ford V-8 of choice appears to be the 351 Cleveland – and that big-inch exception turns out to be his black ’71 GT convertible packing an all-original, factory installed and documented 385 series 429 4-barrel. The ’70 Torino Cobra Ram Air is also a particularly tasty Blue Oval treat. All (but one) of these “magical half-dozen” Torino models are in exceptional if not virtually factory new condition; he doesn’t go in big for modifications, upgrades or aftermarket bolt-ons, save for the odd bit or bob here or there. His garage isn’t quite yet analogous to a Ford Parts Department, but it’s credible. Wayne and Nigel often visit the U.S. and occasionally these trips become parts-buying expeditions from dealerships, other collectors, Ford car owners and Ford Performance / Racing.
By now you’ve noticed this insanely cool garage complex that the “Torino Man 6” call home. Wisbey grew up on this very four-acre Surrey countryside estate where his mother, sister and one brother still live. The multi-bayed building you see in these photos was the property’s original stable, and long after the horses had gone, Wayne and his father decided to convert the structure into a proper garage. No small amount of work mounting super-secure garage doors, new roofing, lighting, electrical, and about 4 million pounds of posters, photos, calendars, hubcaps, signs, car parts, and other assorted ephemera. The space is a bit crowded, but casual and welcoming.
The cherry on top of the Casa de Torino cake? Wisbey and his mates are always fettling and cranking on their cars, so a legit shop was in order. Wayne being a bit of a wheeler dealer came across a forlorn four-poster lift in his travels, solid and complete but in need of mechanical freshening. Fortunately, the main building had an appropriately sized, flat rectangle of ground that would hold the lift just neatly, and of course the English countryside climate all but demanded the lift, tools and space be enclosed for security and all-weather working conditions. So Wisbey built a room around it. Using virtually all scrounged (excuse us, recycled) materials. By himself.
You may wonder a bit about him having a gold-and-brown mid-70s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow currently occupying the lift. It of course isn’t a Ford, and has no particular Ford relevance, but it is also Wisbey’s courtesy of a long and deep family connection to his childhood. What’s next on his Torino list? Wisbey admits that a Starsky-and-Hutch spec Gran Torino would fill out his roster nicely.
Above we referenced one Wisbey Torino that wasn’t exactly showroom fresh, that being a 1971 Country Squire edition that the boys call the Barn Find. It’s mechanically up to snuff and serves as all-around hauler and parts chaser. Its dark ivy green metallic paint is a bit scurvy, and the Dynoc fake wood trim dull and faded, so they’re hardly afraid to get it a little dirty. Wisbey admits that every time he hauls this sexy sextet out to a car show, it’s the wagon that garners the most attention and cell-phone photography.
Go figure.
FORD RACING PHOTOS / COURTESY MATT STONE, NIGEL HUTTON & WAYNE WISBEY
