Wanted: a 1968 Ford Torino.
Not just any Torino. The car being sought is a blue two-door hardtop sold by a guy named Thomas Carr Sr. around 2006 in Oceanside, Calif.
It may be somewhere in Minnesota. If so, Carr's grandson would like to see it again.
Doug Carr, who lives in Findlay, Ohio, has been searching for the Torino once owned by his grandfather with the hope of possibly buying it.
"It would remind me of my grandfather. He had an influence on my life," said Doug, 39.
His grandfather, a bus driver from Pittsburgh, bought and restored the vintage Ford in the 1990s with a friend shortly after he retired in California.
"He liked it from his youth, the look of it," Doug said. "It was something he had fun with."
Thomas Carr sent pictures of the car to his grandson. When Doug came to visit, they would wax the car and take rides together.
"This was a great source of pride for him," Doug said. "It kind of defined him."
Doug thinks his grandfather sold the car in about 2006 to a couple who had sentimental reasons of their own for owning a Torino. They used to drive in one when they were dating.
Thomas Carr died of cancer shortly after selling the car. A couple of years ago, Doug started wondering who owned the car now. Then he started searching for it, "just to learn if it's out there and talk to the owners a little bit," he said.
After calling state motor vehicle department officials, Doug said he believes the car — a GT model with a 200-horsepower V-8 — was registered in Minnesota.
That's why Doug's father-in-law started running classified ads for several weeks reading: "Grandson seeking to find grandfather's blue 1968 Ford Torino … any info please call 440-969-8131."
Mike Legg, Doug's father-in-law, owns a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, the same model vehicle he had in high school, so he knows what it means to have the right car for a drive down memory lane.
In response to the ads, Legg said he's gotten a handful of calls from people in Minnesota who have a Torino they're interested in selling, but not the one that Doug's grandfather owned.
Legg said if they are able to find the actual vehicle and the current owners were interested in selling, "We'd be interested in talking to them about it."
Doug said he didn't know how much the car would be worth, but online guides have estimates that range from $6,000 to $27,000 depending on condition.
Even if the car isn't for sale, Carr and Legg said they'd like to hear if it's still on the road.
"If all it means is Doug would have a chance to see it, that would be extremely meaningful to us," Legg said.
Richard Chin • 612-673-1775
