TWENTY YEARS OF TORINO
1999 TO 2019
Rob Mumford first visited Argentina in 1990 on a backpacking trip with his brother and fell in love with Argentina’s passionate people and stunning landscapes. In 1998 he moved there to live and a year later spotted a sleek emerald green 1971 Ford Torino parked near his Buenos Aires apartment.
He ran home, grabbed a Post-it note, and scratched out a message: “Awesome car! If you are keen to sell, please give me a call on 4832-9444.” He stuck the note to the muscle car’s windscreen and crossed his fingers.
Rob received a call from the owner, Ruben, just a month later in October ’99 and they made arrangements to meet up. Ruben took Rob for a drive and although Rob didn’t get behind the wheel the Torino looked and felt great. A few days later a price was agreed and along with his father, who was visiting from New Zealand, Rob headed out to the suburb of Olivos to pick it up and hand over the cash. On the drive back into town a couple of people asked “What car is that?” and plenty of heads turned as they went by, confirming he’d made the right choice. That night Rob’s dreams of a Patagonia road trip flowed freely.
Rob’s first trip to the Atlantic coast of the Buenos Aires province in December ’99 was also his first ride on the back of a tow truck. He set out in the Torino travelling with his friend Richard and five-year-old daughter Nat. The 700km day trip to San Clemente and Mundo Marino was as great as it sounds but on the way back the battery slowly lost
