Turning Heads: Carlos Tantalean’s One-Of-A-Kind 1969 Ford Torino

To have a custom vehicle is to have something no one else has. Countless individuals build vehicles they consider custom or unique each year, basing their idea of customization that no two vehicles have the same combination of bolt-ons, suspension components and powertrain options.

But if you truly want “custom” in the automotive world as we now know it, you’ve got to look a little bit harder, diving into the realm of custom metalwork, one-off components and innovative technology that hasn’t become mainstream in the custom car world.

Dubbed “Shadowless,” this incredibly custom 1969 Ford Torino is a unique attention-grabber — not because it’s over-the-top, but because the customization is so subtle in areas, you really have to dive in deep to appreciate it all.

For Carlos Tantalean, that’s exactly what he got and more with the build of his incredible 1969 Ford Torino dubbed “Shadowless.”

Built by B-Line Auto Company of Norfolk, Nebraska and based on a rendering done by Eric Brockmeyer for the owner, this 1969 Ford Torino was a 7-year project in the making. Tantalean bought the car as a project virtually bone stock and did a few modifications along the way, only to step the project up big time in the latter half of 2015. The rest is history, or so they say. In this case, however, the rest is innovation and customization at its finest!

Once the car was shipped off to Nebraska, it was completely stripped down and sandblasted. From there, the true artistic work began, with B-Line putting in extensive hours on the metalwork to retain the classic Torino shape with subtle changes.

Things like a small chop, widened body and hand-formed wheel openings and flares are just some of the custom metalwork that sets this car apart from the rest while not taking away from its classically good looks.

Debuted at the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Shadowless was in the works for seven years and finished just hours before being shipped off to the show grounds.

The car also features a unique front grille, customized rear taillight panel, and a one-off metal hood with a functional scoop and air vents to keep the boisterous engine as cool as possible. Shaved side trim and rear gills, as well as shaved door handles give the car an even sleeker look, while touches like the rear bumper valance with center-exit exhaust, chin spoiler, flush-mount glass and flush-mount bumpers give the car th streamline the look.

Literally every body panel, gap and component was massaged and perfected on the car to allow for the classic aesthetics to shine through while being completely custom at the same time.

No panel, component or body gap was left untouched on this fully custom muscle car.

The car is finished off in in a full Cromax Basecoat/Clearcoat paint scheme from Axalta with the car’s main color being “Shadowless Gray” with a blacked-out hood and rear tail panel inner. It is topped off with just enough brightwork from Ogden Chrome and subtle “Shadowless” name badges like on the rear decklid release and center caps of the wheels.

Inside, the Torino features a fully custom interior done by Recovery Room Hot Rod Interiors with immensely bolstered bucket seats done in buckskin-colored leather with gray perforated inserts, a matching custom-wrapped dashboard with a Zada Tech virtual gauge system, and a custom center console featuring a touch-screen control system, which can operate everything from the car’s security system to the Vintage Air air conditioning. Everything except for the door pulls is electronically controlled from one of the two touch-screens in the car.

Sleek and void of all the clutter, the Torino’s interior may look simple but it’s one of the most capable automotive cockpits we’ve seen!

The car’s steering wheel is fully custom – more reminiscent of an aviation control than of a standard a steering wheel. Integrated into the wheel are paddle shifters for easy gear shifts on and off the track. Other interior features include Slam Stop door closures and a full Kicker Audio stereo system with touch-screen navigation.

 

Who could resist taking a peek under that massive hood, especially with a fully massaged Robert Pond Motorsports V8 waiting for you?!

High-tech and extremely custom, one could only expect the performance components of the powertrain to be just as impressive, and the Torino certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Powering the Torino is one heck of a powerplant, built by Robert Pond Motorsports – a custom built, 427ci aluminum Ford FE type motor massaged out to a massive 482ci.

Sporting stacks up top, custom headers, a Magnaflow-equipped exhaust and all kinds of other performance goodies, this beast puts out right around 650hp and 625lb-ft of torque. Behind the massive motor, you’ll find a Tremec automatic with a MasterShift electronic paddle shift system.

482 cubic inches, 650 horsepower, and 625 pound-feet of torque? Yes Please!!!

Underneath, the Torino is outfitted with a completely custom suspension system built with superior handling and ride quality in mind. The system is topped off with RideTech ShockWave air ride technology for even more of a “rides like a Cadillac” feel, as well as for getting the perfect stance no matter where the car goes.

Wheels on the car are 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) Forgeline center-lock Grudge wheels finished with Gunmetal centers and polished outers, and paired with Forgeline’s Flush-Loc conversion kit. The Forgelines spin 275/30/19 and 345/30/20 Michelin Pilot Sport tires front and rear respectively, with Mustang S550 discs leading the charge for the car’s braking system.

The center-lock Forgelines wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber were an integral part of the Torino’s build.

An amazingly custom piece of rolling art, Tantalean’s Torino is one like no other we’ve seen. Fraught with top-of-the-line technology and performance components, there’s no telling where this Torino will go in the future, but we know where ever it ends up, be it on the street, at the track or on the car show scene, there will be nothing like it around!

For more photos of this impeccably built Torino, be sure to check out the Rod Authority Photo Gallery below!

Photo gallery

VIEW FULL GALLERY >

About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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