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The 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra concept was an experimental race car designed for NASCAR, but it never made it onto the track. Its unique long hood and inset headlights were an effort to be more aerodynamic and keep it competitive.
Plymouth planned to use the Daytona’s knife-edged nose and rear wing on its Road Runner and Larry Shinoda was tasked by Ford with creating a special aerodynamics treatment for the Torino to keep pace. His design included a fiberglass front clip to lengthen the nose. It looked the part, but made the car unstable at high speeds.
It created too much downforce at the front of the car and caused aerodynamic lift at the rear due to the Torrino’s concave back window. The problem showed up in testing and Shinoda and his team had possible solutions that never made it past the idea stage. Once it was determined that it would take sales of 3,000 units to recoup the $2,000,000 retooling costs, the King Cobra project was killed.
According to Classic Cars, the Torino was used by Ford executives and then rescued from the crusher by Ford race car builder and team manager Bud Moore. It has since passed through the hands of two additional owners and has only 831 miles on the odometer. Your chance to own this car comes in January when it goes up for auction through Mecum Auctions.
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