Featured Ford Talladega nascar race car Prototypes Race Cars and Drivers

King Cobra Race Car

Richard January 24, 2013

1 69 Less than a minute

Last week we asked you about a 1970 Spoiler II prototype station wagon. This week I want to know what you think of this. I am sure this is not from Ford and most likely not even from 1969/70. However, it is a good representation of what the 1970 King Cobra NASCAR race car might have looked like.

To me, this looks like a 1:24 scale model but is very cool regardless. Can you just see David Pearson driving this in 1970? What would it look like in red and white with #21 on the side and Cale Yarborough over the driver’s door?

Richard

Some of my first and strongest memories from my childhood relate to cars. I still remember when things happened based on what car I was driving at the time. I grew up and lived in Iowa for nearly 40 years before moving to Southern California and now live in Tennessee. I was a Corvette fanatic for years but then re-discovered vintage American Muscle. My wife, Katrina, and I decided we wanted to focus on unique and rare muscle cars. After a lot of research we fell in love with the Ford Blue Oval Aero Cars. These were only built in 1969 and and aerodynamics became an important part of winning races. The only purpose of these limited production cars was to win NASCAR races using the Boss 429 and 427 power plants complimented with a special, wind cheating, aerodynamic body. The Ford Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II are terrific and historic cars. This site is devoted to these car and their owners past and present. We provide an Online Registry for recording the long term history and ownership of every remaining Talladega, Spoiler and Spoiler II.

One Comment

Carl Sharp says:

January 25, 2013 at 10:26 pm

I think that it would have needed some sort of rear spoiler. From everything that I have read, the front end of the prototypes created so much downforce that the rear tires became air born at about 200 mph. I don’t know if Ford would have used something similar to what was on the Spoiler II (an easy solution by using the corporate parts bin items) or if they would have gone whole hog with something more in line (and height) of what was on the MOPAR cars.

If I had been making the decision, I would have gone with the big wing, as the vertical supports doubled as a rear stabilizer (similar to the tail on an airplane).

It’s just a shame that the rear of the 70 was less aerodynamic than that of the 68 and 69 Fords. (Imagine what a Talladega, or a Spoiler II, with a King Cobra front clip, and a MOPAR style wing on the back might have accomplished…)

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