Most of us know the 1970 King Cobra was the car destined to replace the Talladega on the NASCAR tracks in 1970. Unfortunately, before the car could be completely tested and developed for the track Ford pulled out of all racing, and the development cars were sent to the storage bin. Each of the remaining cars had sketchy histories. Steve Honnell was at the right place at the right time to take one home.
It was back in 1970 while he was visiting Holman and Moody that his life-changing moment occurred. He asked the right question at the right time and became an owner of a King Cobra. He did some work putting the pieces back together and made it his daily driver! For the rest of the story check out this Uncle Tony’s Garage YouTube video.
Sadly, This video is chock-a-block full of misinformation and outright falsehoods. Take for example the claim that…somehow…a 1970 King Cobra nose was *bolted on to a 1969 Talladega* and then used to set new NASCAR speed records (at the one test conducted of a race spec King Cobra at Daytona in July of 1969….months before Buddy Baker broke the 200 mph barrier at Talladega later that year) Here are a couple of fun facts to keep in mind when considering the viability of the “207 mph” story. Width 1970 Torino: 76.8″; Width 1969 Torino (and Talladega): 74.6″ (Not to mention that the two cars had completely different body panels). Perhaps it was the extra body width and completely mismatched panels hanging out in the breeze that made the claimed hermaphrodite aero car so dog-gone (record setting in fact) fast . I am surprised Richard Fleener didn’t laugh out loud when Honnell was yarning. For any interested in the *actual* history of both the King Cobra program and the cars that Honnell has created (to Include the yell KC he assembled from pieces and the fake 1970 Spoiler II he built from air) I commend this thread at the Grand National Stock Car Racing History before 1972 FB site:https://www.facebook.com/groups/503948376298668/permalink/1759363910757102/