Ford Aero Cobra

[FootScoot]

I've seen pictures of that car years ago, and it's just plain butt ugly. I'm glad they never put them in production. I could just hardly stand the Talladega. Give the regular Torino Cobra for me please. :)

[Jesla]

Actually, it looks amazingly modern compared with todays blobby(aero) cars......

[buspor63]

So, that's the actual car, not a reproduction? Intresting story, one I may not have heard before. It was nice to see where Datsun came up with the look for the nose of the 240 Z though.

[Florida_Slotter]

Yep, the "Aero Wars" came right after the "Motor Wars" were put to bed by NASCAR's then Honcho, Big Bill France.

Chrysler came out with the Hemi and then Ford introduced the SOHC 427. Chrysler had "The Doomsday Hemi" ready to introduce when Big Bill waded into the fray and brought the troops around to his way of thinking. I do believe GM kind of had some influence in the decision as they had thrown up their hands and said they could not compete with these motors.

Phase II or "The Aero Wars" came into being when Dodge came out with the Charger 500. On the regular Charger then had a recessed rear window. This caused drag on the high speed tracks, so the Charger 500 came out with a flush mounted rear glass and a grill that was set even to the front edge of the hood, rather then being set deep as on the standard Charger of the day.

Ford countered with the Ford Torino Talladega and the Mercury Cyclone. Both of which were impossible to beat on the big tracks.

Dodge brought out the Charger Daytona in 1969 and even Plymouth was surprised. Seems as though "The Dodge Boys" had forgotten to inform their Plymouth brethren about the Charger Daytona. The brick like shape of the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner just could not compete with the Ford, Mercury or Charger Daytona. The top driver for Plymouth, Richard Petty, went over to the Ford camp in 1969, driving a Ford Torina Talladega.

In 1970, Plymouth got the parts from Dodge to build their Superbirds. From the A post forward, the Charger Daytona and Superbirds have the same sheet metal. Coronet front fenders, nose, hood and tire clearance rear facing scoops that mount on top of the fenders.

When Ford was discussing the introduction of the King Cobra, Big Bill once again got into the discussion. I guess he had some reasons for not doing that then either Ford or Chrysler could argue for doing it. So Ford put the idea to bed.

It was a FUN time in the early 1970's with regard to NASCAR.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

There was a lot more fun driving cars with those engines. When you felt a Hemi or a Boss engine winding up with your butt in the seat, you couldn't make yourself care about where or by whom they were also raced or what the outside of the car looked like. The hammering feel of a large displacement high compression engine is like nothing else I know of. I suspect that even a butt ugly car with the right engine and transmission would have sold just as well as the beautiful shapes once someone drove them. I certainly fell in love with the huge boat Mustangs (1971-72), when I drove one with a 351 Cleveland and a 4 speed Rockcrusher, and they were spectacularly ugly and uncomfortable to drive, not to mention you couldn't see out of them because they put the seats so low trying to make it feel like some kind of luxury land yacht. But about halfway through second gear, you were hooked on the feel of that car, and you got more aggressive the faster the engine spun. After that, I went right out and bought some Windsor heads for my 289 and a Rockcrusher to put behind it. My Mustang got very mean after that weekend. And I was broke for a year trying to pay for it!

[WB2]

One intrepid resin caster even has a 1/43 scale body of this car available.