Auction Gold: 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

By Arison Knapp - January 5, 2016

NASCAR in the 1960’s was an era Ford dominated and where hot muscle car prototypes were fired out from Detroit yearly like this 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra. This production prototype Torino King Cobra is making the news this week for it’ll be crossing the auction block at Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee this month. It was going to be the next royal prince of NASCAR in the early 1970’s but development was stopped early on for it’s shortcomings. Join me as I touch upon some interesting selling points about this almost-unattainable Bright Yellow painted Ford Torino King Cobra NASCAR production prototype that soon could be in your garage.

By the early ‘70’s the Mopar boys were bringing heat to the NASCAR track in the form of advanced aerodynamics from the Daytona and Road Runner to combat Ford’s dominance. Ford got wind of these Mopar wedge-nosed warriors and decided to take their designs in that extreme aerodynamic direction. What you see above is a Ford GT40 inspired nose with a slightly sleeker Torino rear bolted to a Torino platform.

It’s almost like the designer had an amazing look in mind and out came an unfortunate example of what he expected, in my opinion. The ugly cheap-looking headlights do not compliment the smooth and tight coupe profile. Though the King Cobra’s aerodynamic appearance was it’s future concept prowess, it was also it’s downfall. The front end proved to have an major 200 pounds of downforce at speed though the rear caused massive lift. This aerodynamic lift at the rear was too unmanageable in corners and NASCAR test drivers couldn’t even keep wheels in contact down the straightaways. After testing and new management Ford cancelled the production and racing King Cobra project.

The King Cobra strikes the streets with a potent Cobra Jet Ford V8 spinning through a 3-speed auto sending out 370 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque to the rear-wheels. It has a ridiculously low 831 original miles on it. It should be a joy to drive as it has power steering and brakes for maximum performance. Mecum reported the exterior isn’t in perfect showroom quality so I imagine the engine will need tuning as well if used as a weekend toy. At roughly $500k on the low end of the auction spectrum I would imagine this to be a showroom model, not a weekend event car.

This Ford Torino King Cobra production prototype is claimed to be the only one in existence with a factory VIN. It’s three owners have all documents and even the bill of sale showing options, dealer and maintenance. I was surprised to see all the creature comforts in this prototype like A/C and power windows. We haven’t even covered half of the juicy info about this one of a type Ford. So click through to the Mecum website for your chance to bid. How much you bid up to acquire this rough gem? Have you been a fan since you were little? Share with us if you know some crazy details about this rare find.