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Some muscle cars from the last century just stand out above the crowd. Others make a big splash, but only for a brief second. The ones that always come up when discussing classic muscle cars are the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Dodge Charger, and even the famous Chevrolet Chevelle. However, few other all-out muscle cars can put most of those notable vehicles to shame, like the race-ready 1969 Ford Torino Talladega. To say it was one of the fastest cars on the roads in ’69 is a stretch, but when tested on a racetrack, there wasn’t much that could hold it back. Here’s what you need to know about the Ford Talladega to understand why this car is so rare but so good.
10/10 Made For Only A Few Weeks In 1969
Side view of a 1969 Ford Talladega
The 1969 Ford Torino Talladega may not be a familiar name to anyone but die-hard racing fans because it was a vehicle built to dominate the NASCAR circuit. The thing with NASCAR is that one of the rules they have is that only cars designed to be driven on the streets can be used for circuit races. For this reason, the Ford Motor Company designed and built approximately 750 race-ready cars to sell to the general public, which took the company only a few weeks to build.
9/10 NASCAR-Ready Street-Legal Ford
Side and partial rear views of a 1969 Ford Talladega
The 750 or so cars built for the streets were more than enough to reach the goal set in 1969 of 500 street legal cars built to be eligible to race on the NASCAR circuit. At the beginning of the racing season, Talladega had an FE 427 side-oiling racing engine that brought the team much success. However, in the middle of the year, that changed. When the 429 Boss motor was good enough, Ford Talladega took advantage of it and replaced the original FE 427, but due to street legal rules, the only engine available in cars made for the general public was the 428 Cobra Jet.
8/10 NASCAR President Bill France Jr. Has Concerns
Front and side views of a 1969 Ford Taladega
In 1969 NASCAR’s president was Bill France Jr., and he had some concerns about whether Ford would build the 500 street-legal cars they claimed. Ford executives invited France to come down to the plant and sit by the exit where the cars came out so he could count himself. France did just that, but even though he did his own calculations and reached the number needed, it was said that Ford pulled a fast one on him by driving the same car through the tunnel several times, so it was counted more than once so they can reach the production numbers needed.
7/10 It Won More Races Than Expected
Side view of a 1969 Ford Talladega
The 1969 Ford Torino Talladega was designed for one purpose; to destroy the competition and take first place in the NASCAR cup car championship. It might seem a little strange to hear that the car won more races than the Ford race team thought, but that’s exactly what happened. For the 1969 racing circuit, the car won a total of 29 Grand National races and took home the 1969 Championship trophy for the NASCAR Cup Series and the ARCA racing series.
6/10 Named For The New Talladega Speedway
Front and side views of a 1969 Ford Talladega
Every hard-car NASCAR fan knows that the series has expanded and added new tracks to the circuit over the years. In 1969, construction of the new Talladega Speedway was completed. It was added to the ’69 NASCAR tracks, which is exactly why Ford named the newly designed race car Talladega. Since the company used the already-in-production 1969 Ford Torino, the Talladega designation was simply added to the end, creating a one-year phenomenon.
5/10 Aerodynamics Are A Big Part Of Talladega Design
Front and side views of a 1969 Ford Talladega
There is more to racing, and street driving, than speed and power. Without proper aerodynamics, air resistance will slow the car down, no matter how much power is under the hood. For that reason, Ralph Moody worked with Ford engineers at the Michigan Wind Tunnel to modify the 1969 Ford Torino to make it more aerodynamic, allowing the Talladega to fly around the track without the wind slowing it down. Obviously, it is impossible to completely eliminate air resistance, but the better the shape of the body, the less it will affect it.
4/10 No Race Ready Without Power Under The Hood
Side and partial top views of a 1969 Ford Talladega Engine
A race car is nothing without power, and neither is a street-legal muscle car. The motor that helped propel NASCAR teams to victory was the race-designed Boss 429, but the first to propel street racers to the finish line was the mighty 428 Cobra Jet. In ’69, it was a massive engine, putting out around 335 horses and a ground-pounding torque of 440 pound-feet. This engine could propel the car from 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds, and the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega could shoot down the quarter-mile track in just 14.4 seconds.
3/10 Rocker Panels Are A Secret Design
Side and partial front views of a 1969 Ford Torino Talladega
Race design teams are always looking for ways to gain an advantage on the track, which, often, will also benefit muscle cars on the street. In this case, while the engineers were in the wind tunnel, they found that they could create a more aerodynamic vehicle by making the rocker panels go up and down to create a “drop snoot.” This design made the car more aerodynamic and is said to increase the speed by 5 miles per hour, which equates to about 75 horsepower.
2/10 Common Equipment Is Not So Common
Side view of a 1969 Ford Talladega
Considering a car equipped with standard equipment, it is assumed that there is a bare-bones package. For most, that may be the case. But the 1969 Ford Talladega came with upgraded equipment that was standard for it but not for any of the other Ford vehicle lineups. The 1969 Ford Torino Talladega came straight off the assembly lines with an engine oil cooler, power steering cooler, staggered shocks, 9″ Ford rear-end with 3.25:1 gears, and a heavy-duty C6 automatic transmission. All of this is standard on the Talladega but must be special ordered as a “Drag pack” on all other vehicles.
1/10 Very Limited Edition Collectors Car
Front and side views of a 1969 Ford Talladega
Since the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega was only produced for one year, production numbers had to be low. It is claimed that 754 cars were produced, including all prototypes, production cars, speed cars, and a special production car made for the president of the Ford Motors Company. Unfortunately, only 750 are fully documented, so that’s the Torino Talladega’s official production number. That alone makes it a very expensive collectible muscle car, but when it is understood that there may be only 90 of the cars left today, the value of the car for collectors increases.
FAQ
Q: How much is a 1969 Ford Talladega worth today?
The best way to find the current value of a classic muscle car is to check out some of the latest auction results. In this case, the Ford Talladega sold for about $50,000, so it’s safe to assume that this amount is the car’s current value.
Q: How many Ford Talladegas were produced?
The official production number for the 1969 Ford Talladega was 750 cars, but some records show that the actual number produced was more like 754. Since the official documents only give 750, that’s production number most commonly used.
Q: How fast is the Ford Torino Talladega?
The official qualifying speed for the Ford Talladega is 190 miles per hour, with a track time of approximately 3 minutes and 15 seconds. On the street, the Talladega can run the quarter-mile track in under 15 seconds with a 0 to 60 time of 5.5 seconds.
Q: Was the Ford Talladega designed as a muscle car?
The quick answer here is no. It was designed to race on the NASCAR circuit, but due to the rules, Ford needed to build at least 500 street-legal cars, so the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega was built for the public markets.
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