http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970...SOLD-TO-BUD-MOORE-/221223402935#ht_500wt_1182 Saw this pop up and it really caught my attention!
No his car is Yeller and Automatic I believe We need Hillbillys input on this as I have a few questions: Is this the more desirable of the two because of the factory Boss 9 and 4 speed???? I know they are BOTH highly desirable cars but is this cars value a bit higher?? I know you cant put a price on prototypes and definitely not out of a 2 build run. Will Steve be making an inquiry on this car??? Was Steves car the one slated to be sold to the public 429 SCJ/ Automatic because they had to sell so many to the public to race them back then and was this Red one the Track version of the car that would have been raced with the Boss 9 and 4 speed?? Waiting on the history lesson
Yup, Dad's long nose is yeller with black interior and stripes. It also is a big shaft top loader 4 speed, not auto. Also has a two speed nine inch rear axel. Don't laugh, Ford really did build such a rear gear. Anyone here old enough to remember split-shifting a twin stick Mack big truck ? It's fun to pile out onto the interstate beside someone with a six gear Vette an' watch their face when they realise you can jump them even as you hit yet another taller gear. Suckers ! I will say this, Dad is in the process of converting the 427 Comet to a C-6 auto now that he has had that hip replacment. Says his reaction time is sufferein' and the C-6 with the low gear gearset from an AOD should keep his times up to par. His first auto drag car after all these years. I'd rather have the yeller one Bud got.
Each one had significant differences that made them fairly equal in value. My thought is that auction was just to feel out the economy knowing that dad turned down double that asking price not long ago. None were slated as production as yet as they were all fair game for speed testing. Marketing was waiting on approval from NASCAR, all were classed as prototypes. The only thing that managed to get in the early production cars was the glove box tire size sticker that showed the Boss-9 engine option. Cale took out the blue King Cobra by backing it into the wall at Talladega at nearly 200 mph. Dad's yellow car just started the warm-up lap when Bill France stormed out of the tower raising hell about them weren't production cars. He summarily banned the King Cobras and inflicted engine rules on Chrysler that killed their wing cars. That's how Dad's car got named "The Nuke that ended the AeroWars". The blue and yellow both went back to Holman/Moody where they sat untill Dad bought them. The battered blue car ended up on the Alabama dirt tracks and the yellow one got daily driver status for years. After seeing them banned, Bud Moore just sat on the two Ford gave him. A few more escaped the crusher thanks to Shinoda, he tipped Dad on where to find the Cyclone we restored and there's possibly three or so real ones still out there hidden. A white King Cobra ,one Ranchero, one Cyclone wagon, and one ragtop all Boss-9 motivated. Billy, remember me tellin you about what we found in that out of the way tornado magnet in lower Alabama ? That's why I said three. Oh yeah, that Street or Track counts only to the Boss-9's in the Mustangs. All the Torinos and Cyclones had the hotter "Track" version mostly outfitted with exotic parts not seen on any of the Mustang engines. The further you dig the more convoluted this trail get's.
Thanks for the lesson. I know back then they had to make some of them into production cars is why I thought Dads may have been the Production model and the one for sale the Track model. I know with the Talladegas they were all Automatics, I did not realize Dads was a 4 speed. I still want that Ranchero although I would never be able to afford it in this lifetime
Billy, the magic number was 500 for each model they wanted to race. Billy, these were to compete with Chrysler as GM had nothing that could stand up to such speeds and last 500 miles. Did you know there were only about 550 Dodge Daytonas and maybe 1950 Plymouth SuperBirds ? We know a boatload of those never saw a race track by the survivor numbers. That still isn't many considering the total production runs of the basic bodys used by Chrysler. Ford was well on the way to legalising a complete line of potental 200 mph cars the average redneck could afford when Big Bill dropped the hammer on the game. Mercury even had their upscale versions for the well heeled buyers. How long do you think that situation would have lasted ? I'm still amazed things got as far along as they did. Ford spent a ton just to have bragging rights then tossed it to the wind. History is surprising.
I just read about these in a book about "dream cars". I didn't know they actually made them! These are so awesome.
Interesting info, Hillbilly. Thanks for sharing. Those cars are definitely bad ass. I would have loved to see how the story played out if they would have actually let them go against the Superbirds. I am from Daytona, born a mile from the track. There was a local business just behind the airport in Daytona that had 3 old superbirds stored in the yard. One by one they disappeared (to be restored) until only one old rusted out green one was left - that was about 15 years ago. Every once in a while the owner would drive one of the restored ones in and park it in front of the business. I think the rust bucket has since been removed from it's resting place in that fenced construction yard. Oh, and back in the early 90's I used to play basketball with one of the France boys at a local park near the beach.
Funny thing how your subconscience works; I dreamed of these beauties last night... While looking at a Ranchero at our second Dawsonville Ranchero roundup, a yellowTorino with the aerodynamics frontend rounded the corner to take its` place in the show...
Watch it there Dennis, that might have been a preminition going on. Kellen, As Is was skeered to touch them the first time he seen em'. Now days I imagine he's afraid I'll ask him to wax them. They real and finger prints rub right off just like any other car. Jeff, I think you think like I do " Run what ya brung and hope ya brung enough " While I hated Big Bill's decision I also see his point. You had two major car companys slinging money like drunk sailors and truthfully quite a few guys got killed on the street in those Chrysler rockets. The Frances are good people but Bill had to be a hardass to stop what really was insanity. Cars capable of well over 200 mph on the street in the hands of guys with no clue is not a good idea. The previous Talladegas and Cyclones were bad enough, look at their win/loss ratio even against Chrysler's wing cars. Ford just out-muscled them with their nasty engines. Sadly, Bill Elliot let Ford's advantage slip to the surface when he came from two laps down to win that famous race at Talladega that caused a flurry of rules changes. Saw close to 270 mph on the back straight a couple times that day on a radar gun on the camera stand. Bill had his Little Bird cooking ! Wonder where we'd be if they were left alone ?
I agree with you 100% on those rockets being in the hands of the clueless not being a good thing. Always was a big Elliot fan. He and Ernie had those Thunderbirds smoking! I remember touring their facility in Dawsonville right before they closed it to the public, back in '87 I think. They had a really nice 71 Torino Cobra out in front of the shop. I had a couple Turbo Thunderchickens in the 80's...great cars. One can only wonder what the sport would be without restrictor plates and NASCAR embracing it's roots of if you could build it, you could run it.
