Yahoo Autos 1970 Ford Torino Cobra Sportsroof: This Fast Ford Is Today's BaT Find
Here's a heavy-hitter Ford from the peak of the muscle-car era.
With a 429-cubic-inch V-8, a shaker hood scoop, and dual exhausts, this Torino Cobra is ready to bring the thunder.
It's no Creamsicle-colored '70s sled; this is how you do subtle muscle.
As much as the thundering V-8s and aircraft-sized sheetmetal, the defining core of the muscle car era was presence. Rolling down Main Street or parked at the curb, these machines radiated a brutal charisma, sending out don't-mess-with-me vibes. When two of 'em happened to roll up to the same stoplight, there was bound to be a scrap.
For a prime example, see this absolutely lethal-looking 1970 Ford Torino Cobra with a 429-cubic-inch V-8 currently on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). A fairly rare car, at least when compared to the Chevys and Mopars of its day, this one is a stunner in its subtlety: numbers-matching engine and transmission, black on black, original 15-inch wheels.
If this thing walked into a saloon in Pixar's Cars universe, all the bad guys would discreetly exit out the back. But look a little closer. The reason this Torino presents so well is down to that flawless paintwork. There's about 400 hours of labor here, getting those sleek flanks ripple-free and gleaming.
From the factory, this Torino Cobra's 429-cubic-inch V-8 was good for 370 horsepower, and it has been rebuilt to largely original specification. The original spread-bore intake manifold has been removed, rebuilt, and set aside, as it's a rare part, and the engine wears a Super Cobra Jet and 750-cfm Holley Double Pumper carburetor.
Power gets to the ground through a three-speed automatic, and the rebuilt nine-inch rear end has 3.00:1 gears and a Detroit Locker differential. Also out back, a twin exhaust with Thrush mufflers issues an authoritative rumble.
Throw in a few spare parts, some period literature, a 1:18 scale model of the car, and a framed window sticker, and this is one big, bad collectible Ford. This Torino offers a chance to relive those days of late night cruising in a peak muscle-car experience that's a little different than the usual suspects.
The auction ends on November 13.
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