Ford Torino Talladega
| Ford Torino Talladega | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Production | 1969 |
| Model years | 1969 |
| Designer | FoMoCo |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Race car/Muscle Car |
| Body style | 2-door hardtop fastback |
| Related | Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II Ford Torino |
The Ford Torino Talladega is a muscle car that was produced by Ford only during the first few weeks of 1969. It was named for the Talladega Superspeedway, which opened the same year. The Talladega was a special, more aerodynamic version of the Torino / Fairlane produced specifically to make Ford even more competitive in NASCAR racing, and it was sold to the public only because homologation rules required a certain minimum number of cars (500 in 1969) be produced and made available.
All production Talladegas were equipped with the new 428 Cobra Jet, which, while very powerful and reliable, was intended as a street engine for Ford's muscle cars, as it developed high torque at low RPMs, rather than being a high-revving race engine. Early racing builds were powered by the FE 427 side oiler that had been Ford's main racing engine since 1963; later versions received the Boss 429 engine after it had been homologated in the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429.
A largely equivalent vehicle was also sold under the Mercury marque as the Cyclone Spoiler II.