1969 Ford Fairlane Torino Talladega Coupe

During the horsepower wars of the mid-1960s, Ford and Chrysler went after stock car racing wins with ever-escalating performances. As the cars got faster, more powerful engines could only produce small increases in speed. Aerodynamics became the focus, making smoother bodies with reduced drag resulted in higher speeds from the same horsepower.

Ford Motor Company introduced the fastback Torino during this time and race teams adapted them for racing on both short and long tracks. Ford's David Pearson won the NASCAR championship in 1968. For the following season, aerodynamically smoother cars were designed to repeat the championship run. Legendary builder Banjo Mathews of Asheville, NC assisted Ford engineers in perfecting a smoother front end with improved body lines to become the Ford Talladega.

This car is the prototype of the line and was the only Talladega built as a ram-air 428 CID R-code engine. It included numerous options that were not included on the 750 production Talladegas. It is also the only one in bright red with side stripes reminiscent of the Le Mans 24 Hour winning Ford MK IV of 1967.

Built from a Torino GT that was produced in volume without aerodynamic nose, this Talladega prototype received extensive modifications and was loaned to NASCAR teams to prepare their cars to achieve near-200 mph speeds on high banked ovals during the 1969 season. David Pearson and Ford repeated their championship that year, back-to-back years of a dominate stock car racing team.