With racing engines already producing incredible amounts of horsepower, manufacturers who competed in NASCAR in the mid-’60s turned to aerodynamics to make their cars faster. Ford’s answer was the Torino Talladega. Based on the production Torino SportsRoof, the first of the so-called ‘aero cars’ had to first meet homologation requirements before taking to the track. Legend has it that Ford came up a little short of the 100 examples required to begin the season, having only completed 40…
With racing engines already producing incredible amounts of horsepower, manufacturers who competed in NASCAR in the mid-’60s turned to aerodynamics to make their cars faster. Ford’s answer was the Torino Talladega. Based on the production Torino SportsRoof, the first of the so-called ‘aero cars’ had to first meet homologation requirements before taking to the track. Legend has it that Ford came up a little short of the 100 examples required to begin the season, having only completed 40 cars by the deadline. It is said that NASCAR president Bill France was fooled into counting each of the completed cars multiple times when NASCAR legend Ralph Moody played a trick on France at the Ford factory. With the homologation requirement satisfied, by ruse or otherwise, the Torino Talladega would go on to win 26 races and both the driver’s and manufacturer’s championships for the 1969 season. Ford would ultimately complete 738 production Talladegas. The car offered here is one such example.