Ford spent a lot of the 1960s and early 1970s watching the taillights of quicker Mopar and GM muscle rivals. But in NASCAR, the forces from Dearborn were consistent front-runners. For '69, their new machine was so hot that even superstar Richard Petty defected from Plymouth to drive it. It was called the Talladega, after NASCAR's newest superspeedway. This was Ford's answer to Dodge's wind-tunnel wonder, the Charger 500, and as required of Dodge, Ford built street versions to qualify it for racing.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The 1969 Ford Talladega was named for NASCAR's newest super speedway and wore a nose shaped to slice the wind at 200 mph. Ford built 745 of these modified Torino for the street. That made racing versions legal. See more pictures of muscle cars. |
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Street versions of the Talladega used the 335-bhp 428-cid Cobra Jet V-8 without ram air but with a Drag Pack oil cooler. |
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Talladega shared an interior with the 1969 Fairlane Cobra SportsRoof. |
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Street Talladegas were offered for 1969 only and came in just three colors: Presidential Blue, Wimbledon White, or, as seen here, Royal Maroon. |
Wheelbase, inches: 116 Weight, lbs: 3,775 Number built: 754 Base price: $3,570 Standard Engine Type: ohv V-8 Displacement, cid: 428 Fuel system: 1 x 4bbl. Compression ratio: 10.6:1 Horsepower @ rpm: 335 @ 5200 Torque @ rpm: 440 @ 3400 Representative Performance 0-60 mph, sec: 5.5 1/4 mile, sec. @ mph: 14.4 @ 101 |
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- The engine is what gives a muscle car its flamboyant personality. To learn everything you need to know about car engines, see How Car Engines Work.
- Muscle cars wouldn't have much muscle without horsepower -- but what exactly is horsepower? How Horsepower Works answers that question.
- NASCAR race cars embody the muscle car philosophy of power. Read How NASCAR Race Cars Work to find out what makes these charged-up racers go.
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