It would be overly simplistic to divide classic cars into the categories of “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” but if we were to do that, then I’m pretty sure that this 1969 Ford Torino Cobra would fall into the first group. This is a one-owner vehicle that has spent 47-years in dry storage. It has now been dragged out into the sun, revived, and is ready to head off to a new home. It is located in Zanesville, Ohio, and is listed for sale here on eBay. If you really feel that you must own the blue-oval classic, the owner has set a BIN of $59,925. Of course, if you’re feeling a bit cheeky, the option is also available to make an offer.
The owner purchased the Cobra new in 1969. He drove it through until 1972, and during this time the car accumulated just over 35,000 miles. He then made the decision to park it, and that’s where it stayed. The storage conditions must have been close to ideal because the condition of the car is pretty impressive. That Candy Apple Red is 100% original, and it has a great shine to it. The owner states that the car is rust-free, and there certainly isn’t any visible anywhere on the Cobra. The glass, along with all of the external trim and chrome look as-new, while the “Cobra” badges on the fenders and the “428” and “Cobra Jet” badges on either side of the functional hood scoop make it abundantly clear that this is no ordinary Torino.
Opening the hood of the Ford reveals all that makes this car special. What you find is a 428ci Cobra Jet V8 engine, producing a claimed 335hp. That is a figure that has been called into question over the years, because Ford published the same horsepower figures for this engine, regardless of whether or not it was fitted with the Ram Air option. Some estimates have put the output figure for cars like this one at closer to 360hp, and possibly even more. Backing the monster of an engine is a 4-speed manual transmission, although it isn’t clear what sort of rear end is fitted to the Cobra. After its lengthy hibernation, it appears as though the owner has taken all due care with bringing the car back to life. He says that the car has not had a frame-off restoration, but that it has been gone through from nose to tail, and anything that needed to be renewed has been. Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell us how well the car runs and drives. Performance figures for the Cobra were pretty impressive in their day. The car could record a 0-60mph time of 6 seconds and could cover the ¼ mile in 14.6 seconds. Interestingly, in their January 1969 edition, “Car and Driver” magazine ran the same tests on a car the same as our feature Cobra. In those tests, they were able to better both times, with a 0-60 of 5.6 seconds, and a ¼ mile time of 14.04 seconds. One thing that I’ve avoided mentioning up until this point is the quantity of grease pencil writing that is present under the hood. I’m not 100% sure what that is all about, but it looks like someone might have been being pretty careful as they revived the Ford to ensure that everything was right. They don’t look like anything that I’ve ever seen come from Ford themselves, but maybe I’m wrong. If they are original, I wouldn’t touch them. If they aren’t, they’d have to go.
For such a special and relatively rare car, the owner doesn’t spoil us with an abundance of photos. We have no interior shots and no real information about its condition. As much as I can tell you is that the upholstery is black. Given the mileage claims and how well preserved the rest of the car appears to be, I would expect that it should look quite nice. As you can see from this shot, the trunk is absolutely spotless, and still houses the original spare and jack. Neither of them appears as though they have ever seen any use.
If you failed to notice those badges and hood pins, then this Ford Torino Cobra would be classed as a real sleeper. There are very few visible hints of what lies below the surface. I won’t say that this car represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I will say that having a one-owner, original, and unrestored example as nice as this one pop up out of the woodwork is a pretty rare experience. The price also appears to be pretty competitive, which makes me think that it might sell fairly quickly.
Rarely seen muscle car. Most had very basic interiors. Probably in good condition but not near enough pics or info for the asking price.
Most of these cars have upgraded tires/wheels, this one looks odd with the base hub cap and whitewall tires. I usually like something different but not sure about this look. Also not sure about all the grease pencil markings.
Having spent its life in Central Ohio, the car could still have some rust despite its low miles and alleged limited use.
Anybody with knowledge of the Blue Oval knows what rear end is under that car.
Exactly, I don’t have much blue oval knowledge, but everyone knows it’s a 9-inch. The bestest of the muscle car era !
Right on!!
I had a 69 Torino with a 428 SCJ. had drag pack, factory headers, dual point, factory oil cooler, Ram air induction, factory hood pins, factor Holly 735, factory close ratio top loader 4 speed. bench seats with factory tach. had the 9 inch rear end with 4:30 gears with limited slip. I should have kept this car….
So good, I’ve got one under my hot-rod Oldsmobile Delta 88.
Those grease pencil markings aren’t from the factory. The firing order is written on the fan shroud and it looks to be the initial timing is written on the left side of the radiator.
…and the .017 would be the points gap, from the other side of the radiator. I also notice on the distributor cap, FRONT is written there.
Looks to me like the dealer who sold it put his “stock #” on the shock tower in grease pencil and dated it.
I love the comment in the description “and after light driving”…he had to put his foot into it at least a few times…love, love, love this car, but the price seems lofty…
Not a Ford guy but this one is way cool!
That said, almost $60 large is a bit rich (it is a Torino after all and not a Chevelle SS, GTO or Roadrunner/GTX of the same ilk) and for that price the pictorial is considerably too slim.
Interestingly, this Cobra Jet engine was rated at 360 HP early in the ’68 MY in the Shelby Mustang and then later “revised” to 335 under the KR (King of the Road) moniker; no telling what it really is. Agreed that 335 HP is probably light, seriously doubt it’s 400 HP as some fanboy sites/individuals like to claim – 400 HP performance just isn’t there.
Well, the Cobra is one of the most underrated of all muscle cars. I’d love to have this in my garage !
It’s a Cobra Jet Torino, and a bit underpriced if it’s in the condition it appears to be.
Had a 69 GT Just like this one – except this one the body is in better shape, my engine was a 302, it had an automatic, the rear quarters were dented and it was painted apple green. Guess it wasn’t that similar after all ;-)
Going forward, good car. Going backwards or parallel parking sucked, it was impossible to see out the rear window and figure out where the rear bumper was.
Personally I think the BIN price is ‘inflated’ IMO. Who knows, maybe someone ‘really’ wants it and will pay the asking price. What I see looks good, but not that asking price good IMO.
at first glance, I thought it was a 67 Fairlane 500. My Sister had one back in the early/mid 70’s as her first car.
Nice! Find another one.
Amazing car !
Original owner. Low miles.
This is the best Find here this month.
Price reasonable according to Hagerty
Beautiful ‘69 Fairlane Cobra. Conjures fond memories of the summer of ‘69. Had short term summer employment at a Ford dealership in Grandview, WA. George Muggli Ford. The sales manager thought we needed at least one performance car amongst the inventory of mostly pick-ups and family sedans. Grandview’s a small farming community but the Mopar dealership close by was doing well selling RT’s, Super Bees, Roadrunners, etc. So I was offered the task of ordering something unique to this Ford store. I checked all the boxes on the order form: Base Fairlane Formal roof Cobra, Drag-Pack with 3.91 gearing, Automatic (the one requirement the sales manager mandated), AM radio, Ram Air, bucket seats, no consle, black on black. The black beauty arrived early in July. We promptly replaced the standard wheels/dog dish caps with Cragars. That Cobra ran consistent 13.7’s/102-3 everytime at Deer Park Drag Strip North of Spokane, WA. I had the honor of designated driver each time that summer. Trophied in C Pure Stock every time but once – I red lighted! The Cobra was a joy to drive. When that HD C-6 shifted into 2nd it would seriously rip rubber off the F-70 – 14” Goodyear Polyglas GT’s. I had to head back to college in September at which time the dealership owner’s young son took over driving duties. He promptly beat my ET’s by a tenth or two. He weighed 100 lbs. less than me! What a fun summer for a 21 year old Ford fanatic.
Great story McQ. I had to chuckle at the statement “I was offered the task of ordering something unique to this Ford store.” That actually was a pretty smart move, to have a 21 year old decide what cool car to order. I don’t claim to know the ins and outs of a dealership operation, but today I can’t ever see how that would happen. Maybe at a small family operation, but not at the typical tightly-controlled dealership.
Along those lines, a few years ago I got curious about who and how new vehicles are ordered for dealer stock. My dealership of choice at the time was a medium-sized suburban store with local investor ownership (not one of the big multi-store operations, but not local family either). They explained to me that they didn’t even order their own dealer stock, a ‘consultant’ did it for them. Maybe said ‘consultant’ was the person who knew all the rules re: dealer allocations, and such.
I was an apprentice in the body shop of Miller-Hughes Ford in Cornwall,Ontario . back in;72 One of the mechanics , Brian , had one like this . It was black/black with two wide white stripes on the hood with Cragars .I rode in it once . What a sound and pulled like a freight train ! Wonderful memories of working there !
my high school car was a red 69 scj 4spd formal bench seat with the same wheel covers replaced the 428 on the scoop with 351 and ruled the street for while paid $500 for it in 1980 with a bad 11.5 clutch miss it
In response to Bob_in_TN: Thanks! It was a small one family owned dealership with a show room barely large enough for one vehicle. I think the community population was in the 5-6K range with a large outlying farm families. The inventory, at least at that time, was owner/sales manager managed hence many pick-ups. The sales manager was young but not well informed on Ford high Performance but he knew trucks! Great guy. The Cobra was sold in October. Made it almost to Thanksgiving. The teenage owner lost control flipping it into a field of alfalpha. Totalled. Of course it made sick. Just didn’t have the financial wherewithal at that time to buy the Cobra.
Back in those years ,many of these cars were utterly destroyed by in-experienced and stupid drivers . Couple 350 hp minimum with drum brakes , crude suspension and crummy tires , these cars came down like airliners in New York City.It’s no wonder the insurance companies lobbied government ( among other factors )to put an end to this madness . I saw these things and I remember …
Pretty amazing car, but can’t believe what he is asking for it, not saying its not worth it, but it is big money for sure, with very few pictures and no documentation. I would want to see engine numbers, paperwork, vin numbers, marti report etc. Hope its a 4spd.
I always had mixed feeling about the 68-69 sports roof, fastback Torino’s. The roof looked a little over-done for me kind of like the 66-67 chargers. The 70-71 Torino’s looked a lot better to me.
This is a very nice car no doubt.
Serious muscle car from Ford, like em a bunch. Also a rarity, probably even back then in a world of GM mid sized screamers.
Advertised horsepower, especially back then was meaningless really. The Cobra Jet didn’t come till late in ’68, rated at 335 horse just like the 390 in ’66. The 360 horsepower figure came from the 428 police interceptor Shelby used in the GT 500, sporting dual quads and all that. Both 428’s were quite capable, but the CJ was possibly the best street engine Ford had back then. Two different set ups. I believe the standard passenger car 428 was rated at 345(?), or near that, all B.S. ratings.
One of the best Fords made that year!!! I would love to get this car but not at the price I paid for my house 25 years ago!!! I realize thinks go up but gezzzzzze!!!
Like…….
I had a 68 GT Sportsroof, that I wish I still had. Way to much fun with that car. To the point where, the Judge ordered me to sell it, because he ordered the state to never register it again, in my name…LOL It’s still around. I’ve had friends tell me, that they have seen it, at a car show, or two…
One of the nicest cars recently here on BFs. This Torino with four-speed would be a cool addition to my Ford family,I’ve mentioned here before that my brother still owns the ‘70 Cobra 429 which our dad bought from the original owner and is loaded with options including ram-air shaker hood,electric seats and windows. The sports-roof Torino is a beautiful and fast classic!
Adam,
What makes you say this car has a 4 speed? I see nothing in the ebay listing mentioning anything about the transmission and there are no photos showing the interior.
Also this car may well be a 428SCJ. In the engine bay photo you can see what looks like the top of the oil cooler just to the right of the hood latch.