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A rare 429-powered 1970 Ford Torino Cobra rolled into a vintage NMCA drag event on nothing but factory-width rubber — and dipped into the 12s anyway. Ford built barely two thousand of these with the big engine, and far fewer with the gearing to make a pass like this possible. Here’s the math behind one of the toughest quarter-miles in muscle car history.
This Old Car digs up a 1970 Motor Trend test of the redesigned Torino Cobra 429 Super Cobra Jet — numbers fast enough to beat a 1970 Pontiac GTO 455 in period testing. Ford’s aircraft-inspired redesign added five inches of length and real performance credibility most muscle car fans have since forgotten. The data alone makes a case for reconsidering it.