The automotive restoration industry is a huge money making and money consuming industry depending on which side of the checkbook you sit. According to a 2013 SEMA report, the automotive restoration industry was pegged at around $1.3 billion USD per year. Where does that money go? Well, if I was a betting man, I'd say a big chunk went into turning this 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra from a sub $20k junker featured on Daily Turismo in 2012 to a rotisserie restored example here on eBay
bidding for $129,900 buy-it-now located in Plymouth, MI with 7 days to go.
Truth be told, I can't tell if this is the same car. I've spend some time perusing the old photos (eBay ad is long gone, but DT's pictures are still here) and this might be the same car. Obviously the color is similar, but add the fact that there are supposed to be only 2 or 3 actual King Cobras in existence and the above $129k example has been recently restored...it all starts to seem possible. Note that the previous sale included a decent looking set of door cards --- the seller today mentions that it includes the original door panels.
Some of that $100k went into rebuilding the Ford 429 cubic inch V8 under the hood; a 370 horsepower and 450 ft-lbs of torque monster that will cost a few bucks to rebuild. On top of that the seller has added a hotter cam, and a NASCAR inspired exhaust system.
Is this the same car? Comments below.
I know why Ford did it, same reason Plymouth did the Superbird, and while the 'Bird wasn't pretty this one plumbs the depths of kit-car ugly.
ReplyDeleteThat $120K would get you a Merc E63 wagon, of course it wouldn't appreciate. It'd get you a real SCCA-brass-tag Trans-Am racer, maybe a second-tier farm-team car, not something guaranteed to get invited to Monterey every year but something that'd definitely appreciate if you don't find a wall to hit.
Or you can get this, and be embarrassed to show it to anyone but the cognoscenti (oh, wait this is NASCAR history, we don't use Ferrari words here...)
Really it decent looking. The color also brings a great aristocratic symbol and so shiny. The yearly report input here about automotive restoration industry is incredibly remarkable. Thanks for providing so much detailed information on Ford Torino King Cobra. I am pleased to have me into this great website.
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