20th Jul 2008, 15:37
Coulda-shoulda-woulda. Superbird was standing at the end, and Talladega was nowhere in sight. Yes or no?
20th Jul 2008, 19:52
Sorry, but I think you'll see it was the Daytona and Superbird that slammed the door on Ford, although Ford's Talladega and Cyclone were superior to the '68 Charger and the Charger 500. However, the '69 Charger 500 is NOT the '69 Charger Daytona.
22nd Jul 2008, 10:57
True, Petty left Plymouth to drive for Ford in 1969. However, Petty subsequently left Ford and returned to Plymouth in 1970. If you say one, you have to tell the whole story. If you used that as justification to state that Ford was better than Plymouth in 1969, then you also have to agree that Plymouth was better than Ford in 1970 for the same reason.
I agree with the first comment. You have done a lot of background reading, but I don't believe that you own the car. You just want to talk about how great the Talladega was.
23rd Jul 2008, 18:51
It's strange that what began as a simple review of an old car that was "restored from the grave" has become someone's personal attack forum. Since this particular individual can't seem to accept facts about the 1969 NASCAR season, and where the Ford Talladega fit into it, I see about as much hope of convincing them that I actually own my car, as I would probably have of convincing them that Neil Armstrong actually did set foot on the moon. (I'm pretty sure that he did!)
I have already explained where there are 4 pages of glossy pictures and an article about my car. Short of running the reader over with my Talladega, I see little hope of convincing said person of its actual existence.
However, I did purchase my car in 2001, when it was sitting in the woods after it had been used as a parts car by its previous owner for a Mustang project. I spent 6 years and a fair amount of money trying to restore it to its original condition. During this same time period, I have tried to read everything that I could on these rare and relatively forgotten cars that were such an important part of stock car racing in 1969.
I took my Talladega to the Fairlane Nationals in June of 2007, and I have continued to take it to local car shows since that time. No, I don't drive it to work every day. It is not a daily driver. However, I do drive it to car shows and cruise in events.
My car has been seen by a fairly significant number of people, some in person, some through their readership of the MuscleCar Review magazine, and some electronically at various websites. I realize that I am almost certainly wasting my time, but, there are a few photos that you are welcome to view at the following website:
http://www.fairlaneclubofamerica.com/content.aspx?page_id=188&club_id=363066&module_id=27104&pp=1
A couple more of it at a local car show appear at:
http://rides.hotrod.com/ride/1004841/cjsharp/1969/ford/torino/
Now, show me yours, if you can!
15th Oct 2008, 17:30
According to research that was conducted by Ken R. Noffsinger, on the Superbird.com website:
If we include all NASCAR races in the 1969 and 1970 seasons, Ford (including Mercury) recorded 37 victories to Chrysler's 36. So, when looking at total wins by all aero cars in NASCAR in 1969 and 1970, Ford won the Aero Wars by a thin margin.
However when we look at only the races conducted on a track of a mile or more (the super-speedway tracks), the results were: Ford 22, Chrysler 15. Unfortunately for the Chrysler faithful, things don't seem to be getting any better. In fact, they have really taken a turn for the worse! Ford cleaned house (or is that track?) in '69 and '70 on tracks a mile in length or greater. Strike up another one for the Blue Oval boys.
To be more specific in my rebuttal, the Superbird won a grand total of 8 victories during the Aero War years of 1969 and 1970, while the Talladega recorded 29 victories and the Mercury Spoiler II won another 8. The Daytona won only 6 victories during this time period (2 in 1969 and 4 in 1970). The balance of the Chrysler victories (22) was actually recorded by the Charger 500. I should also point out that the Daytona's first victory in 1969 (one of only two that year) was a rather hollow one - it occurred during the Professional Driver's Association strike at Talladega, when Richard Petty led the top names out of the track on Saturday, and the race was conducted largely with no name drivers and pony cars to fill out the field, in order that Bill France could "put on a show." I don't believe that there was even a Talladega on the track that year.
The rest of the gang may have sniffed exhaust fumes from the Superbird 8 times in 1970, but, that hardly constitutes every race of the season. It certainly does not make it the dominant force of the 1969 and 1970 seasons. I think it is also important to note that the Daytona and Superbird cars were a major departure from mainstream automobiles, then and today. Even an Indy Car carries smaller wings and nosecones. The other three aerocars, while representing huge improvements in aerodynamics, managed to accomplish their missions without looking like grounded airplanes.
23rd Oct 2008, 17:40
Well, well, well, that should finally put an end to the argument with facts like that, especially on the high speed tracks at 22 to 15, sorry Dodge boys you don't have more fun. 500 miles is a long time to savor the sweet smell of success coming from that Fords tailpipe in front of you!
23rd Oct 2008, 23:50
Seems like the mopar boys should be flying the Charger 500 banner more than the winged cars, since they won 22 races compared to the 14 combined wing car victories for 69 and 70.
Hell, the Mercury won as many races as the unsuperbird, which looked like it was on steroids (shrivelled balls and all) and will be remembered the same in the history books with an asterisk next to it, saying it won in a season that did not have full Factory Support for every team, unlike 1969!!!
19th Jul 2008, 11:38
Sorry to disappoint the Chrysler fans, but, even Richard Petty saw the obvious difference in 1969 and he gave up his factory ride at Plymouth to drive a Talladega. In 1969 Ford dominated NASCAR and won the manufacturers championship. David Pearson, driving a 69 Talladega, won the driver's championship.
The Plymouth Superbird was a 1970 model. Ford effectively pulled out of racing in 1970 due to pressure from Congressional hearings and certain environmental groups. The 1970 "King Cobra" that would have been built to compete against the Plymouth Superbird was stillborn after only 3 prototypes had been built. In 1970, Chrysler had the whole field to themselves as Ford and GM had both pulled out of racing.
Sorry to disappoint you guys. Check the numbers. Even if you average the 1969 and 1970 NASCAR seasons, Ford still dominated, even though in 1970 there was no factory support, and the teams were racing "last year's models" against the latest greatest that Chrysler could throw at them.
For those of you who weren't around (or can no longer remember clearly), I highly recommend that you peruse the data located at the following MOPAR website. I think you will find it very enlightening.
http://aerowarriors.com/naw.html
Enjoy!