Page 1 of 1 Throughout the 1960s the stockcar championship grew in popularity and competitiveness. Dodge were set to debut a modified version of the Charger, with a special wind cheating body for the 1969 season. Ford quickly commisioned the factory backed Holman and Moody race shop to design and built a 'blue oval' anwser to the Charger 500.
Named Talladega, after the new oval race track in Alabama, the new car was based on the 1968 Fairlane Torino. Various modificactions were carried through on the nose of the car to make it more aerodynamic. The Talladega's sharper nose was around five inches longer than the orginal. The rear suspension featured staggered shock absorbers to prevent 'wheel-hop'.
To homologate these changes Ford had to produce at least 500 examples and sell them to the public. A special production run was setup in January and February of 1969 in the Atlanta factory. Equipped with a 335 Cobra Jet V8, these homologation specials were avaible in just three colours; Royal Maroon, Wimbledon White and Presidential Blue. Ford eventually constructed 745 Talladega road cars.
On the track, the Talladega proved to be a very effective machine. Driven by drivers like Bobby Unser, AJ Foyt and Richard Petty, the Talladega secured the manufacturers championship for Ford. David Pearson took the overall championship and Richard Petty scored his 100th NASCAR victory with the Talladega.
Pictured is one of the 745 'homologation' Talladegas, which was for sale in Christie's 2004 Le Mans Classic auction. Its Presidential Blue paint is the rarest of the three options. It exchanged hands for a disapointing 12,337 Euro. Page 1 of 1
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Throughout the 1960s the stockcar championship grew in popularity and competitiveness. Dodge were set to debut a modified version of the Charger, with a special wind cheating body for the 1969 season. Ford quickly commisioned the factory backed Holman and Moody race shop to design and built a 'blue oval' anwser to the Charger 500.