Cycles and Cars

Black bikes equipped with whitewall tires are pretty stylish–like this painted-fender craigslist find.

Ford’s version of bare-bones muscle is exemplified by this Fairlane Cobra Fastback, equipped with a 428 CJ motor and a close-ratio 31-spline top-loader 4-speed. This rare Q-code model is an original 90,000 mile survivor with new paint, rebuilt mechanical, and some NOS parts. Disassembled at 88,000 miles, minimal bodywork with no bondo, lacquer repaint in original color, engine rebuilt and balanced, NOS parts added. Original interior and trim. NOS parts include Cobra snakes, door handles, hood pins/cables, and exhaust tips. Original snake emblems and hood pin assemblies saved in a box. Original type Goodyear Polyglas tires. 3.5:1 rear ratio. Rechromed rear bumper, and front bumper has original chrome! Fresh suspension, clutch, brakes, bearings, U-joints. Very strong runner! These models are often called “Torino Cobras,” which is not really correct. For 1969, Torino and Torino G.T. were upscale versions of the base Fairlane. You could order a 428CJ in a Torino G.T., but that was not a Cobra. I call them Fairlane Cobras, because that implies the base model from which the Cobra was built, but that is not quite correct either. The 1969 product brochure labels Torino, Fairlane, and Cobra seperately–so just plain Ford Cobra is correct, but that confuses it with the Shelby A/C Cobra, which sometimes is confused with the Shelbly Cobra Mustang (the 500 model had the 428 CJ as well). Confusing model names, but whatever you call it, this fastback is rare, practically original, and stunning! Original Northern Idaho car, now in Eastern Washington. Have original build sheet intact. All original equipment matches data plate.

Restored-to-factory-stock Ford Cobra fastback with precision balanced and built 428 Cobra Jet FE V-8, close-ratio (very high first gear making the other 3 fairly bunched up) 4-speed and 3.5 rear gear ratio. That combination made for 60 mph+ speed at 6500 rpms in first gear–then there were still three gears left! Also, it was fun to “lug” it by flooring the gas pedal at 60 mph in fourth gear to see how fast the speedo would rise past 100–then when you back off the nose dives because it was pulling so hard from the tons of torque.

I think I paid 400 bucks each for those FoMoCo exhaust tips–hard to find!

Just two tips, bumper chrome, cobra plaque and snake: over $2000!

I knew all about it then, and see recent pictures of it now, but I know nothing of what occurred during the 50 years in between.

My first car, a 1960 Buick Invicta Custom Convertible, passed quickly through my grip in 1967. At age 16, I wanted something more modern with full factory rear wheel openings, so later in 1967 I bought a 1963 1/2 Falcon Sprint (which was lots of fun with its lightweight unibody, 4-speed and 260 V-8, but still had angled rear wheel wells causing my wider tires’ sidewalls to rub on the lip) and traded up to a 1966 Mustang GT Convertible by 1968.

I lost track of the Buick quickly after selling it in late ’67, but it left an ever-lasting impression. In particular, the now famed and valued metal-backed factory leather seats and padded center console had a feel and aroma I can still “smell.” Classic then, classic now. The “speed minder” that set off a buzzer made an impression–115 was the highest setting, which set up a challenge to make it buzz when set there. The Dynaflow was weird, but a jack-rabbit takeoff could be achieved in “L.” The foot-operated radio wonder bar was a fave too, not to mention the accelerator-pedal-start feature.

But lately, my friend tracked down an abandoned B60 ICC (1960 Buick Invicta Custom Convertible) that circuitously made it from western Washington, through the northern Idaho junkyard in the shown here, to where it now sits unrestored in Canada. That latter fact has not been verified for awhile, so its current situation is only supposed–maybe it’s fixed up by now. I was initially skeptical that it could possibly be “the one” but was later assured–I even talked with the Canadian owner.

The clincher for verification was the sighting of the AHC 571 license plate on the front of the car in both the 1967 and 2000s photo. I’d also told my friend that I had replaced the factory clock with an aftermarket tachometer while he was researching the car’s whereabouts and darned if the junkyard shots didn’t show that it was still in place too!

Soon, you’ll once again be able to find photos and data right here pertaining to wheeled goodies, namely cars, bicycles and the occasional motorcycle.  Original 1960s Schwinns will be featured, along with interesting automobiles and related comments from collector, columnist, author and transportation lecturer, William Love.  Please stay tuned…