428 Cobra Jet Fairlane glory! - Old Cars Weekly Newsletter

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Car of the Week: 1968 Ford Fairlane 500 - 428 Cobra Jet This story was initiated as the result of a random, seemingly inconsequential act on my part. I gave my copy of the Jan. 1, 2024, issue of Old Cars to a friend, because of its cover story about a 428 Cobra Jet-powered 1968 Torino. My friend owns our featured Fairlane 500 of the same vintage, which also has the 428 CJ, thus the reason for giving him the magazine. A couple days later, that friend called me to tell me an incredible story — he had drag-raced with the original owner of the featured Torino, Billy Ray Sullivan! That was not all, though. That Torino was bought from the same dealership from where his Fairlane was purchased, with only days separating the purchases! Ordering a Cobra Jet On April 17, 1968, Glenn Wells, a Longview, Texas, resident and student learning how to perform body work, walked into the local Pegues-Hurst Ford dealership to special order a 1968 Fairlane 500 two-door hardtop. (Incidentally, this dealership began operations in 1915 and continued operating under that name until being sold in 2024.) He checked off a few must-have features listed on the dealer's order form: W-code 390-hp 427 Cobra V-8, 4.30:1 Traction-Lok axle, AM radio, black all-vinyl interior and special-order Oxford Gray metallic paint (a Thunderbird color).  "I did not know Oxford Gray was a special-order color; I was just looking at the paint chip chart," said Glenn. (As per Ford's practice for special-order paint, the paint code was left blank on the car's VIN plate.) The special-order color selection added $94.60 to the base price of $2,591.07. Packaged with the 427 engine option was the C6 Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission, the only transmission available with this 427, plus power disc brakes, FR70x14 wide-oval radial-ply tires and the GT handling suspension. Glenn said his dad, "cosigned for me to buy the baddest car on the planet." The car was to be used for drag racing, which Glenn had been doing for some years by this point. In all, he built and drag raced seven 1958 Ford Fairlanes before deciding to order the 1968 Torino. See More Make your car our "Car of the Week"  If you've got an old car you really love, we want to hear about it! Click here to submit your ride! 'It's a Duesy!' - new temporary exhibit opens at Savoy Automobile Museum Cartersville, GA - The Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, GA announced the opening of It's a Duesy! This temporary exhibit just may be the most significant display of these legendary vehicles ever curated by a museum. From the opulent Model J to the supercharged SJ, to Augie Duesenberg's personal Model A, each car tells a story. These incredible vehicles will be on display now through December 7, 2025. This exhibit is sponsored in part by Largo's Restaurant. See More Sweet success in Hershey! RM Sotheby's Auction totals $13.79 million with a 97% sell-through rate BLENHEIM, Ontario - RM Sotheby's returned to the Hershey Lodge for its 19th annual sale, held during the Antique Automobile Club of America's (AACA) Eastern Division Fall Meet. Over the two-day event, RM Sotheby's achieved $13.79 million in total sales with 97 percent of all lots finding new homes, drawing a packed room of bidders and underscoring Hershey's place as one of the most important gatherings in the collector car calendar. The auction presented 145 motor cars spanning more than eight decades of automotive history. Leading the lineup was the Suzy Q Collection, a diverse group of 51 motor cars curated over two decades by the late Saul "Sonny" Schwartz and offered entirely without reserve. Strong bidding across the collection, as well as for Brass Era and Classic offerings, reinforced Hershey's reputation as a marketplace where rare pre-war automobiles excel. See More Now You Can Look 'Em Up Online! How much is your vintage ride worth? You can now join the Old Cars Price Guide Membership and find out online. Pricing right at your fingertips. Join Now! Subscribe Now to the Highest Frequency Publication for Die-Hard Car Lovers!  Your subscription to  Old Cars includes: All the recent news from around the old car hobby Coverage of all the important collector car auctions and shows Classifieds including expert advice SUBSCRIBE NOW Active Interest Media 2143 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312 United States View online  You received this email because you are subscribed to newsletters from Old Cars Weekly. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive.