Muscle Car Of The Week never fails in bringing us some our nation’s rarest, but even Kevin Oeste is amazed that anyone would go out of their way to order a convertible, with what could’ve been Ford’s most aggressive power package, the “Drag Pack” version of the automaker’s 429-cube, Super Cobra Jet (SJC) V-8, “It’s really interesting that someone bought a convertible cruiser, with all the ‘go-fast’ parts underneath,” says Oeste. “My guess is that it was a toy; they took it out on nice days, did a little stoplight racing once in a while, but ended up with a really super cool car!”
During the 1970 sales year, Ford built approximately 3,600 Torino GT convertibles. But of all the cars built, only around 20 were ordered with a “Drag Pack,” fewer than that were ordered with a 4.30:1 differential, and as for our featured Torino, it could possibly be the only convertible built with its triple-black and laser stripe paint scheme, “It’s kind of an oxymoron,” says Oeste of the GT’s construction. “You’ve got a car that goes fast, that’s high-strung that’s going to be kind of hard to drive, and definitely does not like to cruise on the freeway, thanks to its 4.30:1 rear end.”
But again, it appears as though our featured Torino GT was built predominantly as a novelty item, and for Kevin Oeste, that’s what makes the thing awesome, “At 65 miles per hour, this thing screams at over 3,400RPM,” says Oeste. “So that didn’t sound like a ‘comfortable cruiser;’ this thing was out to win some races!”
Unique to Ford’s “Drag Pack” option was a 375-horse version of the Super Cobra Jet motor, with 450 feet pounds of twist chasing a 4-speed mated to a Hurst shifter. The Torino’s 4.30:1, Detroit rear end was also an option for the “Drag Pack” cars, but again, not many of those were ordered.
Not all muscle cars are the same, and with this super rare example of a Super Cobra Jet, Torino GT, it just goes to show that regardless, every car buyer does so with a purpose!
Fanatical about everything LS and Buick Turbo-6, it goes without saying that Sal Alaimo Jr. is on it, when it comes to covering anything late-model. But his musclecar roots can be traced back to Chevelles, Skylarks and the rest of the A-Body family of GM performance!
