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eBay Find of the Day: 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra prototype

Over the last decade or so, competition in NASCAR has led to some pretty funky looking racecars. And when the sport was still up and coming, the tight competition actually led to some interesting production cars. The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird are perhaps the most well-known cars of the sport's "aero wars" era but the Ford Torino King Cobra might have been the most memorable of all, if not for some different homologation rules established in 1970. The Torino King Cobra never made it to production and never competed in NASCAR, but three examples exist including this one now for sale on eBay.
Designed as a successor for the aero-tuned Torino Talladega, the Torino King Cobra has a sleeker front end with hidden headlights and a sloped nose. As the story goes, NASCAR made a rule change in 1970 requiring 3,000 of the vehicles to be produced, which was substantially more than the 500 units required by the previous rule. One of the three prototypes ever built - and the only one built with the Boss 429 engine - is now for sale on eBay with a starting bid of $500,000. With a little more than three days left on the auction there are still no bids, but in the grand scheme of things this seems like a relatively fair price for a rare piece of automobile and racing history.

Ford announces 2014 F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition

Ford has pulled the wraps off its anticipated 2014 F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition model, a new variant of the popular street-legal off-road specialist. In a nutshell, the "special" is all cosmetic - there are no mechanical upgrades to the truck and its 6.2-liter V8 (411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque), Torsen limited-slip differential, beadlock-capable wheels and internal triple-bypass FOX Racing Shox dampers all remain untouched.
The SVT Raptor Special Edition, which adds cosmetic enhancements to the existing Luxury Package, will be offered in Ruby Red Metallic and Tuxedo Black Metallic with box-side graphics. The interior upgrades include Brick Red seat bolsters (with black inserts), cloth honeycomb highlights and a console top finish panel.
As of now, Ford has only release a couple pictures of the Special Edition model. But check back later, as we will update the gallery when additional high-res images are released later today, and be sure to peruse the press release below for all the details.

Michigan museum offers Model T driving classes

Halfway between Detroit and Chicago, there is a car museum that gives visitors a unique level of interaction with antique cars. The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI has a driver's training class to teach people of any age to learn how to drive a Ford Model T.
From the crank starter to the column-mounted throttle control, this driving school teaches people all there is to know about driving and operating a Model T. Each class lasts about two and a half hours and is only open to 18 students. There are ten sessions planned for 2014 - twice a day on May 3, June 22, July 22, August 23 and September 14. The class costs $95 (or $85 for members), and it also includes a tour of the museum's automobile collection.
In addition to this driving school, the museum has plenty of exhibits on the property, and it's open all but three days per year (Easter, Christmas and New Year's Day) with free admission for school field trips and active military. Be sure to check out the Gilmore Car Museum's website or visit them on Facebook for more info.