For 37 years, some of us have referred to these not-so-sedate Fairlanes as "Torino" Cobras, but the Torino Cobra wasn't introduced until 1970, when the Torino and Fairlane took on more of a slippery, NASCAR-inspired coke-bottle body. The Fairlane Cobra was a '69-only high-performance intermediate with one basic engine choice, the 335hp 428 Cobra Jet FE-series big-block. The 428 Cobra Jet made these hardtops and fastbacks tire-burning hotshots right off of the assembly line.
The Fairlane Cobra was all business, with a simple approach to the business of performance. It was a dressed-down ride with a taxicab interior, column shifter, horizontal-sweep speedometer, minimal instrumentation, and a lot of power. The 428 Cobra Jet engine had 735-cfm Holley carburetion with center-pivot fuel bowls. Above the Holley was a ram-air induction system that gathered high-pressure air along the hood's leading edge. The result of all this performance thinking was 440 lb-ft of torque at 3,400 rpm. That fact alone made the Cobra Jet all but unbeatable off the starting line, especially when equipped with 3.91 gears and a close-ratio four-speed.
Chuck Fisher has owned this Fairlane Cobra hardtop since 1972. He and his then-wife needed a second car. When most folks think of a second car, they think of something economical like a Maverick or Pinto, but not Chuck. Although high on fun, the '69 Fairlane Cobra was anything but economical. In addition, Chuck's friends owned GM and Chrysler musclecars, but at every turn, Chuck kept returning to Ford.
When he found this hardtop, he liked its lines and the throaty bark of the 428 CJ. The Cobra was unique because it wasn't a fastback. It had a formal roofline, making it decidedly different than the commonplace fastbacks he was used to seeing. It also had a set of slotted chrome wheels, popular in those days.
Chuck offered $1,200 but the seller wasn't biting. Because his wife loved the car so much, Chuck called again a short time later and offered $1,300. The seller took the offer and is probably kicking himself today.
Although it may be hard to believe, this Cobra was a daily driver until 1976. After an exhaust valve burned, it wasn't driven again for a long time. This kind of problem used to be common because the leaded fuels of those days dirtied up the combustion gases and oil, yielding sludge and caked-up valves, which held in heat, leading to more failures than we have ever seen with unleaded fuel.