How an earth can anyone own a cool car like the 1969 Ford Fairlane Cobra and put only 1,100 miles (1,609 km) on it over half a century?
That’s something enthusiasts find very hard to understand but it doesn’t change the fact that “time capsules” like these constantly surface in the classifieds. Yes, this all-original, never restored 1969 Ford Fairlane Cobra was sold a few days ago on eBay for a whopping $165,000 – a testament of the amazing state this 50-year-old muscle car is in.
Before the sale, this was a two-owner car, with the original owner holding on to the Ford Fairlane Cobra until 2013, when they sold it to the second owner who stored it in a heated showroom ever since.
Watch: Canadian Man Has Owned His Beloved Ford Model T For 70 Years!
The car features the original Candy Apple Red paint, original Goodyear Polyglas tires, and even the original paper floor mats from when the car was delivered by Des Moines, Iowa-based Metro Ford. The 1969 Fairlane Cobra also comes with the bill of sale and original order sheet from Metro Ford, new owner’s packet with manuals, owner’s warranty card, and several dealer items including a mint original Cobra jacket. How cool is that?
A look at the interior makes it pretty obvious that the original owner intended to keep the car in storage for as long as possible and sell it for a profit many years later. How else can one explain the plastic protectors on the seat belts and left side carpet? Or the fact that the wheel trim rings are still in the trunk having never been installed? Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the interior looks as good as new – in a way, it is.
The car was ordered with many cool options including the massive ram air intake, bucket seats, power steering, power disc brakes, tachometer, AM radio and Ford Deluxe Air Conditioning. More importantly, the 335 HP 428-cu in (7.0-liter) Super Cobra Jet engine with the Drag Pack 3.91 rear end gear ratio made the Fairlane Cobra a true muscle car.
It’s still a fast car by modern standards, with an official 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 6 seconds and a quarter-mile estimated time of 14.6 seconds. Both figures stated by Ford were somewhat conservative, as in real life the Fairlane Cobra was consistently measured from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds, while the quarter-mile time hovered around the 13-second mark.