[Rory McNeil]

I think that much of the confusion concerning whether a 69 Cobra is a "Torino" or a "Fairlane" is due to nameplate badging and what people assume they were looking at when these cars were new. When the new intermediate sized Fairlane came out in 1962, all trim levels were called Fairlanes, however in 1968, the high trim level package was named a Torino, and since the basic Fairlane and Torino looked the same to most people, many assumed they were all the same. Since the 69 Torino & the Fairlane had different grilles (among other things), and that the 428CJ was available in both models, the confusion increases. A 69 Cobra uses the Fairlane grill, which is quite different than the Torino version, and the Cobra had a plainer Fairlane interior as standard equipment, so technically, I suppose is more a "Fairlane" than a "Torino". However, having owned 2 69 Cobra Sportsroof (fastback) with R code 428CJ Ram Air engines, I can say that there is no Fairlane or Torino badging anywhere on either car. In that post that Hemi Moose posted of the Cobra from the 1969 Ford Performance Digest , the Cobras are listed as just "Ford Cobras". Not a Fairlane or a Torino. The next year, (1970) Ford started calling the mid sized performance car a Torino Cobra , and by 1971, the Fairlane name was dropped altogether, so the confusion is easy to understand. Remember, the Cobra was meant to be a low dollar performance car, to compete with the Road Runner, & Super Bee. The 428 Cobra Jet , with or without ram air, was the only engine available in a Cobra, while the sportier looking Torino GT was available with a 2 barrel 302, 2 or 4 barrel 351`s, 390, OR the 428 CJ.