[Quality88]

CONCORD, N.C -- A one-of-a-kind 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and one of three surviving 1970 Ford Torino King Cobras, both prototypes intended for competition on NASCAR's superspeedways, will be on display during the April 3-6 Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"These cars were built to compete with the Dodge Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds on the NASCAR circuit," said Bill Adams, president of Comet East Car Club. "In the midst of all of that, there was a shift in thinking. Fuel standards changed and insurance rates for cars this big and fast skyrocketed. Ford backed off and never mass produced these cars."

Couple those facts with a new NASCAR rule that raised the minimum production number for homologation from 500 vehicles to 3,000, and even the prototypes became scarce.
"There is only one Cyclone Spoiler II," Adams said. "There were two of them built and this is the only one that survived. There were four King Cobras and only three of those are known to still exist."
These rare examples of Detroit muscle are owned by Steve Honnell, 68, a former Ford representative from Belfast, Tenn. Honnell has owned the King Cobra since purchasing it from Holman-Moody in 1970 after Ford suspended its factory support of stock-car racing. The Cyclone Spoiler II was rescued from a muddy chicken coop in Indiana after the late Larry Shinoda, best known for designing the Corvette Stingray, gave it away as a gift once Mercury abandoned the project.

NASCAR.COM - Rare NASCAR prototypes to be on display at Lowe's - Mar 23, 2008

[Phils20]

Damn. I wish they were gonna be there in October. I'm not going to the 600 this year!

[LSC9901]

The front of it looks a bit like the Studebaker Avanti.

[DOF_power]

Even these prototypes/homologation specials are more stock like that either the twisted sister or the winged brick.
Imagine if there would be a 500/3000 homologation rule today !!!

[RUSTYFAN2]

It is pretty cool that we get to see these rare prototypes! I wish I could be there to see them.