Fords 427 !!!

[Anthony]

After winning big at Daytona and dominating the ’63 NASCAR season with the new fastback Galaxies and 425hp 427 wedge, Ford watched in angst as Chrysler rolled out its wild 426 Hemi at the ’64 Daytona 500 and overpowered everything else. Junior Johnson jumped from Mercury to Dodge and won the first qualifying race with a record-breaking 170.777 mph average. In the second qualifier the same day, three Molars crossed the finish line three abreast. At the Daytona 500 two days later, a sellout crowd of almost 70,000 watched Mopars lead 198 of 200 laps, and finish 1-2-3, a chilling specter for Ford. Last year’s celebrated champion was outside looking in — through iron bars. With NASCAR popularity reaching an all-time high, and similarly unsavory prospects for victory a sure bet in other sanctioned competition, Ford had to act.