Short article popped up yesterday on the Ruger car:
The 1970 Ruger Touring Car
- Thread starter weaselmeatgravy
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Owned by not made by. 427 and 4 on the floor. That's a good mix.
It still irks me that yellow Ruger car sold for only $44,000.00….IF I HAD ONLY KNOWN, the family and estate did a TERRIBLE job of getting the word out that the car was going to sell. I have tried unsuccessfully so far to find out who currently owns it, the Red/Black one is supposedly still owned by the family.
contender
Ruger Guru
You mean these two beauties?
I've got both the 1969 and 1970 brochures and just snapped this pic:
I thought I made scans of them years ago but didn't find them when searching my computer, so maybe I can do that before I put them away.
I did find this image that I saved from somewhere, possibly from a Playboy magazine:
The engine is really a 427, not 429, and the estimate of 200 per year was wildly optimistic and never happened.
I think this image of the 1969 car goes with the above article:
I thought I made scans of them years ago but didn't find them when searching my computer, so maybe I can do that before I put them away.
I did find this image that I saved from somewhere, possibly from a Playboy magazine:
The engine is really a 427, not 429, and the estimate of 200 per year was wildly optimistic and never happened.
I think this image of the 1969 car goes with the above article:
Found these online.
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RSIno1
Hunter
I would call these prototypes made by Bill Ruger and who ever he hired to do the job. The ads call out a 429 which makes a lot more sense since he was intending to sell 200 completed cars which would need to meet current emissions standards. I question the safety of the X frame. GM used it in the late 50s but got away from it due to injuries in T bone crashes. I can assure you the reason it did not go forward was probably the problems with getting a car certified for crash and emissions through .gov. He could have sold them as kits but then he'd have no control over the build quality which I'm sure would be on his radar since his name is on it.
The 427 was Ford's race engine. More common even in 427 Cobras was the 428 police interceptor/Cobra Jet engine.
Yes, nice pictures 'WmG', but I also agree that the Ford 427 in the high rise 4 -bolt cross mains, and sodium filled valves were not exactly made for street use ,but high speed hi revs ,long racing......gee last one we saw come into Schartman Automotive Research on the west side was in area of $3,300 "in the crate" ( 1967-68?) ready to install, I believe it was 485 horsepower out of the factory.....short time later, for the "street" they came out with the 428 and put 'em in their Mustang GT,,,,ah those were the days................drag racing, NOT "touring".....
RSIno1
Hunter
The engine in the yellow car does appear to be a 427. Only the 427 and 406 had the crossbolt mains (arrow by alternator). I suspect that this engine came out of a 63-65 "R" code Galaxie (427 dual quad) from the air cleaner (Which is missing the 427 logo), the fuel filter canister and cast iron headers. This is not a later 427 since it lacks the hump on the side of the block that was added to assure an oil supply to the main bearings during the long distance races. And yes you could get race engines in your street car. In fact Ford had to produce between 50 and 100 of each "street" car for various racing formats. Today an R code Galaxie will cost you between 80 and 200 grand - depending on drag race history. A same year Galaxie look alike clone will be 30-50 grand depending if it has a real R code engine.
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contender
Ruger Guru
Great info here. And yes,, that picture & article did come from a Playboy magazine.
I'll throw in another picture or two,,,! (Notice the tag!)
I'll throw in another picture or two,,,! (Notice the tag!)
contender
Ruger Guru
Now,, where did I see that tag before???
Oh yeah,, in my collection!
Oh yeah,, in my collection!
Definitely an FE. Probably a center oiler?
Yes, that s what my friend Richard drove, and we worked on, the 1965 Galaxie "R" code,,,,car came from Canada, the motor from MIch and was put together in Chicago???? dual quads, NO markings on the air cleaner we told folks it was a 390 with quads,,they believed it,,,plain looking red 2-door Ford sedan with a 4 speed and a tach on the steering column,,,,ha ha
Wmg thanks for the cool pictures gotta love it....last we talked with Hal I believe his last name was Reardon?? he was the Ruger shotgun manager , then went out to Chino Valley and worked on the Ruger cars , and he drove one of the last ones all the way back to Conn, to Bill Jrs place ...ah those were the days.........
Wmg thanks for the cool pictures gotta love it....last we talked with Hal I believe his last name was Reardon?? he was the Ruger shotgun manager , then went out to Chino Valley and worked on the Ruger cars , and he drove one of the last ones all the way back to Conn, to Bill Jrs place ...ah those were the days.........
WBR, Jr used to host an open house every year to invite the local Newport, NH area residents to visit his beautifully restored mill building that was on the Sugar River and his car collection that included the two Ruger automobiles, I have pictures of both cars in my files along with the other beautiful cars in his collection and a few that he inherited from Sr. He told me that the reason the Ruger cars didn't go into production was because of the government crash test requirements, the old man wasn't going to destroy cars to satisfy the government's idea of a "safe" car….he wanted it to be a MORE reliable version of his favorite Bentleys, with the same sense of open road invigoration!
I once took a ride in the red/black car from the Mill building to Jr's house in Newport …the ride was "invigorating" for sure! And the front seat was tight for two people!!
I once took a ride in the red/black car from the Mill building to Jr's house in Newport …the ride was "invigorating" for sure! And the front seat was tight for two people!!
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Interesting spacers on passenger exhaust in Ruger car. Wonder if they were on the other side too.
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Neat spacers, allowing for frame clearance on the downpipe.
