Aero Warriors, also called aero-cars, is a nickname for four

muscle cars Muscle car is a description according to '' Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

developed specifically to race on the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

circuit by

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

for the 1969 and 1970 racing seasons. The cars were based on production stock cars but had additional aerodynamic features. The first Aero Warrior was the 1969

Ford Torino Talladega The Ford Torino Talladega is a muscle car that was produced by Ford only during the first few weeks of 1969. It was named for the Talladega Superspeedway, which opened the same year. The Talladega was a special, more aerodynamic version of the T ...

. The

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

already had a

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style. Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...

design; the Talladega added a longer, slightly rounded front end. The second Aero Warrior was the 1969

Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II The Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II is a muscle car that was produced by Mercury in early 1969. The Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II was a special, more aerodynamic version of the Mercury Cyclone. It was produced specifically to make Mercury even more com ...

. The Cyclone was nearly identical to the Torino with the only major distinctions being the front grille and rear tail lights. Another aero car is the

Dodge Charger Daytona Dodge produced three separate models with the name Dodge Charger Daytona, all of which were modified Dodge Chargers. The name was taken from Daytona Beach, Florida, which was an early center for auto racing and still hosts the Daytona 500, NASC ...

, which was a redesign of the Charger 500 and had a more radical aerodynamic nose as well as a high-mounted wing at the rear, hitting 243mph on Chrysler's five-mile oval track. The final Aero Warrior was the 1970

Plymouth Superbird The Plymouth Superbird is a highly modified, short-lived version of the Plymouth Road Runner with applied graphic images as well as a distinctive horn sound both referencing the popular ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon character the Road Runner. It was ...

(based on the

Plymouth Road Runner The Plymouth Road Runner is a mid-size car with a focus on performance built by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth in the United States between 1968 and 1980. By 1968, some of the original muscle cars were moving away from their roots as relativel ...

), which had the same aerodynamic additions as the Daytona. Because of their wings, the

Mopar Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar bran ...

Aero Warriors are sometimes called the Winged Warriors. Due to NASCAR

homologation Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...

rules a minimum number (500) of these cars had to be offered for sale to the public so there are approximately 3,000 of these cars in private ownership. The Aero Warriors were successful in winning many races, but NASCAR made rule changes that equalized the advantages in 1971. Plymouth made a Superbird prototype in 1971 but it did not go into production. Ford Torino King Cobra

Faced with the breakout success of the Dodge Charger Daytona and the Plymouth Superbird, Ford planned to introduce a fifth Aero Warrior named the King Cobra, to once again rule in the sport. The vehicle is based in a Ford Torino, but with a long aerodynamic nose similar to the Daytona and the Superbird, however due to NASCAR making rule changes that equalised the advantages of the Aero Warriors, plus the new Ford president Lee Iaccoca, the King Cobra project was abandoned. It never saw a NASCAR track or a showroom and only three prototype cars were produced.

Legacy

Every five years, fans and owners of Aero Warriors gather to celebrate the legacy of the rare vehicles. The 2019 Wing Car Reunion was held at

Talladega Speedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Bas ...

, and in October, Aero Warrior cars completed laps at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

to celebrate the vehicles' 50th anniversary.

References

Chrysler NASCAR terminology Nicknames in sports {{automobile-stub