In the early 1960s, Ford needed a car that could match the competition on the drag strip in the Super Stock class. The mammoth Galaxie struggled to keep up, and no amount of weight-saving measures would make it competitive against the lighter opposition.
The solution was to move to a smaller platform — the Fairlane 500. Ford also learned some tricks when they built lightweight Galaxies and applied every single one of them to the smaller car. The end result was the Fairlane Thunderbolt — a rare homologation special that practically flew down the strip.
A Stripped-Down Lightweight
Ford basically removed anything deemed unnecessary for the drag strip, including the radio, heater, sound-deadening material, and seam sealer.
It didn’t end there, either. Lightweight fiberglass fenders, hood, and decklid replaced the standard steel panels, and the heavy steel bumpers were scrapped in favor of ones made from aluminum.
The glass was replaced with plexiglass, and inside the cabin, the standard seats were swapped for Econoline van bucket seats.
When the car was ready and the tank filled up, the Fairlane Thunderbolt weighed slightly over 3,200 lbs, which just happened to be the NHRA minimum for cars competing in the Super Stock class.
A Massively Powerful Engine
Making the Fairlane Thunderbolt as light as possible was all well and good, but it still needed a serious powerplant. Ford decided to go with the mahoosive 427 that was usually found under the hood of the Galaxie.
The Blue Oval sent Fairlanes in 289 Hi-Po spec to Dearborn Steel Tubing for the Thunderbolt conversion. This was the same company that had prepped the Galaxies for the track.
Why the 289 Hi-Po model? Because it was fitted with the famous 9-inch axle that could handle just about anything thrown at it, along with larger 10.5-inch front disc brakes.
The original 289 engine was removed and tossed aside, but they faced a serious problem — the 427 engine was too big to fit under the Fairlane’s hood, so it took a huge amount of work to shoehorn it into place.
They relocated the battery to the trunk and had to cut back the spring towers to make space for the valve covers.
Once the 427 was in place, there was no way the regular headers would fit. Hagerty says this was solved by fabricating custom tubular headers that were installed by snaking them around the suspension components.
Due to the 427’s high-rise intake, they also had to give the hood a teardrop-shaped bulge for it to close. Two snorkels sucked in air from the holes left where the high-beam lights usually go and fed it to the engine via two 4-barrel carburetors.
Officially, this powerhouse was rated at 425 hp, but in reality, it delivered well beyond 500 racehorses. All these ponies were sent to the rear wheels via an aluminum-cased top-loader 4-speed gearbox or a strengthened Lincoln Cruise-O-Matic.
As a result, the Thunderbolt flew down the drag strip in just 11 seconds, and secured the 1964 NHRA Manufacturer’s Cup!
Not A Great Road Car
Automakers took “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” very seriously back then. Being, quite literally, a race car for the road, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Thunderbolt wasn’t the best everyday driver.
In fact, according to Auto Express, Ford even riveted a disclaimer inside the glovebox, stating that the Thunderbolt’s fit and finish didn’t meet normal road car standards.
As mentioned, the Thunderbolt was completely stripped of any and all creature comforts, making the cabin extremely noisy. At least, the bench seat was swapped for a pair of body-hugging buckets to keep the driver and a passenger in place.
Rare As Hen’s Teeth
Dick Brannan, head of Ford’s drag racing team at the time, and a key figure in the development of the Fairlane Thunderbolt, told Hemmings that Ford officials initially thought ten Thunderbolts would be enough to satisfy the NHRA’s homologation requirements.
They were way off, as the NHRA demanded at least 100 cars – 50 with the manual gearbox and 50 automatics.
That’s the reason why most sources now claim only 100 Thunderbolts were ever made, but Brannan and the guys he worked with all agree that they built 127 of these monsters. With the exception of the first ten cars, all were painted white.
Of the original ten-car batch, the Stock Vehicle Department kept the first two, and eight were sent to the Drag Team members.
As with any rare, classic muscle car, prices have skyrocketed since it was first unleashed upon the public. Back in 1964, the Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt sold for a mere $3,780, but according to Hagerty’s Valuation Tool, you can expect to pay over $200,000 for one in good condition today.
Truth be told, it really is nothing more than a collector’s item today anyway, as it’s not a good road car and far too valuable to bring to the drag strip. Still, many muscle car enthusiasts would consider selling vital organs to get their hands on one.
| Condition | Price |
|---|---|
| Concours | $282,000 |
| Excellent | $240,000 |
| Good | $201,000 |
| Fair | $165,000 |
