Vehicle Description
1965 Ford Fairlane 500 Drag Racer Les Ritchey's Performance
Associates Presented by; GARRETT CLASSICS classic and collector car
sales and consignments 1865 McGee Lane, Ste F Lewisville, TX 75077
please call Dave at 214-213-7072 or Maris at 214-616-2317 We are
very proud to have been chosen to showcase and sell this incredibly
restored 65 Fairlane. We would appreciate it very much if you would
not contact the restoration shop mentioned in the ad. They have
consigned the car to us to sell and we will be happy to answer any
questions for you. If you are a serious buyer, we can later get you
in contact with them. In 2008 the owners of A & R Restorations
found a gentleman in Lewisville, Texas, selling off some old Fords.
They bought some of the cars and in the batch was this car that the
older gentleman said he had drag raced in the 1970s. The owner also
sold them some engines. He thought he had blown the engine in the
65 Fairlane back in the day, but come to find out the original
engine was one of the engines they bought. A & R Restorations of
Emory , Texas brought this piece of history back to it's original
glory. The body was still in good condition. All original body
parts were used with the exception of the hood and deck lid. This
is the original engine. It along with the original transmission and
rear axle and radiator were all used in the car. They also
contacted Dennis Kolodzeig, who is the expert on Ford Thunderbolts
and other Ford history. The following letter authenticates the car.
All documents are notarized and we have the originals. In 1965,
Ford built two Fairlane 500s with 289 High Performance engines for
D/Stock Automatic drag racing, ordered through Ford Transportation
Services with seam sealer delete. This is the car that was sold to
Les Ritchey's Performance Associates for $1.00. It is believed to
be the only one left. We have an entire notebook of documents
proving the authenticity of this car. The pictures speak for
themselves. Years of hard work and research, not to mention money,
went into this project. It became a labor of love in my opinion.
The way these men talk about the car, it was more than just a
restoration. It was bringing back an important piece of American
drag racing history from the 1960s. Mel Burns Ford was well known
in southern California as the go to place for Ford Cobra and Shelby
parts. The Fairlane was actually used in many magazine ads for
Shelby parts. Features of the Fairlane include; 289/271 HP Engine
Correct HIPO Heads Cobra Aluminum Intake 735 CFM Holley Carburetor
Custom Air Intake Rebuilt Carter HIPO Fuel Pump Coated Hooker
Headers C4 Auto Transmission Factory Sealer Delete Car Door Tag DSO
of 89 - Transportation Services(same as Thunderbolts) Driveshaft
Loop installed by Les Ritchey's Shop in 1965 Traction Master
Traction Bars Original Glass Except Windshield Silver Blue Metalic
with Satin Black Engine Compartment Crager SS Wheels Pie Crust
Slicks in rear Class Champion at Pomona in 1965 Best Ford
Restoration at 2015 MCACN Show Rotisserie Restoration to Bare Metal
This is our actual stamped inner fender with the matching numbers
VIN. The factory originally stamped it with a 2 at the end and it
was supposed to be a 5. Note the DSO is 89 on the door tag. This is
the same DSO as the 64 Thunderbolts. Under the hood, you will find
the original block that has been brought back to as close to
original as you can get. A & R Restorations took all the photos
they could find and followed them to restore this engine to it's
hay days on the drag strip. Some of the decals were almost non
existent, so A & R found artwork for the hard to find ones and had
them recreated. The interior is a correct reproduction kit from
Distinctive Industries. The back seat is actually fiberglass, for
less weight. A& R got in contact with Les Ritchey's brother Dwight,
and he actually drove the car up to the stage at the Mecum auction
in 2015 and sig
