Vehicle Description
This 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt is one of the documented 100
produced. Ford delivered the Thunderbolt Fairlane 500s as K-code,
high-performance 289ci, 4-speed cars. They arrived, less the engine
and transmission. By ordering the K-code engine, the car was
shipped with larger brakes and the Ford 9-inch differential. The
chassis was reinforced and modified to accommodate a 427ci
8-cylinder high-riser FE engine with two 4-barrel carburetors. The
original steel hood and front quarter-panels were replaced with
fiberglass, and a teardrop hood was installed. Weight-saving
measures included the elimination of many items. What remained
inside the car was a single driver's sun visor, windshield wiper,
seat belt and lightweight Bostrum Thinline racing seats. The
Thunderbolts were also delivered with drag racing slicks as
standard equipment. This particular example was delivered to Max
Larson Ford in Coldwater, MI, on December 26, 1963, and resold on
April 21, 1964, to Jack Mefford Ford in Springfield, OH, where it
was campaigned throughout the Ohio Valley. Originally produced with
an automatic transmission, this car was quickly converted to a Ford
Toploader 4-speed manual transmission. This common Thunderbolt
conversion created a very competitive car in the Super Stock (S/S)
classification. The current owner, whose late uncle was Ford drag
racing legend Les Ritchey, purchased the car in 2015 from a
collector's estate. It had been stored in an Arizona warehouse for
an estimated 30 years, and the odometer indicates less than 400
miles. The vehicle then underwent a meticulous yearlong
nut-and-bolt concours restoration to bring it back to "as
campaigned" in the 1960s. After its restoration, the car was
displayed at Concours d'Elegance events throughout California in
2017, and it garnered several Best in Class and First in Class
awards. It was awarded the Historical Vehicle Association's
National Automotive Heritage Award at the Carmel-By-The-Sea
Concours. This historically significant car comes with a Letter of
Authentication from the Thunderbolt Owners Association, as well as
a Ford dealer memorandum dated February 21, 1964.
