101 Cars, Part 26
I am actually going to cover two cars here because they are somewhat related.
If you have been following along, I have a little fascination with “special” cars that were released for street classes of racing with major sanctioning bodies. The car companies have long know that “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” was a great idea. Even if people weren’t coming in to buy a hot machine, they at least wanted to look at them. The traffic meant that sales would go up… There were a LOT of 6 cylinder Mustangs and Camaros and Javelins that found their way into people garages because of Shelby Mustangs, Z28 Camaros and AMXs.
But before all of those there was something even more rare…
And it had a 427ci engine… It was the “lightweight” Galaxy. In 1963 Ford decided to get serious with drag racing. They took some Galaxy 500s from the Atlanta, GA assembly plant that had the new 427ci (7.0L) engines. These engines made 425 hp… a low estimate according to many. These cars were differentiated a few other ways. Fiberglas body panels, aluminum bumpers, plexiglas windows… They took this incredibly heavy (by today’s standards) car and drilled the seat brackets to lower the weight by a few more pounds. There were more engine, transmission and driveline mods to bring up the power a little more. These are amazingly rare!
For 1964, something slightly more evil happened. It was the Thunderbolt Fairlane. Ford took a lighter car, and wedged the big mill under the hood. They took out all of the sound insulation, radio, ventilation… and then went to the lightweight body panels and plex glass… even removing the window cranks from the rear windows. And they were QUICK. Bone “stock” they were running the ¼ Mile in the mid 11 sec. range at a little over 120mph. BTW, rumors are that the car wouldn’t hit minimum weight for NHRA for their class unless they went through tech with a full tank of gas!
There were 100 cars built in three batches. And if you get your hands on one, know that it is seriously rare. Not quite as rare as the lightweight Galaxy, but higher performance… and the vast majority have been run hard. They were sold to race.
American Muscle Car – S1E05 – 1964 Ford Fairlane T
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Not drag racing but I hate the new NASCAR “car of tomorow” I think it kills the win on Sunday – sell on Monday idea. Later on in the 60's Ford bult a motor that never went in to a production car. It was a 427 Single Overhead Cam (SOHC). This was basically a Ford “Hemi”. they only built 500 of the engines to make it a “factory” part. I think Nascar wouldn't allow it but it did make in to some dragsters.
I have a 427 Cobra street car that had one of these monsters shoehorned in to it. The Cobra footboxes had to be modified to make space for the massive cylinder heads. Needless to say this is the fastest street legal car I ever drove. Not many words can describe it.
Have a great day!
I actually like the CoT. It has been a LONG time since NASCAR cars were even close to the cars at dealers… and the CoT handles like a bread truck according to some of the drivers. I like that the cars aren't easy to drive and seem to get out of shape easier… it makes the racing more entertaining.
I actually like the CoT. It has been a LONG time since NASCAR cars were even close to the cars at dealers… and the CoT handles like a bread truck according to some of the drivers. I like that the cars aren't easy to drive and seem to get out of shape easier… it makes the racing more entertaining.
Not drag racing but I hate the new NASCAR “car of tomorow” I think it kills the win on Sunday – sell on Monday idea. Later on in the 60's Ford bult a motor that never went in to a production car. It was a 427 Single Overhead Cam (SOHC). This was basically a Ford “Hemi”. they only built 500 of the engines to make it a “factory” part. I think Nascar wouldn't allow it but it did make in to some dragsters.
I have a 427 Cobra street car that had one of these monsters shoehorned in to it. The Cobra footboxes had to be modified to make space for the massive cylinder heads. Needless to say this is the fastest street legal car I ever drove. Not many words can describe it.
Have a great day!
I actually like the CoT. It has been a LONG time since NASCAR cars were even close to the cars at dealers… and the CoT handles like a bread truck according to some of the drivers. I like that the cars aren't easy to drive and seem to get out of shape easier… it makes the racing more entertaining.
[...] Thunderbolt Fairlane and Lightweight Galaxy [...]