Ford Fairlane

Ford Fairlane at a glance

All ratings are SAE gross. The Fairlane belongs to our Ford catalogue, and its 1966–1970 performance versions to the golden age of the American muscle car guide.

The full-size Fairlane (1955–1961)

The first Fairlane replaced the Crestline as Ford's top full-size range. The 1955 Town Sedan was Ford's most popular sedan that year, with 254,437 built. Engines were a 223 cu in six and a 272 cu in V8, and the 292 was sold as the "Thunderbird V-8". For 1956 a 312 V8 with up to 168 kW (225 hp) was offered. The Crown Victoria Skyliner of 1955 had a tinted transparent plastic roof panel.

The 1957 Fairlane 500 Skyliner was a power retractable hardtop whose solid roof folded into the boot. That year Ford outsold Chevrolet for the first time since 1935. In 1958 the 332 and 352 FE big-block V8s arrived. After the Galaxie was introduced in the middle of 1959, the Fairlane became the lower full-size range.

A new size for 1962

For 1962 Ford moved the name to a new intermediate class between the compact Falcon and the full-size Galaxie: 197 in long on a 115.5 in wheelbase. The engines started with a 170 cu in six and the 221 Challenger V8 with 108 kW (145 hp); the 260 V8 followed mid-year. A Sports Coupe with bucket seats appeared at the same time.

The performance story began in 1963 with the 289 "K-code": 202 kW (271 hp) with solid lifters, identified by "289 High Performance" badges on the front wings. For 1964 it gained dual exhausts.

The 1964 Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt was a Fairlane 500 two-door built for NHRA Super Stock drag racing. Its 427 V8 had two four-barrel carburettors on a high-riser manifold and ram-air induction, rated at 317 kW (425 hp) at 7,500 rpm. Ford fitted fibreglass bonnet, doors, wings and front bumper and acrylic windows, and removed the inner headlamps. The car came out so light that it needed a full fuel tank to reach the NHRA minimum of 3,200 lb (1,451 kg).

Depending on the source, 111 to 127 were built; the first 11 were maroon, the rest white, and 99 had manual gearboxes. Ford reportedly lost money on every car. In 1964 the Thunderbolt set records of 11.6 seconds and 124 mph (200 km/h) over the quarter mile and won the NHRA Super Stock title and the Manufacturer's Cup. Production stopped when the NHRA raised the requirement to 500 cars.

GT, GTA and the 427 (1966–1967)

The fifth generation of 1966 rode on a revised Falcon platform with a long-wheelbase body. The new GT and GTA had a 390 FE V8 with higher compression and a four-barrel carburettor, rated at 250 kW (335 hp); the GTA came with the SportShift Cruise-O-Matic automatic. In the middle of the year Ford built 57 Fairlane 500 hardtops with the "R-code" 427: 317 kW (425 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 651 Nm at 3,700 rpm, with a four-speed manual.

For 1967 the 390 came in 205 and 239 kW (275 and 320 hp) versions, and the 427 was listed as W-code with 306 kW (410 hp) and R-code with 317 kW (425 hp). Very few were built.

Cobra Jet and Cobra (1968–1970)

The 1968 Fairlane was four inches longer and about 200 lb heavier on the same 116 in wheelbase, and a Sportsroof fastback joined the range. The top versions now carried the Torino name, but the engines were shared: in the middle of 1968 the 428 Cobra Jet with 250 kW (335 hp) replaced the 390 four-barrel. Ford sold 371,787 Fairlanes that year, 172,083 of them Torinos.

The 1969 Cobra answered the Plymouth Road Runner: a 302 V8 and three-speed manual as standard, with the 390 and two 428 V8s optional, plus bonnet scoop, tachometer, disc brakes and a 4.30:1 axle. The last Fairlane of 1970 offered a 429 with 268 kW (360 hp), 276 kW (370 hp) in Cobra form and 280 kW (375 hp) with the Drag Pack. For 1971 the Fairlane name was dropped. The story continues with the Ford Torino and the Gran Torino.

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