1964 Ford Thunderbolt

The purpose-built Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt was constructed without compromise to ensure that Ford's blue oval outpaced the Bowtie or Mopar guys on the quarter-mile. It was created by Ford's best engineers in the company's performance engineering department. The company's current drag racing weapon was based on the full-size Galaxie, but it was simply too heavy, so engineers looked to the Fairlane as it had a better Power-to-Weight ratio. A new and high-output 427 cubic-inch version of Ford's FE block engine was stuffed into the new mid-size Fairlane body, with inspiration sourced from the racers at Tasca Ford, although most of the engineering was done at Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn Steel Tubing Co. helped by fabricating a strong tube frame structure to accommodate the large FE block. The engine gained a new high-rise intake manifold, a pair of 800 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetors, an aluminum air box, ram-induction air hoses, and fed by grille-based inlet tubes.

Just like Ford's more recent lightweights, the Thunderbolts were devoid of radios, heaters, sound insulation, carpeting, passenger's windshield wiper, and rear window regulations. They had thin rubber floor covering and the side windows were built from plexiglass. The hood, fenders, doors and bumpers were fiberglass. The first 11 Thunderbolts were built as 289/271 horsepower cars at the Dearborn assembly plant, fitted with heavier-duty brakes and suspension, a 9-inch rear end, and finished in Vintage Burgundy with tan interiors. Engine RPM is monitored by a dash-mounted 8,000 RPM tachometer, while weight distribution was assisted by a trunk-mounted battery. Upon completion, they were shipped to the Dearborn Steel Tubing Co. to be disassembled, modified, and completed. The larger-built examples were shipped to D.S.T. as incomplete bodies, making the conversion process more efficient. They were similar to the first eleven cars but had aluminum bumpers rather than the original glass ones, and all were finished in Wimbledon white. In total, 89 of these cars were built bringing the total Thunderbolt production to 100.

N.H.R.A. rules required that at least 50 examples be built before a car was eligible for competition in the Super Stock class. To do this Ford built 50 Thunderbolts in 1963 and another 50 in 1964. The Thunderbolts competed in both the FX and SS class during the 1964 season.

Ford's pursuit of 'Total Performance' during the 1960s brought victories around the world, at the NASCAR circuit, drag racing strip, Indianapolis, and even at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although the victories were rewarded with increased sales ('win on Sunday, sell on Monday'), the individual efforts were expensive, and it is believed that the Ford Motor Company lost approximately $2,000 on each Thunderbolt built. The investment was rewarded with victories on the track and an increase in showroom traffic.

The Ford Thunderbolts set class records for elapsed time and trap speed in 1964, swept the Super Stock title competition, and won the Manufacturer's Cup for Ford. The 1964 NHRA Stock World Championship was won by 'Gas Ronda' and Butch Leal won the S/S class at Indianapolis in a four-speed manual transmission car. The Thunderbolt's success prompted the NHRA to increase the production requirement to 500 cars, making the project too expensive for Ford, and ultimately leading to its demise.

Of the 100 Thunderbolts built, 59 were P.C.E. Lincoln automatic transmission cars and the remainder received a 4-speed BorgWarner aluminum-case manual transmission. The manual used a 4.57:1 rear gear ratio.

Rule changes for 1965 outlawed the fiberglass construction, giving the Thunderbolt only a single year of action during the 1960s.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022