When it comes to muscle cars from the golden era, it’s the late 1960s and early 1970s models that usually get all the attention. But Detroit made some insanely cool cars earlier than that. I’m talking about the road-legal dragsters that came into existence in the early to mid-1960s.
That’s when Chevrolet unleashed the Impala Z11, and Pontiac rolled out the Catalina Super Duty. Dodge and Plymouth had the Max Wedge, and we’re getting ready to welcome the mighty 426 HEMI. What was Ford doing at the time? Well, it was busy turning the Fairlane into a monstrous race car.
That monster arrived in 1964 as the Thunderbolt. Needing a lighter alternative to the Galaxie, Ford stripped the Fairlane of all its convenience features and slapped it with fiberglass fenders and hood, as well as aluminum bumpers. And as it was customary at the time, it stuffed a big V8 under its hood.
Getting the NASCAR-spec 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) mill to fit in the Fairlane’s engine bay was so complicated that Ford had to send the cars to the Dearborn Steel Tubing company for the Thunderbolt conversion. But it was all worth it.
Tipping the scales at just over 3,200 pounds (1,451 kg), which was the NHRA minimum for the Super Stock class, and with an underrated 425 horsepower hitting its rear wheels, the Thunderbolt went on to take the NHRA Top Stock crown in 1964. It also won the NHRA Manufacturers’ Cup, while the Winternationals final was a Thunderbolt affair between Gas Ronda and Butch Leal.
Ford put together 100 Thunderbolts that year. While most of them survived years of hard racing and were restored to factory specs, they’re hard to find nowadays. And when they pop up for sale, they fetch more than $200,000. The Thunderbolt you’re looking at here is one of those cars.
Number 68 of the 100 built, this Thunderbolt is known as the “HEMI Hunter.” It was raced under this name by Elwood Banker for Webster Ford, and it’s in fantastic condition after being restored by Performance Restorations. It still has all the original sheet metal and a period-correct livery, and it hasn’t been tubbed or fitted with a roll cage.
On the flip side, the numbers-matching 427 V8 is no longer under the hood. Blown at the drag strip decades ago, it was replaced with a “period-correct, authentically replicated” mill. A bit of a bummer? Well, yeah, but we need to keep in mind that most Thunderbolts had a hard time at the races in their early years.
Offered with a clean Colorado title and “ownership histories going back to the original owner,” the Thunderbolt is sold through Hemmings for $220,000. There’s also a “make offer” option if you think that’s too much. For reference, Thunderbolts in Excellent condition fetch anywhere between $220,000 and $280,000 nowadays.
