The Fairlane nameplate dates to the 1950s. But in 1962, Ford shifted the moniker from a full-size car to the new mid-size platform, which would eventually become the Torino. This 1967 Fairlane 500 may once have been a decent survivor, but a tree fell on it, leaving the car’s future in limbo. Located in Kingwood, Texas, this drop-top project or parts car is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,000. An attaboy goes to “Zappenduster” for the flattened tip.
Ford built just 5,428 Fairlane 500 convertibles in 1967 (excluding the XL and GT models). It was in the second year of a two-year redesign, as the cars would catch another makeover in 1968. The cars had stacked headlights just like their big brothers. An inline-6 was standard, and this one was optioned with the entry-level V8 displacing 289 cubic inches. There is no mention of this drop-top running before it was smashed by a falling tree.
Before its demise (premature or otherwise), this was a well-used Ford, pushing 120,000 miles. The body may have been okay, but the red paint was already starting to fade (probably). The interior matches the outside, but things are pretty dirty now. Whether the white convertible top had any issues before the ka-boom is moot now. If you choose to harvest parts, we assume the 289 and the automatic transmission could be used elsewhere.
The big question is whether this car would be worth fixing and restoring. Anything is possible with enough money and time, but there’s likely some hidden damage to its structure. It’s a shame this happened to the car, as there can’t be that many left, especially with a V8 (as the seller points out). What would you do with the automobile if you took it home?
A dirty one for the holidays from Dixon 🇺🇸
I’m the guy who would just cut off the windshield post and just drive it if you have DOT approved eye protection its legal. Washington State is weird because your car doesn’t have to have a windshield but it has to have working windshield wipers. Glad I moved across the border