Ford decided to add a mid-sized product between the compact Falcon and full-size Galaxie. That happened in 1962, and the company repositioned the well-known Fairlane nameplate for consumer familiarity. During the car’s first generation, most were sold as family automobiles – but a limited number of Sport Coupes were built with the High-Performance 289 cubic inch V8 that produced nearly one horsepower per cubic inch. This car is said to be one of just 27 that were built in 1963 and might be one of 13 thought to have passed through Carroll Shelby’s hands. Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, this 20,000-mile beauty is available here on eBay for $75,000 OBO.
Most folks (I think) associate the 271 hp K-code 289 V8 with the Shelby Mustangs of 1965 and 1966. Before that, though, Ford dabbled with installing some of them in the Fairlane in the latter half of 1963, 1964, and part of 1965. The Hi-Po 289, which Carroll Shelby also used, had a lot of “go faster” upgrades to differentiate it from the more pedestrian 289s that went into the rest of the Ford lineup. The compression ratio was 10.5:1 and the engine delivered 312 lb.-ft. of torque. A T-10 4-speed manual transmission was also the order of business.
The engine did not come by cheaply and added more than $600 to the price tag of a $2,500 car. These autos were sleepers in appearance, especially with dog dish hub caps like on the seller’s car. The estimated production numbers are much larger than the seller’s number, but still no more than four percent of what rolled out the door from Ford. Reference is made to this as a “Lightning Bolt” Fairlane, but those were the race-ready cars that Ford built in small numbers in 1964.
Whether or not Shelby got this Ford in his clutches still speaks to a rare and well-maintained speed demon. We’re told there has never been any rust in this machine (it came from California) and the engine and transmission are original to the Fairlane and are documented. The car’s low miles are due to it having spent much of its time in one museum or another. The seller says it has gone through a “driver-oriented” restoration, but I’m not sure what that means. But there are some new or newer parts, and the Ford runs and stops like a charm.
When you open the hood, that’s where the magic begins. The car sports its Paxton supercharger, posi-traction rear-end, and a Shelby tachometer on the dashboard. The hood and fenders are made of fiberglass, traits of original Ford Lightning Bolts. The interior is factory and has some signs of use, but it’s quite presentable with no issues. The car’s price tag suggests it may go back into a museum or perhaps turn up at shows that are a notch above weekend Cars & Coffee events.
Wow.
Dixon is this the nicest listing you’ve ever written up ?
Ahh, no, ford did make some k code fairlane’s in 63, but this one is a fake. The door tag is a reproduction, look at the spacing between trans id, and the rivets that hold it on.. No picture of the body vin? no picture of the rear end? I could go on and on, Please do some reading before thinking about this car.
The ad is full of language used to hedge how many, who modified it and mileage.
If you are going to ask top dollar you need more than “believed”. If it’s later proven their assumptions are incorrect will they take the car back, adjust the purchase price or say “so sorry, we only said we believed, it’s your problem now”.
Steve R
I looked at the eBay photo of the ID tag. You can see that the car was painted, not so well in the door jam area over some debris. and the tag was not masked perfectly. It does not look like a repo to me, but the color paint is not the same, maybe primer, where it appears on small areas? Can rivets be obtained and could this be original to the car or off another car? Yes, check ID’s on other parts of the car, for sure. Just uncertain.
Let the “fools” with “stupid money” buy it!
That would be a Trak Lok. Posi traction is a GM trademark.
Thank you!
Awesome Fair-a-lane. I don’t mean to be the know-it-all here, but the race cars were called Thunderbolts, no? I never heard of a Lightningbolt, and neither has the innernet,[sic] apparently. Before “hair dryers”( turbos) a supercharger was the best way of adding HP. Turbochargers have several advantages over supercharging, and not sure this is even needed today. It is pretty cool to see. Fairlanes dominated drag racing, gave them pesky Dodge Darts something to sweat about, fo’ sho’.
11 1963 Thunderbolts were built with the Hi-Po 289 all were Vintage Burgundy..NONE had a console and radio,1 was an automatic driven by Paul Harvey Ford whose driver was killed in it in 1965 and the car was destroyed,so the auto is gone forever.I cant find any mention anywhere of a Lightningbolt either.It looks like a 1963 Thunderbolt but there is too much off about it unless the radio console supercharger etc were added by a later owner.but i kinda smells fake.
No ’63 Thunderbolts were built, though the Tasca Ford ’63 with the 406 was kind of an unofficial prototype, and none had the 289 — they were all 427s (yes, a fan site says the initial cars were ordered with the 289 hi-po to get the 9-inch rear end and better brakes but those cars would have gotten the 427 when converted to Thunderbolts). Some Thunderbolts were built in late ’63, but they were 1964 models.
There seems to be some disagreement on that. I have talked to a fellow that was a mechanic on the Marv Tonkin 427 Galaxy and he distinctly remembers a 289 Thunderbolt being campaigned around Oregon and northern California in 1964.
Wow.
Borg Warner T-10 was not my favorite transmission. I preferred the Muncie 4 speed, close ratio, 2:20 first gear ratio. It was a better transmission.
All I gotta’ say is “Buyer beware!………
The aluminum filler straps for the side chrome are missing and the padded dash and chrome surround are both missing …either a well done clone or unfinished sportscoupe.lines on roof chrome have different # of stripes on sc vs a 500 also.neber seen a Paxton or glass front end on a 63 ,but 64 parts are a direct bolt on on front…I own 6 of these ,nd several junkers ,
Right out of the gate the bumpers are bent down. It’s a nice car but at 75 large, they’re dreaming.
An attempt was made to “replicate”…but alas.
A valiant effort nonetheless……still luv’ to own it…but @ a considerable discount!
Should have gold sportscoupe emblem in center horn ring…I would have used 1962 speedo surround its steel and chromed ,,over time the plastic, plated 63 speedo surround fades out like this one is,losing its shine
You mean Thunderbolt? Not lightning bolt.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Shelby was not in the business of tinkering with fairlanes or any other ford sedan in 63. ( He didn’t have a contract with ford with until 65 to “tinker” with the mustang) He was too busy getting the cobra off the ground.
This car screams fake and imposter.
The hipo engine want available until late 63. The date on the door tag say “21C” should mean march 21. Too early for a hipo.
I’ve been doing cars for 50 years, mostly ford and Shelby stuff. I’ve heard countless claims that Shelby ” modified” their cars. All of it is pure B.S. never any proof. This guy is just another one of ” those guys” SMH.
I’m with you Rob, no Shelby tag,,mustangs were well documented .I’m a fairlane ,comet nut and I know my s-22 and sportscoupes like you know your Shelby records ,,,have a good day
An authentic vehicle would have a generator, not an alternator. Ford made the switch for the 1965 model year.
And I don’t recall any Ford small blocks offering a supercharged version.
If you go to the video on the ebay ad the engine doesn’t sound that healthy to me. Sounds like a knock.
Gotta be careful with lightening bolts. Even Colin Chapman went too far with that sometimes.
This thing reeks of fake. Hearing from the guys who know Fairlanes drives the stake in.
Thunderbolts and lightening, very very frightening, me….
Nice Queen reference, but I’d prefer the BSA motorcycle. Thunderbolts had 1 carb, Lightnings had 2. Get it? 1st comes the Lightning, then the Thunderbolt.
Full disclosure, I am defiantly a GM sort of a fella, in particular Chevrolet, but as I spent the 60s in a mid sized town with a fairly robust street racing scene as well as sanctioned drag racing, I was exposed to high performance cars from all the manufacture’s, Ford included, and a couple of Fords are special to me. One is the ’63/ ’64 Galaxie “R” code 427 side oiler and the other being anything with the 289/ 271 horse motor. So, when I first saw this car, it definitely piqued my interest. Neat car, but after reading some of other folks comments, as well as some observations of my own, I am thoroughly confused. First the plus side: it has a lot of what a 289/ 271 Fairlane should have including what appears to be a legitimate widow sticker. The bucket seats and console don’t bother me at all, seems like a normal option. Then it gets confusing. Glass fenders and hood are definitely not a normal option, and I would be surprised if Ford would have offered them on anything but a Thunderbolt. I’m aware that Ford did build a few 289 Thunderbolts, but buckets, a console, and a radio wouldn’t have come on one of those. To the best of my knowledge, Ford didn’t offer a Paxton supercharger as an option, and while it wouldn’t be out of the question that Shelby may have offered one, they weren’t in business when this car was built. With all the discrepancy’s, I doubt that this is a true factory 271 horse unless someone has messed with it quite a bit. I don’t know how much help Kevin Marti would be, but I would certainly contact him before I ever made a move on this car.
This one may actually be one of the even more rare “Stovebolts”.
As to the door tag, the 8 should be under the A, The 5 (trans code) should be under the e, as all fords where. look it up. The rivets on the door data plate. should not be flat against the plate, but rounded over. Instant clue to a fake. the rear end should have necked down outer tubes,as ALL hi po’s do. Engine does not have a hi po front balancer installed, alternator?. not untill 65. on and on and on. Just a warning, do as you will.
Also, the “hi po” emblems on the front fenders are not correct, they are 64, and latter. As 63 used a 1 piece pot metal emblem, with screw in studs, ( aka, Ultra rare)
That Id is even “aged” with hairline scratches. If a fake, wouldn’t this be a good case for fraud and other charges? Ford Motor Company? Anyone an attorney?
Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Someone out there has the has the capability to forge a door plate, but doesn’t know how to sequence the letters and or numbers correctly. I’m certainly beginning to believe that the car is probably a fake, and I don’t doubt your knowledge, but the door plate thing doesn’t make any sense to me.
My first comment on BF which has been a blast in my retirement (since ‘22). Love this site. Nothing technical about the vehicle, just my personal great experience. My aunt purchased a new ‘63 Fairlane burgundy coupe with a 260 V8 which she gifted to me when I was in college way back in ‘74. 63k miles in perfect condition. Almost a clone to this one exterior-wise except mine had wire wheel covers and white walls. Snazzy back in the day. Named her “The Burgundy Baby”. Sadly it was totalled by a drunk driver while parked in front of my parents’ house a year later. However the fond memories live on forever. Ironically just came across a Polaroid pic of the car with the diminutive tail fin crunched up to the very ample C-pillar.
Welcome. Great pastime, you should enjoy it.