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SS396 Fighter: 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA

1966 Ford Fairlane GTA

I love the looks of this Fairlane GTA and with the power it’s packing under the hood, I bet it is fun to drive! It isn’t exactly original, it’s had an older repaint and the original 390 has been worked over. The seller claims the previous owner had the engine rebuilt with a 428 crank, but they don’t have any receipts to prove what work was done or what parts were used, but apparently it pulls hard. Being a GTA means it came with an automatic from the factory and still has a C6 mounted behind the 390. While I like selecting my own gears, I think this one would be fun just as it is! If you agree, you can find it here on eBay in Monroe, Washington with a current bid of $15k.

1966 Fairlane GTA Engine

The ’66 Fairlane GT and GTA were serious muscle cars and were developed to take on the Chevelle Ss396. The 390 was tuned to produce 335 horsepower and made the once mundane Fairlane into a speed machine. While Ford had considerable success with their SS396 fighter, it wasn’t until ’67 when Ford add the 427 option to the lineup that the GT and GTA became a car for Chevelle owners to fear. Personally, I’m not too concerned with beating Chevelles off the line, so I would be more than happy with this Fairlane!

1966 Fairlane GTA Interior

What a great looking interior! Looking at the outside, you’d expect a grown up and boring interior, but this thing is anything but boring. The bucket seats look to be in fantastic condition with an interesting color combo. The headliner has recently been replaced making this a ready to drive, show and enjoy classic.

1966 Fairlane GTA

Having experienced plenty of Fords from this era, I can attest to what enjoyable cars they are to drive. That being said, if your looking for an all out drag car, this probably isn’t the muscle car for you. Now if your looking for a well rounded car that will be fun to cruise in, make fantastic sounds and lay down great burnout, this might just be the car for you! What do you think? Would you rather have this GTA, an SS396 or a Charger?

Comments

  1. Avatar Ed Greenway

    my first car was a 66 Fairlane 500. I would take this beauty in a second!

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  2. Avatar Dan

    They actually built 57 427 fairlanes in 1966. My neighbor has one he bought new.

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  3. Avatar Chris

    I really like these Fords. I’ve always been more partial to the General’s offering, but Ford definitely put out some cool muscle cars.

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  4. HoA Howard A Member

    Well, this ain’t Bill Gannons Fairlane. (Big Dragnet fan) IDK about a 396 killer, it seemed Ford always kind of played catch up to Mopar and GM. Make no mistake, this is a very nice car. I do think Ford was a lot nicer than the other 2 styling wise, though. Some of my favorite Fords around this time. I’d try and find some nice wheels, like GTA stock ones. Cool car.

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  5. Avatar JW

    One of my favorite Ford’s of the sixties, checked out the one Mike from American Pickers bought at their store in Iowa but he was asking way too much for the condition it was in so I passed. This is a much nicer one.

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  6. Avatar Mike

    I have a 67 – 427 Fairlane, and Love the Car, it has been modified a little I put a Hurst 4 speed tranny in mine back in the 90’s, mine is Jet Black with Red interior.
    Nice find, I would Love to have it, but to far to go get it.

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  7. Avatar boxdin

    How about an oddball Fairlane, a post coupe w a 390 w 3 on the tree; for sale on CL in Santa Fe, NM. Not mine.

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  8. Avatar Paul R

    Love it! The steelie’s on the rear make it period correct!
    A neighbor had one similar. On Friday afternoon he would jack it up and put a set of cheater slicks on and uncap the headers for a weekend of street racing.
    I was a small child then, but will never forget the sound of the car, as he rowed through the gears down my street!

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  9. Avatar Lugnut

    I like these cars but I dont think the 390s ever scared an SS396. The 390 was a bit of a boat anchor as performance motors go. The heads werent really up to snuff. Putting a 428 crank in it would be a start…

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    • Avatar Rocco

      Lugnut,
      Putting a 428 crank in a 390, makes it a 410, like a ’66-’67 Mercury Marauder motor.
      I’m with you about the 390 scarring any other big blocks, except maybe in a Mustang back then. It’s like a 383 Roadrunner. They were both dogs in the bigger performance cars. The SS396 was the one to beat. Even a 325HP SS396 Chevelle would probably beat a 390 Fairlane, as much as I hate to say, since I’m a Ford guy. Those SS Chevelles were just hard to beat.

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  10. Avatar JD

    My all-time favorite muscle car in terms of looks and purpose. I love the stacked headlights and squared-off rear end. Looks great in white with those hood scoops. I’d drop $15K in a heartbeat if I had it! One day, one day…

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  11. Avatar z28th1s

    The GT and GTA were never offered with a 427 motor. As mentioned above they were offered in 1966 in the Fairlane 500 and they were all painted white. In 1967 you could get the 427 in any of the lower trim 2 door Fairlanes, but not the GT or GTA.

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  12. Avatar Jake

    My 1965 Galaxie 500 XL with the 390 goes like hell.

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  13. Avatar rich voss

    Had a canary yellow/black interior ’67 GTA, bought new in ’67. The previous poster is right about GTs/GTAs, they were a special set that only came with the 335hp 390 and special interior, trim and stripes. The ’66 shown had the chrome inserts in the hood and my ’67 had raised flat “rockets” on the hood with turn indicator lights facing the driver. I voted “down” the guys comments that said you couldn’t beat a 396 Chevelle with these, did all the time. Along with 390 AMXs, any MoPar bodied 383. Army shipped mine with me for my stint in Germany and drove it everywhere. Really big car by European standards and I had fun toying with 911s, XKEs and SLs on the Autobahn and Autostrada. Two cars passed me in 2 1/2 years…a prototype Miura in Italy and an Alfa street/racer. Both beautiful and REALLY fast. Problems driving there: stock Firestone Redline Wide-Ovals not made for autobahn speeds & wore out quickly, and the brick-like front end would catch air and rise to the top of the shocks over 120…and stay there. Disc brakes were great going back and forth through the Alps. A late friend had the ’66 GT in red/black. RIP Rob.

    Like 0

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