I purchased the car on August 3, 2000 from a dealer who purchased the car from a collector. In it's past, somebody had painted the car white & the interior was reupholstered with a white-cream vinyl. Main parts like the center console and dash pad were gone. At first glance the car looked like a piece of junk. But closer inspection showed the body straight and rust free. I ended up finding parts and other items like a straight dash console and steering wheel through sources like Woody's Fairlane website, Fairlane Club of America & eBay. I went on a quest to bring this car back to the the day it looked when it left the dealer showroom in 1966.

The convertible top was originally white. I thought a black top would look better and would not be an issue with any purists thoughts in how to present a mid 1960's muscle car. The Ford 9" inch stock rear end was a limited slip 3:25 gearing going through 28 spline axles. Those were replaced with Detroit Lockers, 3.89:1 gears and 31 spline axles (same as the 50 or so factory 427 Fairlanes produced in 1966). In 2012, I changed the gear ratio back to 3:25. It was fun driving the car with the steeper gears, but driving down the highway with the motor barking out its high revs would get real annoying after a while.

Here is the backstory behind one of automotive history’s most memorable car colors.

Ford Candy-Apple Red

Driving home one night somewhere in California, legendary car customizer Joe Bailon became entranced by the glowing taillights ahead of him. Bailon thought the lights were so pretty he began wondering what an entire car painted the color of a taillight might look like. According to the tale, Bailon worked for the next decade mixing and layering various paints, trying and failing to find the perfect red. Then it 1956, history was made when he “threw some gold powder on the bench, mixed it with Shermin-Williams extra-brilliant maroon and clear lacquer.”

Although he wasn’t the only hot rod enthusiast toying around (and having some success) with candy-colored paint formulas in the 1950s, Bailon is today considered the first to discover the basic formula. But it wasn’t until 1966 that the color went mainstream when Ford began offering candy-apple red as a paint option on Fairlane, Falcon, Galaxie, and Thunderbird.

 
 

The Fairlane GT (manual) and GTA (automatic) models were identified by their black-out grille and hood louvers showing the 390 cu. in. displacement in red numerals (standard engine for the 1966 GT/GTA model). A side stripe decal was placed, running just above the rocker panels and a GT or GTA identification badge mounted within the side stripes. Another badge placed on the center of the grille and yet another on a panel mounted on the the rear trunk. On the rear fenders, the word Fairlane was spelled out in individual chrome letters. Bucket seats and a floor console were also standard. A GT badge crowned the front of the console, beneath the dash. The floor console features a storage compartment with a 'brushed stainless' door and trimmed in chrome. Door panels also carried stylish GT identification. The floor console setup was shared with the 500/XL. Both GT/GTA and 500/XL models sported red and white lights built into the door arm rests. Full wheel covers were standard GT/GTA models and the engine came with the chrome dress-up kit. Other special GT/GTA features included 120 pounds of insulation and sound deadening material, wide rims, larger tires, and a heavy-duty suspension highlighted by a stabilizer bar. However, this made the GT/GTA car heavier by about 400 pounds more than a Fairlane 500 hardtop with a 390.  1966 - Fairlane GT & GTA CONVERTIBLES produced - 4,327. 1967 - Fairlane GT & GTA CONVERTIBLES produced - 2,117. 1966/67 - TOTAL Fairlane GT & GTA models produced - 58,129. 1966/67 - the 2 years that Ford produced this Fairlane body style. 1971 - The last year Ford used the Fairlane name for a model. Click here if you would like to read this car's build sheet. ©2004 Phil Spruit