In the latest episode of The Smoking Tire‘s “One Take,” host Matt Farah takes us for a drive in a vintage Ford that’s perhaps all too easy to forget about: the Ford Fairlane 500.
This particular Ford Fairlane is a 1967 model-year example, and is powered by a mechanically-sound 302-cubic-inch V8 – effectively a Hi-Po (“High-Power”) engine with long-tube headers, an aluminum intake plenum, a Quadrajet carb, and cylinder heads hand-ported by the owner. He got started along the “slippery slope” of modifications, he says, after the car’s original 3-speed automatic transmission gave out, prompting him to swap in a 4-speed manual.
Outside of the powertrain, this ’67 Ford Fairlane 500 features a new, mostly-factory suspension with a strut brace and a “Shelby drop,” and 4-piston front brake calipers from Kelsey-Hayes. Cosmetically, the car shows plenty of patina, with exposed rust and primer giving this Ford Fairlane an awesome, worn appearance. We wouldn’t be surprised to spy its doppelganger somewhere in Fallout 4‘s dusty, post-apocalyptic landscape.
To see how this vintage Ford Fairlane 500 sedan takes on Matt Farah’s favorite set of mountain switchbacks, watch the video above.