The Ford Thunderbolt is a legendary racer in Blue Oval history, though given the fact that just 100 were produced in total, they’re not exactly easy to find these days – and certainly not cheap to acquire. Rather, the prices of the Ford Thunderbolt models that routinely surface for sale at auction continue to rise to new lofty heights, as we’ve seen time and time again, and that certainly figures to be the case with this particular example dubbed “Nazy Crate.”
This 1964 Ford Thunderbolt – number 56 of those 100 built in total – is slated to be auctioned off at Mecum’s upcoming Indianapolis, Indiana sale in May, years after it was raced by noted Blue Oval fan Nate Cohen and several others over the years. It was purchased new at Wayne Jones Ford in Leakesville, North Carolina, and subsequently raced by a mechanic at that same dealership, after which it changed hands a few times over the years. Now, the Thunderbolt is looking for a new home yet again, and it’s in amazing condition following a full-blown restoration completed back in 2007.
On the outside, this Thunderbolt is still equipped with its original fiberglass fenders, hood, aluminum front bumper, plexiglass side windows, radio, heater and sealer delete. The rear frame rails were removed and repositioned, while the trunk floor and gas tank were narrowed to meet NHRA qualification standards, making room for larger tires in the process. Power comes from the Ford 427 cubic-inch high-riser V8, which is mated to a Doug Nash Toploader four-speed manual transmission and a Detroit Locker 5.13-geared rear end.
This very special Ford Thunderbolt figures to attract its fair share of attention – and bids – at auction in a couple of weeks, as we’ve seen in the past. It has been a while since we’ve witnessed a Thunderbolt cross the auction block, however, though two of them surfaced for sale back in 2020 – car number 53 formerly raced by Phil Bonner, and another example with a non-original engine that still sold for big bucks.
Comment
I saw those bad boys being built at Dearborn Steel Tubing. In 1988 I went to Diversified Services Technology at the airport to see about getting a bunch of 89 T-Bird panels for our CASCAR racers and I recognized the guy we talked to. It seems DST had evolved into another DST with the same skunk works staffing!! Cool.