1965 Ford Fairlane 500

Imported from the United States of America in July 2016, this Californian Fairlane 500 two-door coupe (body type 65A) is almost completely free of rust, as you might expect of a car that arrived to these shores after spending the majority of its life in the Golden State.

Interestingly, while this Fairlane was built in 1965, it appears to be relatively rare as it has the horizontal quad headlight configuration of the 1964 model and the square rear tail lights of the 1966 model-year cars. The owner has been informed by Macs Auto Parts of Titusville Florida, that this configuration was only available in 1965 and only then in limited numbers. The owner tells us that he believes that this is the only one of this type in the UK.

It has been lightly refurbished and comprehensively serviced, and now wears adjustable air shock absorbers on the rear, disc brakes on the front, and American Racing wheels in addition to the factory V8, twin exhaust pipes, Holley carburettor, automatic transmission, and power steering of the standard car.

The owner treated himself to the Fairlane as a 75th birthday present to himself in July of this year but has sadly found it too big for him and so is in the regrettable position of having to sell it after having owned it for only a short time.

The Californian sun might have enabled the Fairlane 500 escape the salt-induced corrosion that kills cars that have lived their lives in the rustbelt but it has left its mark, giving the car’s paintwork an interesting patina, especially on the roof and rear deck/trunk area, which are definitely faded. 

The colour is a vintage Burgundy/Royal Maroon, and while some of it looks to be possibly original, the overspray on the chassis plate suggests that it has had at least localised repairs at some point in its life.

The vendor commissioned his local American car specialist to fit a new nearside front floor pan as it was lightly pitted and pinholed. The rest of the panels were treated with ACF50 inhibitor as they were found to be in sound condition but were otherwise left untouched.

The remaining problems are pretty much limited to a small crack on the nearside of the windscreen (sorry, windshield) and the previously mentioned sun-faded paintwork. We like the Rat Rod look, but a full respray would be relatively straightforward given the condition the panels are in.

The black interior has the benefit of the factory specification silver highlight trim, which help lift the interior from dull-but-worthy all the way to truly magnificent. The doors and rear quarters have had their trim replaced recently (some Gallery pictures from the summer show the prior metal-turned door trims), and the rear deck has been re-trimmed too. The rest of the interior is in good, lightly patinated condition and we’d strongly encourage potential bidders to take a look at the car for themselves to appreciate just how lovely it is.

Music will be taken care of via dual cone speakers and new twin electric aerials. The original Ford radio works, but also the owner commissioned wiring for a modern head unit. This would make fitting a CD player or Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player a doddle, should the new owner want to go down that route rather than simply listening to the original AM radio.

The front seats are fitted with seat belts but there are none in the rear. However, the owner has purchased a set to go back there and these will be supplied with the car.

The spare wheel is the original steel pattern, and lives in the boot along with a jack and wheel brace. The boot has been treated to a new carpet, as has the front of the interior.

The Ford has had a recent full service including use of the correct type of engine oil. It has also been recently fitted with new, matching tyres, a new battery, and a new fuel tank and sender. The car also has a full MOT, reassuring even though it is obviously exempt by virtue of its age.

The fact that the owner has gone to the trouble and expense of MOT-ing it is indicative of a man who treats his cars properly rather than running them on a shoestring and doing as little as he can get away with. He is, in other words, One Of Us and exactly the sort of chap you would want to buy a classic car from.

The car has also been mildly modified and upgraded with the addition of an extra cooling fan for the engine, front disc brakes, and adjustable air shock absorbers on the rear. All are sensible modifications that help make the car even more usable but all could be easily reversed should the new owner prize absolute originality over practicality.

The owner tells us that the car “drives superbly either for cruising or, as in the USA, Saturday night drag racing”.

He goes on to say of it: “All systems work as they should and the motor and auto transmission do exactly what you would expect. The car has been recently serviced and checked over by a well-known West Country American car expert.”

Little is known of the car prior to the vendor buying it. However, there is some paperwork with the vehicle that suggests a new engine may have been fitted in 2004. We have been unable to confirm this though, and would suggest that potential bidders inspect the car and its paperwork for themselves in order to form their own opinion as to this.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork that comes with the car.

A parts catalogue will also accompany the car as virtually everything is still available off the shelf thanks to the fanatical following they have in the ‘States.

Firstly, any new buyer could leave the car as is and have a great value, attention-grabbing ‘cruiser’, or…

While the purists might shudder, we think that this beautifully patinated car would make an awesome race or rally car, and it would be lovely to see it being campaigned against the more run-of-the-mill Ford Mustangs and Galaxies.

Or, restoring it back to its original specification would be simple and straightforward, as would a full bare-metal respray if the new owner prefers their cars shiny and new rather than battle-scared and patinated.

In any case, they aren’t going to have to dig too deep because we expect this example of a rare American classic muscle car to sell for between £8,250 and £9,750. As always, the reserve is set at an even lower point, so there is a potential bargain to be had!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Somerset; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.