The Fairlane started life as a posher version of Ford's full-size line. Starting in '59 it got supplanted as the pinnacle of full-size Ford luxury by the Galaxie, and starting in the 1962 model year the Fairlane badge was moved to a new car, creating a new mid-size category of Fords, with a 115.5" wheelbase splitting the difference between the 109.5" wheelbase on the Falcon and the Galaxie's 119" one.
1966 saw the second generation of the midsize Fairlane, with sharply creased styling and vertically stacked quad headlamps echoing that of the Custom and Galaxie full-size Fords.
Only three trim levels of the Fairlane were available as convertibles for 1966: The sporty GT & GTA models, the plush 500/XL, and the regular Fairlane 500 like the Sauterne Gold example in the photos.
Base motor for the 500 convertible would have been Ford's 200 cubic inch OHV "Fairlane Six", with a 1-bbl carb and making 120 SAE gross horsepower. Optional motors consisted of the 200 horsepower 289cid Challenger V-8 and the 265 horse 390 cube Thunderbird V-8, both with a two-barrel carb and burning regular gas. The hottest option was the Thunderbird Special V-8, with a 4-barrel carburetor and a 10.5:1 compression ratio requiring premium fuel, and rated at 335 gross horsepower.
The 302 badges on this car's fenders indicate that what's going on under the hood is pretty far from stock.
Motor Trend tested a '66 GTA coupe with the 390 Thunderbird Special and recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 6.8 seconds and an elapsed time in the quarter of 15.2 at 92 mph. The big motor and 3.25:1 rear end combined to push the blunt chrome prow up to 125 miles per hour.
The one in the photos was snapped in November of 2018 using an iPhone 7 Plus.
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