HAYDEN Ivers was on the lookout for a unique show and go car when his stumbled across the Thunderbolt Fairlane reproduction online. Only 100 original Thunderbolts were made, specifically for homologation in the Super Stock drag racing series and not many exist outside of America. Hayden ended up importing a ready-to-roll replica from the states, but when the car landed in Oz it was clear it needed some work. What followed was a bunch of shop-time just to get the car driveable, but the finished product is magnificent.

The car has been built to show-level standard, with every nut and bolt made exactly as Ford Motorsport would have done it back in 1964. It has the cast iron 427-cube 600hp donk with high-riser heads and twin Holley carbs which are fed by ducts plumbed into the deleted headlight apertures. The original Thunderbolts were available with either a BorgWarner T-10 manual or Lincoln Cruise-O-Matic; but instead of either, Hayden’s runs a Paul Rogers C6 auto. Check out the January 2016 issue of Street Machine for more details.

We caught up with Hayden to chat about the car at Portland’s South Coast Raceway last weekend, where the car came second in the vintage racer class.