Usually, when someone boasts about their ownership of a "one of a kind automobile," it's a bit like the old folk tales about magical witches giving birth to rabbits in the middle of the forest with no one else around.
A great story, for sure, but we're going to need to see some receipts if we're going to believe it. Thankfully, it appears the seller of this one-of-a-kind 1969 Ford Fairlane via eBay has just those receipts. Let's give you the run down. Firstly, it's at least marginally apparent that this olive green leviathan is not just any ordinary Fairlane. The bulging hood-scoop barely able to contain the monster under the hood is clue numero uno.
The dog-dish style performance hubcaps are another significant indicator. But what might this mystery engine be? Well, friends, it's none other than the legendary 428 cubic-inch (7-liter) Cobra Jet V8. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, and we bet you thought they were only found in Mustangs.
In its day, the full-sized Fairlane was a family hauler first and a comfortable V8 cruiser second. But based on the paperwork stored in the trunk of the vehicle, this particular Fairlane wasn't cut from the same cloth. It left Ford's San Jose, California plant on April 25th, 1969, in Black Jade bodypaint with the four on the floor manual transmission and Hurst branded shifter. It was then sold new at Jerry Hays Ford Company in Independence, Missouri.
Right there on the order slip, the request for the 428 Cobra Jet engine is plain to see. Color us impressed, and then some. It's also one-of-one Fairlanes on the Planet with the dual sport mirrors and the factory option AM radio based on the same included paperwork. Only 23 other 1969 Fairlanes came equipped with high-quality black vinyl bucket seats.
Photo: MGM Classic Cars
Better still, only one other left the factory with a center console. Just in case this package needed a little extra gravy on top of a meal that's going down real easy. It's the Ford Fairline factory modified to its absolute maximum possible form, an exercise and excess that we just can't stop drooling over.
On top of the beastly engine, this Fairlane sports factory heavy-duty suspension. Alongside the rare OEM Traction-Lok limited-slip differential. This Fairlane has the hardware to break the stereotype of muscle cars handling like boats. With the optional archaic but effective power boosted drum brakes and power steering, this Fairlane has all the sporting credentials of any European grand tourer of the same era.
Don't believe us? Try this on for size. In its day, it was understood that the 335 horsepower figure offered by Ford for the 428 powerplant was almost undoubtedly underrated. Performance tuners of the period often claim to have dyno tested 428 Cobra Jet Mustangs as high as 375 and even 400 horsepower on high octane fuel. This is the very engine that resides within this Fairlane.
For comparison, the 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400s four-liter V12 was rated at 345 horsepower, and who knows if Lambo was telling the truth? The point being, of course, is this. When the muscle car doesn't have suspension borrowed from an ox cart for once, we'd be tickled pink to be able to pick between which one we'd rather travel continents in. At least the Fairlane is still a full-sized late 60s American car, so the trunk is big enough for a set of skis or golf clubs.
Photo: MGM Classic Cars
However, you won't need to dish out Miura money to get this Fairlane. Check out the official eBay listing posted via MGM Classic Cars of Addison, Illinois, if you want to learn more about pricing information. We're here to marvel at this true one-of-a-kind automobile, not gawk at its price.
But if it came down to it, would you bring home this one-of-a-kind factory sleeper full-sized muscle car instead of a European super/sports car of the same period? Let us know in the comments down below, and please be civil about it. We're all petrolheads, after all.
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