Written by independent automotive journalist Tom Jensen

Surviving examples of 1966 R-code Ford Fairlanes are exceedingly rare – but this one, Lot #1365 – will be going home with the highest bidder at the 2018 Scottsdale Auction.

For car lovers, the 1960s really were a magical time, because Detroit’s Big 3 automakers were locked in a rapidly escalating high-performance war that played out on racetracks and drag strips across the country, as well as new-car showrooms from New England to Southern California and everywhere in between.

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was still a very viable business model, so Chrysler, Ford and General Motors pulled out all the stops, each trying to outdo the other to win the hearts and minds of enthusiasts.

That meant there were few limits on what the automakers were willing to do to win races and sell cars. Consider the case of the humble and utilitarian Ford Fairlane. Redesigned for 1966, the midsized Fairlane was a huge hit for Ford, who built 317,724 Fairlanes during that model year, an increase of 42 percent over the 1965 total.

The Fairlane offered buyers myriad choices: It was available in coupe, convertible, sedan and station wagon body styles, with a whopping 16 different colors and a choice of powertrains.

But out of those 317,724 Fairlanes built in ’66, a mere 57 carried a description that to Blue Oval fanatics is nothing short of the Holy Grail: R-code. That designation meant the Fairlane in question was equipped with the legendary 427ci, 425-horsepower Ford V8 engine under the hood.

The 57 R-code Fairlanes were built for the ultra-competitive NHRA Super Stock drag racing circuit, making them essentially factory race cars. The sanctioning body required Ford to produce at least 50 examples of the 427 Fairlane before approving it to compete, so that’s what the automaker did.

All 1966 R-code Fairlanes were built to the same exact specs: All were painted Wimbledon White at the factory, and all were trimmed out with black interiors and bench seats.

More importantly, they all had the brutish 427 powerplant, nicknamed “side-oiler” for its unique lubrication system. A medium-riser intake manifold was topped with a pair of Holley four-barrel carburetors and spark was provided by a transistor ignition system.

Along with the 427 came Ford’s almost-indestructible “Toploader” 4-speed manual transmission and a 9-inch posi-traction rear end with 3.89 gears. Other features standard to all R-code ’66 Fairlanes were front disc brakes, radio delete, dog-dish hubcaps and a lightweight, lift-off hood with an air scoop to provide fresh air into the hungry engine.

The R-code package alone nearly doubled the base price of a conventional ’66 Fairlane 2-door hardtop, which started at a mere $2,378. The R-code option added another $1,725 to the price, pushing it past the $4,000 mark, big money back in the day.

Lot #1365, which will sell at No Reserve at the 2018 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, is a unique example of an R-code ’66 Fairlane, even considering the rarity of the model.

This specific car has had just three owners over the last 52 years. It is documented with a pair of factory Build Sheets, and drag racing elapsed-time slips showing a best time of just 11.95 seconds in the quarter-mile — that’s a very, very quick time for half a century ago.

This car underwent a full rotisserie restoration in 2010, and comes with most of its original sheet metal, as well of most of its original parts, including the transmission, rear end, dual-quad intake manifold, exhaust manifolds, heads, radiator, carburetor-hood scoop sealing plate, transistor ignition and dual air cleaner assembly. Included in the sale but not currently installed on the car are the dual Holley carburetors and the original valve covers. The original block was replaced by a correct 1968 427ci side-oiler block.

This 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code represents a unique opportunity for the savvy collector. Most of the 57 R-code Fairlanes built in 1966 were used for drag racing; many were heavily modified or completely used up and discarded. That means surviving examples of R-code ’66 Fairlanes are exceedingly rare: Remember, just one in every 5,574 Fairlanes built that year carried the R-code engine. A car built in such miniscule quantities isn’t easy to find these days – and certainly not one in this combination of exquisite condition and documentation.

Some lucky buyer is going to be very, very happy when Lot #1365 rolls across the auction block with No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.

For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.