Thunderbolt: The True Story of Dick Brannan and Ford’s Legendary 427 Fairlane Drag Racer

Ford’s Fairlane 427, affectionately known as the “Thunderbolt,” effectively announced Ford’s arrival as a serious player on the stock drag racing scene in 1964. Whereas Ford had enjoyed some success with far heavier full-sized cars and ambitious private competitors like Dick Brannan, with the Thunderbolt the Blue Oval brought Brannan into the fold and made a concerted effort to rule the quarter mile with a purpose-built, factory-supported racecar. This book tells the whole story of this landmark car.The Thunderbolt combined Ford’s mid-size chassis with its powerful big-block engine to become Ford’s most successful drag racer. The momentum gained with the Thunderbolt project established Ford’s drag racing pedigree, which it soon applied to the new Mustang. While the Mustang has carried Ford’s performance reputation forward to today, true Ford fans fondly remember Thunderbolt and a time 50 years ago when it dominated drag strips from coast to coast.