In 1963 the Ford Motor Company created a lighter weight Galaxie coupe to compete in the factory experimental and super stock class races. The company essentially dropped the massive 427 under the hood. Even with all that power the Galaxie could not keep up with the smaller Plymouths and Dodges. So, for 1964, Ford placed the 427 into the midsized Fairlane and created the Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt was both race ready with a few modifications and also street legal.
Few people have ever driven the 1964 Ford Thunderbolt or even laid eyes on it for that matter. It was only produced for one year and no more. Modifications were done to the front in order to custom fit the big block 427. The manifold was elevated and aa tear drop shaped hood bubble was added to allow the machine to breathe. The 1964 Ford Thunderbolt used the Hurst Shifter with a four speed transmission. It also came with an automatic transmission if desired.
The 500hp Thunderbolts were given to race car professionals who immediately put them to use destroying the competition in races around the country in 1964. The first eleven Thunderbolts were painted burgundy while the next 100 or so were painted Wimbledon white. They were manufactured to race in super stock and stock drag competitive races. At the same time Ford was making the lighter weight Galaxies for the racing circuit too. In 1964, Ford dominated the stock car racing circuit with the two cars. However, in 1965 the NHRA mandated that car makers produce 500 cars of a particular car in order to qualify for the stock car races. Ford halted production of both the Galaxie and the 1964 Ford Thunderbolt.
Finding a 1964 Ford Thunderbolt is like looking for the Holy Grail to some fans of stock car racing. A few have surfaced and been sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, for a long time, the Thunderbolt did not get the recognition and respect that other GM muscle cars received. This has begun to change in recent years leading the higher sale prices. The 1964 Galaxie lightweights are very rare, indeed. Fewer than 50 of these cars were ever built in 1963. 100 1964 Ford Thunderbolts were manufactured in the factory. Fewer still survive. In 2009, one thunderbolt sold for more than 200,000 dollars.