GMP 1:18 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 427 Hardtop

So you think plain vanilla is boring? Ask one of the 57 lucky purchasers of Ford's '66 427 Fairlanes fiberglass drag cars who got theirs in Wimbledon White. With a little tweaking, these little sleepers were capable of mid-11 second times on the 1/4 mile dragstrip. In 1966, the Fairlane received a new larger body style including a sleeker roofline all with an eye towards the NASCAR track. The dual stacked headlamps connected by a horizontal tubular grill was a real crowd pleaser too. Engine, trans and rearend options were many, but the top of the line powerplant was the ferocious 427 FE V8 which was available in single and twin 4bbl carbed configurations. This was a slightly detuned version of Ford's race proven "side oiler" wedge head that with dual carbs was rated at a conservative 425 HP @6000rpm (because no carmaker would dare cross that threshhold rating lest the insurance companies go ballistic). Fitting the 427 required modified shock towers and larger front coil springs. Free-breathing cast iron exhaust headers, low-restriction dual exhausts, and Ford's top-loader four-speed manual completed the powertrain. The 427 was only available on the two door Fairlane 500s or 500XLs and it came with a lift-off fiberglass hood with functional air scoop, small fender insignia, a Special Handling package, manual front disc brakes, heavy-duty rear leaf springs, larger bias-belted blackwall tires, but no tach.... a curious omission.

As the idea was to jettison the bells and whistles anyway. GMP modeled the base 500 tudor hardtop and true to form, it has the radio, AC and heater deleted. The extended shock towers are a standout in bare metal. GMP has decided to cut to the chase and replace the stock tires with generic front skinnies and 50 profile slicks in the rear (nicely buffed, I might add). The base dog dish hubcaps are removable and are retained by tiny magnets that make them self centering. I like the feature, but the tiny magnets at the wheel centers are not realistic looking. Perhaps if the hub centers were realistically modeled in metal and the magnet was relegated to the inside of the hubcap it would be an unobtrusive system.

All the trim and hardware are chromed including the door and trunk locks as well as the four hood pinlocks. Because this car is so bereft of trim, I would have wished for a 3-dimensional "427" badge and scripts, which are crisply tampo's but at this scale, are noticeably 2-D. The rocker panel trim is nicely detailed including the black recesses. (note the finished headliner with courtesy lamp in the picture)

The fiberglass hood is plastic with the aforementioned hardware and the plastic around the intake appears too thick and limits the area of the opening to more of a slit. Correct or not, after the shoot, I thinned out the plastic just to let a bit more air in. The engine bay has everything you'd want in content. The foam seal that mates with the hood intake is a nice suprise. The Autolite 12V battery and the FoMoCo labled washer fluid bag attests that GMP has paid the licensing freight and also that Ford may not have been too greedy in its demands. Manual steering and a single master cylinder w/o power boost also attest to the bare bones philosophy.

This model has a great "feel" to it due to the weight and how it relates to a real "tuned" suspension. Real metal coils up front and real functioning metal leaf springs in the rear have been exquisitely tuned to allow the car to sit right under its own weight and react to lift or pressure in a way that mimics a 1:1 automobile, which is one of the premiere features of GMP's line of Fairlanes. As you view the remakable suspension, you can't help but admire the entire undercarriage with the brake and fuel lines and even the "Autolite" logo on the oil filter. I love that little stuff. Spinning the rear wheels also turns the driveshaft. Suprisingly, the exhaust system behind the manifold is stock muffled, dual, and rear exiting. I was expecting dumps.

The interior leaves one wanting little. From the door sills to the accurate dash to the headliners, GMP has given you all the content and realism you could ask for. As you see, the soft textured and patterned seat articulate and... did I mention the window roll up and down by the crank? Pretty cool stuff. As to the trunk.... who stole the spare and jack? Ok... no frills. All we have here are the patterned liner and.. the tire changing instructions? Oh, the irony. Seriously, I'm suprised the battery wasn't put back here. That's kinda standard for a drag car. What do I know? GMP has put together a model that embodies the true spirit of the 427 Fairlane... a plain Jane with baaaad intentions. You might want to pose this car with the hood on the side just so your friends will know it's not your Dad's Fairlane. 4.8 outa 5.0 It's a killer machine.

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