It can be seen throughout the history of race-ready cars that the majority of the muscle cars were designed to race in the NASCAR or NHRA circuits, with a few placed on the market for sale to the average Joe or Joann. The reason behind this is simple; NASCAR rules stated that for the car to race on the circuit, they had to be some production cars on the road. The cars that raced around the tracks in search of victory had to be designed as production cars. Otherwise, they were not allowed on the track. That is why so many race-ready vehicles, like the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code, were sold to the public. All three of the big Detroit carmakers did the same thing, and many of them were underrated to get them under the NASCAR stipulations. That is a story for another time, so let's jump right in and discover some things that may not be known about the Fairlane 500 R-Code.

10 Limited Production For The Fairlane 500 R-Code

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
Mecum Auctions

Since the Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code was primarily designed for the track, very few were made to sell for use on public streets. The number of Fairlanes produced with the race-ready engine and components came to just around 57 vehicles, which was just over the 50 cars that NASCAR required them to have. They had to be the exact duplicate of the vehicles that were going to be raced on the circuit, so even though they resembled the base-level Fairlanes coming off the production lines, they had a small badge on the fender to distinguish them from the rest.

9 Ford Fairlane R-Code Was Built For Racing

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
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The R-Code designation stamped onto the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 was not meant to state anything except the obvious. The car was built with one goal: to race in the NASCAR cup series. Ford took a lightweight car, stuffed a race-ready motor under the hood, changed the gear ratio to 3.89, and had a four-speed transmission to get the torque to the rear wheels. The Thunderbolt was the first Fairlane model to be used on the tracks, and it is the one that most NASCAR lovers remember. But once the Ford was redesigned and enlarged, the 500 was thrown into the mix instead because the carmaker could finally fit the huge 427 V8 under the hood without having to modify anything, like they had to do with the Thunderbolt.

Related: 10 Things You Forgot About The Mighty Pontiac Catalina Super Duty

8 Deadly Combination Of Engine And Drivetrain In The Fairlane R-Code

A parekd 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code engine
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No race car on the NASCAR circuit can be complete without a powerful enough engine to quickly push it down the track. The flip side to that statement is that speed is not the only thing that the race teams have to worry about. The engine must be able to handle being driven all-out for up to 500 miles, which is why the big block 427 V-8 made such a great addition to the Ford racing team. The 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code had no problems with dependability or power, pushing out a stated horsepower of 425 and up to 480 pound-feet of torque. When this engine was paired with an upgraded Toploader four-speed transmission and rear-end gears designed to race, it was truly a deadly combination.

7 The Fairlane Was Lightweight

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
Mecum Auctions

A big issue that always comes up for carmakers when they are trying to create a fast car is weight. The bigger the engine is under the hood, the more weight the vehicle will have. Not to mention the upgrades that need to be done to the frame and drivetrain to prevent twisting or snapping. When building a car for the track, the goal is not to have a weightless vehicle but to have one that weighs just a little less than the competition while still having all the high-performance goodies. The Fairlane accomplished that goal by weighing in at around 3,307 pounds, which was lighter than the Chevy Chevelle, which weighed close to 3400 pounds, and the Ford Galaxie, which came in at about 3600 pounds.

Related: 10 Awesome Things About The Forgotten AMC Rebel Machine

6 Ford Fairlane R-Codes Have Bare Interiors

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code interior
Mecum Auctions

It may not seem to most that the interior of a car could add to its weight, which Is true in a way. However, every little thing added to the vehicle as an option, such as the radio or air-conditioning, adds a few pounds. When you put that idea into a Ford Fairlane that was not expected to be one of the most luxurious cars on the market, it can be understood why the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code is so bare on the inside. The R-Code was never produced with a radio. Instead, it had a plate that covered the hole, and no options were included that could possibly increase the weight. After all, the point of designing a car to race is to decrease the weight as much as possible while leaving the car safe to be driven at such high speeds.

5 Ford Fairlane R-Code Was Given Official Underrated Power

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
Mecum Auctions

Ford was not one to bend the rules normally, but all cars designed to race on the NASCAR circuit could not be more powerful than the competition. Otherwise, it would not be a fair race. After all, a road race with no rules is not what is being sought after by the carmakers. Since most big block engines produced more power than the regulations allowed, the companies gave them a horsepower rating under the actual amounts. In this instance, the '66 Fairlane 500 R-Code was rated at 425 horses, but the actual numbers are more like 500 horsepower and up.

Related: 10 Awesome Things About The Buick Skylark GSX

4 Plain Look Makes The R-Code A Perfect Sleeper

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
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The 1966 Ford Fairlane was redesigned and enlarged for the model year, making it more than able to hold the bigger 7.0L big block. That means that the car designed for the public could be easily improved to make it race ready, starting with the engine. This makes the R-Code Fairlane so similar to the base-level cars that it can be tricky, if not impossible, to tell them apart at a glance. With closer investigation, the 427 badges placed on the fender could give it away, as could the flat piece of metal over the cut-out where the stereo would go. If the hood was popped open, the big 427 would give the truth away, but an unaware Camaro or Mustang may attempt to instigate a race when cruising the streets. A race that they would lose.

3 Upgraded Suspension Helped The Fairlane R-Code Stay On The Road

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
Mecum Auctions

A powerful car is only as good as its engine, drivetrain, and suspension system. The perfect combination of the three will boost the vehicle to a new level. A level that wins races consistently. The 1966 Ford Fairlane R-Code combined the most powerful engine with the best four-speed manual transmission they made. To create the perfect package, it had a suspension system to match. The R-Code had front independent suspension, unequal length control arms, an anti-roll bar, telescoping shocks, coil springs, and lower trailing links. A rigid axle and telescoping shock absorbers could be found in the back, along with semi-elliptical leaf springs.

Related: 10 Fun Facts About The Legendary Nissan Fairlady Z

2 The R-Code Cost More Than Common Muscle Cars

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
Mecum Auctions

The cost right off the production lines may be one of the reasons that Ford stopped producing them at 57, or perhaps because of the rumored exhaust manifold problem. Still, either way, it was a high price for a car that did not have a proven reputation. Straight off the car lot, a 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code would run over $3000 to buy, while the Chevy Camaro was only $2466, and the Ford Mustang would cost around $2713. The inflated price was a deciding factor for many buyers, especially when they had a much sportier look than the Ford Fairlane.

1 The Fairlane R-Code Brings A Premium Value Today

A parked 1966 Ford Farilane R-Code
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The value of the 1966 Fairlane R-Code didn't stop once it rolled off the lot, either. There are a few stories where people picked a used one up for $1000, but today the recent auctions show that this car sells for an impressive $296,000. Bring A Trailer has a documented sale for that amount in 9/2022, while others show the same model going for $100,000. Any way it is looked at, the apparent value of the car is seen. Maybe because it is so rare or extremely powerful, which makes it valued so high, but if one is ever found for cheap, grab it before it is gone.

FAQ

Q: How many '66 Fairlane R-Code race cars were made?

The official production count of the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code, also known as the Ford Fairlane XL500 427, was only 57 cars. This is just over the 50 car mark that Ford needed to be able to race the R-Code in the NASCAR series.

Q: What engine was in the Ford R-Code in 1966?

The redesigned and enlarged Fairlane for 1966 created the space needed for the assembly plant workers to put a big block 427 under the hood of the Fairlane 500 R-Code. It could produce up to 500 horsepower and had a torque rating of around 480 foot-pounds.

Q: What Is A 427 R-Code?

To put it simply, the 427 R-code is an engine designed to race. It is built with Holley carburetors on top, a mechanical fuel pump, and a single-point distributor system. It produced so much torque that it was easily comparable to the Legendary Hemi motor that Mopar was using.

Q: How much is a 1966 Fairlane R-Code worth?

Looking at a validation tool may get you an average value of a car. Still, you will need to dig into some recent auctions to get the most current value of any classic car. In this case, the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code sells for over $200,000.