$1.19 Car of the Week #2-1966 Ford Fairlane

I was pretty stoked to find this '66 Fairlane Hot Wheels model for sale at my local grocery store last week.

C O L L E C T I O N — My parents had some pretty damn cool cars when I was growing up, and a bright red 1966 Ford Fairlane 500/XL two door hardtop was one of them. The color was just about a perfect red, about as close to the print-perfect 100M 100Y as you can get with pigment. The car was the top-of-the-line model, with the exception of the higher-powered GT model, but came with a much nicer interior than the performance-minded GT. Our 500/XL came with an elegant black leatherette bucket seat interior, contrasting beautifully with the red exterior. There was plenty of brushed aluminum trim on the dashboard, center console and door panels to brighten things up and add a touch of class. It had very intricate wheel covers, and it was my job to clean those every Saturday morning while my Dad washed the rest of the car. I learned every nook and cranny of those hubcaps, trust me!

I was quite surprised to find this VERY close facsimile of our old family car in my local Stop & Shop last Friday. It's the GT/427 model, and isn't quite the right shade of red, but it's damn close, and makes a fine addition to my collection. To find it for $1.19 was just icing on the cake!

I found a duplicate of our Ford for sale on eBay a few weeks ago (see link directly below). It is EXACTLY the same as our '66, with the exception of the aftermarket wheels and tires. Boy, did this bring back some good memories. It's times like this that I wish I was, well, you know, successful, so I could afford to buy this car. I can't even really imagine what it would be like to be able to look out in my driveway and see this car today. Of course I'd replace the wheels/tires with the proper wheelcovers and whitewall tires.

1966 Fairlane 500XL hardtop coupe

The only vintage photo of our red Fairlane 500/XL that I've been able to find so far. It's the car in the top right corner facing forward. I'm at the bottom left, staring up lovingly at our brand new car. Of course!