I know the song’s title is Thunderstruck , not Thunderbolt, but this version of it caught my fancy so much that I had to write this post just so I could use the video, and Thunderbolt was the closest car name I could match to it…
If I didn’t know from the video’s description that these guys were Finnish, I would swear on my mother’s grave (except, thankfully, she’s still alive) that at least one of them is my neighbour.
The Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt was a limited production, factory experimental, drag race only automobile built by Ford in 1964. A total of 100 units were produced.
Based on the Fairlane and named for a factory experimental Fairlane of 1963, the Thunderbolt combined the light weight of Ford’s intermediate-sized body introduced in 1962 with a “high rise” 427 CID (7.0 L) V8 engine with dual Holley four-barrel carburetors intended for use in the much larger Galaxie.
Here we have Hot Wheels’ Ford Thunderbolt casting, this one being # 1 of 5 from the 2003 Flamin’ Hot Wheels series, in Metalflake Green, with yellow flames on the hood, roof and trunk.
Here we see the Thunderbolt in its natural habitat, the Quarter Mile, dispatching one of its many prey species, a 1964 Chevelle SS 396.
The Thunderbolt in the wild has been observed to be intelligent enough to usually steer clear of the apex predator of the concrete jungle at the time, the 1964 Dodge Polara 426 Cross Ram Max Wedge (Shameless Mopar Braggadocio™).
Some of you may have seen a preview of this on Instagram yesterday. I’m following a few of you already; if there’s anyone else with an Instagram account, please list it in a response so I can follow you too.