Background: The early 1960s represented the high point of American drag racing, with quarter-mile competition under the National Hot Rod Association drawing unprecedented crowds.

The Factory Experimental class, known as FX, provided a battleground for Detroit’s leading manufacturers, each determined to prove that success on the strip translated into sales in the showroom.

The formula was direct: reduce weight, increase displacement and extract maximum performance from production-based components.

Ford’s attention turned to the Fairlane in 1962 and 1963, culminating in the development of the Thunderbolt for the 1964 model year.

Just 127 production Thunderbolts were built, all based on the 1964 Fairlane platform and powered by the 427 V8.

The original Tasca Ford-sponsored prototype driven by Bill Humphrey, however, was later dismantled, as was common practice at the time.

The Car: The car offered here is a tribute to that original Thunderbolt prototype raced by Bill Humphrey.

Cor...