This Ford has been with the Waples family for so long it seems like part of the furniture of their lives.
If you’re a long-term reader of Unique Cars mag and its Mailbag pages, there’s a fair chance you recognise the name of the owner of this big sixties Ford. Eric Waples has been an enthusiastic and much-appreciated correspondent with the magazine over a long period.
So finally visiting him near the NSW mid-coast seemed like meeting a long-lost friend. Of course we were there to run an eye over the family treasure, a 1964 Ford Fairlane FD, the last of the ‘compact’ Fairlane series.
A right-hand-drive car, it was sold locally in an odd mix of happy then tragic circumstances. Eric takes up the story: “My father had second-hand Fords all his life and finally had a chance to get hold of this brand-new car in his retirement years. It was bought from a Wollongong Ford dealer.
“Unfortunately, three weeks after he bought it, he had a massive coronary.
“But he really enjoyed it – he was a petrolhead like me and liked showing me how it could lay black lines on the bitumen.”
Back in the mid-sixties, this was a bit of statement car – certainly bigger and more prestigious than average. The spec included the 289ci (4.7lt) V8 used across several Fords, including the Mustang, and was a recent upgrade for the Fairlane. That was matched to a three-speed Cruis-O-Matic transmission.
However, typically for the local market, the rest of the spec was pretty basic. Our American cousins would have been stunned to learn it had no power steering or air-conditioning. It does, however, have a heater, which was an extra. Braking was by four hydraulic drums with no assistance.
That lot added up to a car that was quick, but not all that great at stopping.
A contemporary review in Modern Motor magazine noted: “It is comfortable, silent and reasonably spacious.”
The tester noted the boot was so big, you had to climb in to fish out the spare wheel.
It continued: “The performance of the big V8 impressed. Of all the Fords I have driven, the 289 requires the most careful engine handling. I could see it frightening some of the more timid drivers in the community … even in the dry, the back wheels can be made to spin frantically if the gas is poured on too quickly from a standing start. Besides being heavy on the rubber, it frightens pedestrians and makes policemen stare at you.”
When Eric’s dad passed away, the car ended up in the care of his aunt, who used it for the usual shopping and trips to bowls. Eric notes wryly that he remained responsible for the upkeep. Eventually the car moved in with him, some time after the aunt gave up driving.
He reckons there were times when it was tempting to cash in the car and there was even the offer of an exchange for a ‘tank’ Fairlane, but the temptation was resisted.
All these years later, he and the family are pretty pleased the Ford has been kept. With just 52,000 miles (84,000km) on the odometer, it still runs as it should and remains dead stock.
It’s a very simple thing to look after and the 289 engines are pretty bulletproof.
While the Fairlane was light on for ancillaries, some of the materials used in its construction would now be prohibitively expensive. Such as the giant chromed steel bumpers, the stainless-steel hubcaps and the polished aluminium trim/brightwork layered around the body.
What’s it like to drive? Eric reckons the period assessment was about right. With a strong tendency to understeer, it will keep the driver busy on a twisty road. Out cruising is where it’s happiest and it remains quiet and comfortable on the highway, though you allow yourself plenty of braking room.
The Fairlane celebrated 60 years with the Waples clan this year and it looks like it’s staying that way for long while …
Photography: Guy Allen