The auction result is in and the 1-of-57 Ford Fairlane 500 with the 427 R-code engine was a no-sale on BringATrailer.com.

Bidding on the Wimbledon White Ford Fairlane 500 with the 425-horsepower FE had bid to $127,000 when our original story was posted on July 17, but pretty much stalled after that. The final bid was $134,000 just before the auction closed on the 19th, but was short of the reserve, making this a no-sale.

We’re not sure what the reserve was, but we’re guessing the owner was thinking in the $150,000-up range. Right now, the market for classic muscle cars is all over the place, with some still bringing huge money, but it does appear buyers are exercising some caution.

One commenter of the auction site felt the car’s history had too many red flags, but that is pure speculation. As we always say, a car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Without seeing it in person, it is hard to determine is this was a missed opportunity or a car worth walking away from.

Original post is below.

A ’66 Ford Fairlane 427, one of the crown jewels of the muscle care era, is up for grabs on Bring A Trailer, and it is in six-figure territory with two days left on the auction.

Only 57 Fairlane 427 super cars were built, so it is unusual to see them come up for sale. This documented example has already bid to over $127,000.

StreetMuscleMag.com has covered these factory hot rods in the past (see the story here). They are highly coveted and still making their presence felt in NHRA drag racing today. They are 9-second performers today in Stock Eliminator.

Ford had plenty of hardware in the ’60s, but most of their 427s went into cars that were either difficult to buy, like the Shelby Cobra, or in large, heavy cars, like the Galaxie 500 or or its Mercury siblings. At a time when intermediate muscle cars were the big sellers, the Blue Oval was being left behind, sales-wises, in that category.

Poverty caps, lack of brightwork, and a fiberglass ram-air hood are clues these Fairlane 427 cars were all business.

These cars all came with fiberglass cold-air hoods and very little else. In addition to the 427 Side-Oiler FE with dual quads, this example has a Top-Loader four-speed and 3.89:1 gears in a 9-inch rear.

The ad says this engine was pulled from the car in 2001 and rebuilt in 2015. The single-plane intake and dual four-barrels are factory-issue.

A black bench seat did little to coddle the passengers, but was essential for lighter weight at the track. No console or cup holders, either.

It does not appear that the interior has seen a restoration, based on the fading on the bench seat back. Supposedly, the car had 600 drag-only miles on it when it was acquired by the last owner.

The ’66 Ford Fairlane 427s were capable of high-13-second quarter-mile times at speeds in excess of 100 mph when new, even on the skinny stock tires. This puts them in the upper echelon of performance for factory muscle of that era.

We’ll update this story with the gavel price once the auction ends.