One of my friends in Boise sent me this craigslist ad. Way too overpriced I think! I would have been interesting to see a picture of the F Code data plate he says he has.

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

It's  been flagged for removal.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Hmmmm...  Too bad.  I passed the info on to two friends.  I'm glad I got to see it before it was removed.  Somebody must have had the $50,000 the seller was looking for...

NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Do you think it really sold or was it a bogus ad to begin with? I thought that the only factory installed VR superchargers in 1957 were in the T-Birds (203 of them), no retractable hardtops. That's why I would have liked to have seen a photo of the data plate.Rono

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

I didn't see the cl before it was flagged, so I'm guessing what it was based on rono's comment.

Frank Stubbs, an local restoration guy has/had a 57 retractable with the VR factory set up on it. Last I saw the car, the front seat cushion and the rear bumper chrome where the only items not original. It is supposedly #12 of 14 produced. Something about a particular class and weight break for racing that year. If it was anyone but Frank Stubbs I'd wonder, but he's pretty well regarded.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Okay Mike, good enough for me. I stand corrected. I guess the original CL ad was posted and pulled within a day or two.

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

The VR's were available on ANY 57 car. There were even some 4 dr sedans built! (FBI)??.


Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Frank;I was under the impression that the VS units were the ones that could be ordered for any car as a dealer ad-on and that the VR units were very limited on their production numbers.

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

The V.R. could be ordered in any body style as Frank said, I have seen V,R, setups on every body styles. The V.R. and the V. S. could also be ordered as dealer installed kits. There was no limit to the amount of supercharged cars that Ford would have built and the plan was for 58's with supercharged 352 engines.
When Ford led by Macnamara fell hook line and sinker for the A.M.A. ban on racing, all this was discontenuded.
Frank, I know the Minnesota State Police had 4 door F Codes.

  JUST A MIDNIGHT CRUISE DOWN THUNDER ROAD!!! TOM DRUMMOND MIDWEST DIRECTOR 57 FORD INTERNATIONAL

Further to what Tom D. stated, I believe that part way into the 1957 NASCAR season, likely due to the whinning of G.M., the "F" codes were banned. Even Chevrolet's much vaunted Fuel Injected, Duntov cammed, 10-1/2 to one compression cars were having trouble keeping up with the F code Fords. However, NASCAR also fortunately banned the fuel injection cars.. But as Tom says, Rob't Mac Namara at Ford made a serious long term mistake when he signed off on the performance ban. He thought that he was dealing with "honorable people"...  


Paul