The 1969 Ford Fairlane Sportsroof was a beast on the NASCAR tracks in 1969.
These cars were so dominant Richard Petty left Plymouth–and Chrysler had to counter with the Charger 500–and then the legendary Daytona.
The fastback Fairlanes were an indelible legacy of the late 1960s but this 1969 Sportsroof is only one-of-one ever built this way.
Jerry Sutherland

Chester Ferris’s wife ordered this car brand new from Metro Ford back in 1969. She was a teacher, and she wanted a very unique car, so this Fairlane came with a vinyl roof and a sunroof. Chester said the sunroof is actually a rear window, so this Fairlane has two factory rear windows. He also said the rare wheel covers came with the vinyl roof option.

The vinyl roof was like most vinyl roofs because it had a sealing problem that let water in through the sill seams, so Chester added silicone to fight the problem.

Chester said the Fairlane has only 23,000 miles on it because it was never used. They only drove it in the summer because they had a farm, so the Fairlane was a second choice during the busy season. His wife’s school was walking distance away, so driving the car to work wasn’t a factor for her career either.

The car came with a 351 four-barrel Windsor, but Chester said he put ceramic headers on it because he didn’t want rusty exhaust manifolds. Chester estimated that refinement gave the engine an additional 15 horsepower.

The Fairlane was a summer vacation car, so it’s been to places like Waterton National Park, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Those are all very scenic mountainous places, so the sunroof was a huge asset on those vacations. Chester’s wife became partially blind, so Chester said she feels–more than sees an area thanks to the giant sunroof on the Fairlane.

Chester had just pulled the car out of a lengthy 22-year hibernation, so he was very careful to take the right steps to bring the Fairlane back to life.

He flushed the tank and added new higher-octane fuel with automatic transmission fluid to bring the car back to life. He also did an oil change and replaced the oil and antifreeze before the took the car out on the road.

The paint is original, so Chester is working on bringing it back to life and preserving it because that’s what you do with a survivor car. The family connection makes it even more important.

Chester was extremely cautious, so he only took the Fairlane up to 40 miles per hour because he didn’t want to push the 351 too hard after the 22-year retirement from the real world. He also had new shocks installed, but the Fairlane is still running on 30-year-old tires, so the caution on the road was a wise decision.

This car is typical of most old cars—especially after a long time off the road. Chester said it was “like walking on eggs” because you listen for every sound that could be a possible problem.
There are many reasons why this ’69 Ford is so important to the Ferris family. It’s a rare car—but even more important, it’s their car.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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