John Kaiser keeps one of his most-prized possessions, an original 1967 Ford Fairlane driven by Fred Lorenzen at the Daytona 500, in a climate-control storage unit, far away from the sun’s peroxiding rays and safely protected from normal wear and tear.
But like a dedicated grandparent, he visits it often.
There is a lot to marvel over with the antique racer. The blue-and-white race car still has the same sheet metal and paint used by legendary car builder and longtime racing contractor Holman-Moody. And it’s parked on the same car carrier used by the racer stock car fans knew as “The Golden Boy.”
“It’s absolutely the most original 1967 Ford Fairlane in existence,” the St. Augustine resident said. “I have photos of them building the car. I’m really lucky to have the car.”
Lorenzen owned the No. 28 “LaFayette Ford” car until Lee Holman claimed it back. Kaiser then bought the racer in 2012. It has a replacement 427 V-8 engine, but the original seat, parachute safety harness and dashboard are original.
When it’s not tucked away in storage, Kaiser shows it off at classic car shows. It comes still perched atop the drive-up transporter.
Like other hot rod enthusiasts, Kaiser hopes to bring his Ford Fairlane to the Ponte Vedra Auto Show on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Nocatee Event Field.
Kaiser recently had surgery on his neck and back, so he’s not sure if he will be able to attend. Regardless, more than 200 cars will be featured in 25 different categories, including the 50th anniversary of the Nissan Z and a large gathering of priceless Ford GTs.
Best In Show takes home $500 and a special trophy.
Last year’s car show was moved back a week to Sept. 22 due to the possibility of adverse conditions created by a possible tropic cyclone system in the area. The three Best in Show winners were: Erik Olsen’s 1970 Porsche 914-6; 30th Anniversary of the Land Rover Discovery by Elena Perry; and, Nancy Marquis’ 1979 Mini Cooper Austin Cooper.
Kaiser has other impressive muscle and antique collectibles, including an original “era-correct” 1932 Ford Highboy 428 Cobra Jet. He also has a 1963 Ford Falcon and another 1967 Ford Fairlane Code-R. The R codes were used as the fifth letter in the car’s vehicle identification number to designate a high-performance car.
He calls his Fairlanes a perfect set of bookend collectibles.
“I’m the only guy who has one of each,” he said.
Hopefully, he will be able to give us a glimpse of one of them and the car that sat in a museum for 40 years before Kaiser bought it. Although he keeps it under wraps most of the time, he pulls into a vintage muscle car show to show it off.
