1964 / 2009 Ford Fairlane 500 Ringbrothers “AFTERBURNER”
Ringbrothers ® are well known for creating updated concept-looking cars based on iconic American cars and trucks
Given the name “Afterburner” for its taillights that resemble the afterburners on spaceships and fighter jets
Full of custom billet aluminum and carbon fiber parts created in house, and running a Roush 427 Windsor small block crate motor
Brothers Mike and Jim Ring of Spring Green, WI started Ringbrothers ® in 1989. Today, they are recognized as top builders in the country. The brothers focus on creating cars that have a concept look - how they envision the car would look if designed today, in contrast to the factory production cars.
The Afterburner was originally commissioned by customer Ken Smith. In 2006, Ken was having a 1964 Ford Fairlane Sport Coupe restored to its original glory of the year he graduated from high school. He had the Sport Coupe shipped to a restorer in Georgia to be worked on, who happened to be driving a black 1964 Ford Fairlane 500. The Fairlane was in such good condition that he bought it off the restorer. Soon after, it became clear that the builder in Georgia would not finish the restoration in a timely manner, so Ken had both cars shipped back to his home in Wisconsin. In the fall of 2007, while searching for the closest Roush distributor, Ken met the Ring brothers right as they were preparing to debut their Mustang “Reactor” for the first time. After some discussions, Ken agreed to have Mike and Jim Ring move forward as the builders on the Fairlane 500,
Ringbrothers created the custom billet aluminum and carbon fiber parts, all created in-house on their CNC machines. The most challenging customizations came with changing the shape of the body of the 1964 Ford Fairlane 500. The first major change they made was to lower the roof of the Afterburner by 1 inch. The second major change was lifting the rear of the car to give it a more straight and balanced appearance from the side. The final and most difficult change was completely rebuilding the front of the car. Everything from the firewall forward is custom-made.
One of the most impressive parts of this car is its engine bay. Intricate webs of billet aluminum and carbon fiber appear throughout the entirety of the Rausch 427 small-block and compartment, and custom-made the billet hinges for the hood.
The modern interior of the Afterburner resembles that of a rocket ship, lending itself further to its given nickname. The brothers had the interior done by Upholstery Unlimited, but heavily modified the console in-house. They added an LCD Display screen, custom-made gauges, and billet aluminum to the steering wheel, air vents, kill switches, gauge cluster, and steering wheel.
Originally, the Ringbrothers were going to call the car “Speed Lane” as in the concept drawing. The car was coined “Afterburner” when owner Ken Smith said the taillights resembled the afterburners on spaceships and fighter jets.
Completed in twenty-months, this modern Muscle car debuted at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Specifications:
Engine: Roush 427 Windsor small block - 560 hp, 551 lb torque
Transmission: Bowler Ford AOD-E automatic transmission, John's Industries 9" rear end with 3:73 gears
Suspension: Fatman lower control arms, custom Mustang II steering rack, Penske coil overs, DS sway bars
Exhaust: Flowmaster 44 SS with Ringbrothers custom headers
Brakes: Baer 6P 13" front, 12" rear
Wheels: Forgeline EV3: front 18x8, rear 18x10
Tires: Goodyear R: front 245-40-18, rear 275-40-18
Paint: BASF Glasurit Waterborne - (CMX-SR313.50)