SEMA 2009: Ringbrothers impress with 1964 Ford Fairlane "Afterburner"
After seeing some pretty incredible cars built by Ringbrothers over the past few years at SEMA, we couldn't have had higher expectations for their newest vehicle dubbed "Afterburner". Even so, we were absolutely floored by this latest creation after seeing it in person on the show floor.
Based on a 2-door 1964 Ford Fairlane, Afterburner received a full makeover from the Ringbrothers including a carbon fiber hood, fenders, front and rear bumpers, side intakes, and deck lid spoiler. Billet aluminum can be found pretty much everywhere on the car, from the engine bay to the tail lamps to the gas cap. Even the prop rods that hold up the sunshades inside the car are machined 6061 aluminum. The exterior even features three different colors of BASF R-M Diamont paint - Afterburner Red, Agent Orange and Mission Brown. The look is finished off with a set of Forgeline 3-piece wheels.Under the hood of Afterburner is a Roush 427 IR crate motor, and it's one of the prettiest motors we have ever seen. Listed at 560 horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque, the 7.0-liter V8 is mated to a Bowler AOD transmission.
We tried to capture all of the details of the car, so enjoy our extensive gallery of high-res photos below.
Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
grand poobah 4:13PM (11/04/2009)
Dayum son! That looks pretty badass...don't know how practical that thing is if you want to take a few corners though.
My guess is that isn't at all, but it sure as beautifully done.
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AntBee 4:25PM (11/04/2009)
Awesome work, and a well-deserved Best in Show award!
The attention to detail is remarkable!
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Alex 10:16AM (11/05/2009)
I have to respectfully disagree. The exterior and engine bay are immaculate but the interior leaves a lot to be desired. If you are going so far as to make the sunvisor mounts out of aluminum then I should not be looking at a full plastic dash. Give me leather, give me more aluminum, don't go cheap at the one place where the driver has to look.
Gruv 4:31PM (11/04/2009)
Wow! That thing is nuts! I'm REALLY REALLY glad they didn't slap some of those dorky billet side view mirrors on there though.
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larry raines 6:14PM (11/04/2009)
Ringbrothers - taking billet to the next level.........
how exciting
05Z88Path 4:38PM (11/04/2009)
Wow. That is a very clean and truly impressive build. The interior isn't as spectacular as the exterior, but it definitely still deserves the Best of Show Award.
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fordmustang_fan 4:43PM (11/04/2009)
Am I the only one that thinks that everything the Ring Brothers touchs turns into a caricature of a car?
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larry raines 6:15PM (11/04/2009)
agree
Farmboy 4:51PM (11/04/2009)
Remarkable. Clean, well-appointed, truly badass. Ringbrothers have gotten my attention.
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RowFive 5:01PM (11/04/2009)
1964 was just such a good year for so many American makes. One of my favs.
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pres 5:14PM (11/04/2009)
Just when I thought the billet craze had finally died off, this thing explodes on to the scene with billet diarrhea.
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dal20402 5:14PM (11/04/2009)
That is absolutely sick. If I had my way they would have done it to a '66 instead, but this one is amazing.
I'd love to have just about any older car turned into a modern daily driver by these guys, but I won't ever have the money.
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Memphis 5:36PM (11/04/2009)
I guess they have never heard the phrase less is more.
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MeiSooHaityu 5:35PM (11/04/2009)
That thing is plain sick. I especially love the heat extractor hood. Like a modern interpretation of a muscle car.
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tcbcapri 5:40PM (11/04/2009)
So like... This car's pretty sweet, and I will give them the attention to detail thing... But then you see the interior shots, specifically the one of the tach, the same one that has the multiplier at x1000, and the intergers at 10, 20, 30 etc. Um... So this is one of those super duper rev happy 427's that Roush is putting out now? Just thought I'd throw that into the mix, but seriously all in all, car's pretty damn well done.
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MONTE 5:55PM (11/04/2009)
Wow, those guys are wearing out a CNC waterjet and mill.
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larry raines 6:16PM (11/04/2009)
visual masturbation
dukeisduke 6:03PM (11/04/2009)
Yes, the craftsmanship is impressive, but it just doesn't work for me. For starters, why would you choose a two-sedan, and not a hardtop?
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dukeisduke 6:04PM (11/04/2009)
Er, two-door sedan.
Mark B. Morrow 10:36PM (11/04/2009)
The Original 427 Thunderbolt Fairlanes were two door post coupes.