1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?

[troublemaker427]

Where did you come up with this information? "Don Snyder built the first Thunderbolts???" "Built on the third floor of Ford"????? "Don Snyder dead??"

All 100 Thunderbolts were built at Dearborn Steel Tubing in Dearborn Michigan. A single story shop that was the skunk works for Ford racing in the early to mid-60's. The first 11 cars were Vintage Burgundy, the rest were Wimbledon White. Don Snyder owns the Brannan car which was the first car out of the doors at DST. He also owns the Bonner '64 Fairlane hardtop that started as a "body in white" at Holman Moody. The restored/wrecked Bonner car is in my shop and still owned by Phil.

Oh and by the way, Don Snyder is still very much alive!!!

Please do some fact checking before you put these type of things out there!! I would imagine Don would appreciate that!!

Oh and Phil is doing much better. I talked to him last night on the phone and will be with him in two weeks in Dawsonville for the Moonshine Festival....

Originally Posted by chris3racing

NHRA Eliminators, 1964 Winternationals, SuperStock, Gas Rhonda, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 12.05 ET. 1964 Nationals, Indy, SuperStock, Butch Leal, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 11.76.

First Thunderbolts were built by Don Snyder and was driven by Dick Brannan and Phil Bonner "Daddy Warbucks." Both of the first original Thunderbolts were on display in 2004 at the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion in Henderson. Dick Brannan had a CD that show the building of the car on the "third Floor" of the building at Ford Motor Company. Only people working on the project were allowed on that floor. The car on display only had an "Autolite Spark Plugs" decal on the lower part of the fender near the door. Brannan explained that when the car first came out they had put decals on it like all of the other cars. Ford Motor Company Representatives advised them to remove all the decals except the spark plug decal because they were made by Ford Motor Company.

Don Snyder was inducted into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in 2004 and passed away just a few months after the event. Dick Brannan is no longer doing these types of events. Phil Bonner is in poor health and is actually almost blind.