Ray Fahrner's The "Boothill Express" Custom Show Rod

It's "Freak Week" on AJ's Car of the Day...time for another "Scary Ride"...

Thousands of 1960's custom car fans knew that Ray Fahrner created some of the most memorable and radical show rods of all time. He burst onto the scene in the late 1950s with his groundbreaking '32 Ford Roadster Pickup called "The Eclipse", which managed to bridge the divide between custom and hot rod vehicles. Fahrner’s Independence, Missouri based custom shop continued to push the edge of the custom-car design during the 1960s.

In 1967, he completed his signature creation, the “Boothill Express”. For the base of this stunning vehicle he chose an actual 1850 horse drawn Cunningham funeral coach, which reportedly carried James Gang member Bob Younger to his grave on “Boot Hill”.  The exterior of the wooden hearse body features ornate carved moldings as well as a set of brass lamps reportedly dating back to late 18th century India at the front and rear of the vehicle. Inside, the hearse is fitted with proper funeral equipment, including tasseled velvet curtains and a set of polished coffin rails.

The chrome-plated suspension features a gasser style CAE tubular solid front axle and hairpins, along with a simple, yet effective steering system off a '63 VW Beetle up front. A pair of full elliptic leaf springs and a '48 Ford rear end and a pair of drum brakes round out the suspension features.

It's mill is off the hook:  a 426 cubic inch Chrysler Hemi V8 topped by Hilborn fuel injection, with extra tall velocity stacks jutting through the top of the hearse body, and eight individual pipes route the spent exhaust gases to the rear of the vehicle. It's mated to a pushbutton Chrysler A-727 Torqueflite automatic transmission handling the engine’s output, and the car’s aggressive rake is provided by a pair of E-T 10-spoke spindle-mounted front wheels, along with taller and wider Cragar S/S wheels and Goodyear Blue Streak slicks at the rear.

Other features include a Ford Model T steering wheel, Moon hydraulic throttle and canister-style fuel tank as well as a Stewart-Warner gauged instrument cluster. The open bench front seat features black diamond tufted upholstery.

Once completed, the Boothill Express formed part of Fahrner’s “Boothill Caravan” travelling show, which toured dragstips and the auto show circuit nationwide during the late 1960s, to the awe and delight of countless spectators nationwide. And in the best 1960s show rod tradition, the Boothill Express was immortalized with the 1967 release of a 1:24-scale plastic model kit by Monogram, complete with a skeleton packing a six-shooter and wearing a 10 gallon hat. (Due to strong public demand, the model kit was reissued in 1994.)

Sadly, Ray Fahrner passed away in 2005, but today, the Boothill Express is offered in period correct, unrestored condition. It is ready to resume its show career, or to form the prized centerpiece of a carefully assembled collection of the most famous and iconic show rods ever created. The Boothill Express truly remains a lasting tribute to the wild genius of Ray Fahrner, a custom car legend with an unbridled imagination. Hey, who says your final ride has to be a slow one? Rest in Peace Ray...

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