1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
The Thunderbird and the Corvette have a long and sorted history, with both initially competing for the same customer space. Eventually the Corvette went to racing, and the Thunderbird became the boulevard king. The ultimate getaway car from the kids with only 2 seats, as well as the option to have a hardtop traveler or a convertible cruiser, it became the "it" car for mid-1950's suburbia.
If you're looking for a sweet 50's era classic that's valuable, fun to drive and has the ability to turn Main Street into an instant classic car show then this is "it" for you. With an all Fiesta Red exterior with a Fiesta Red hardtop, a title verified 110,909 actual miles, and a clean black and white interior, you will turn heads wherever it takes you!
Exterior
Starting upfront, we can see a beautiful mirror like bumper and directly above is a well preserved shiny egg crate grille; complete with flanking on either side are single visored headlights. A long scooped hood rolls its way back to the passenger compartment, which is small, and is topped with a hardtop in body matching Fiesta Red. On the back, small fins tip round tail lights again, emulating jet age design, and another clean bumper. The exhaust exits through the bumper. The spare tire, within its Continental kit, with matching Fiesta Red spare tire cover sits in back as a nice touch. Medium wide white sidewall tires wrap 15-inch steel wheels and hubcaps with just a hint of red peeking out at the edges. All of the metal is painted in Fiesta Red paint and has nicely preserved gaps with no rust seen on its exterior. From its fender skirts to the chromed venting on the front quarters, to the tasteful fins and jet engine tail lights, this car is a perfect example of the futuristic themed look signature to 1950's styling.
Interior
The curvaceous thick door panels are wrapped in white vinyl with some black vinyl covered swooping upward long armrests, and a black padded window sill attached at the top. There is a large panel of machined aluminum through the center which is the background for the door actuator and in the white vinyl are the shiny cranks for the windows. These are nice and clean. These panels look the part, as they melt into the curved dash keeping the machined metal line through the center. A fan style black background with white numbered speedometer is above on the padded black dash top and below the machined strip of aluminum is a pleasant band of black steel. Flanking on either side of the speedo are round gauges, the left a factory tachometer, and the right a clock. Fronting a near perfect bench seat is a chrome plated automatic shifter well within reach of the driver on the hump. The bench seat is complete with smooth black bolsters and surrounds and shows with white tuck and roll inserts and some piping at the seams, and it stretches from door to door. Black, minimally faded carpeting floods the floors, and the black leatherette wrapped steering wheel with chrome horn ring fronts the pristine dash. A Fiesta Red removable hardtop finishes the look. Totally delicious in this presentation. And if the weather is bad, pop on the hardtop!
Drivetrain
A 312ci V8 engine is in a clean and shiny engine bay. It is topped with a 4-barrel carburetor and a chromed air cleaner cover. Red is reserved for the block, and aluminum ribbed valve covers with Thunderbird badging add some more bling to the bay. A Ford-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission and 3.31 cogged Dana 44 rear axle complete the drivetrain. Just a very honest presentation under the hood.
Undercarriage
Just a hint of surface rust and some road dirt is noted but otherwise the X frame and floor pans are really beautifully preserved sporting a nice undercoating of rustproofing. Independent coil springs for the front and leaf springs for the rear make up the suspension with drum brakes all around.
Drive-Ability
Not a ton of room in these early birds, but once in, they are comfy. This car fired right up and took off for the test track where it flew around in circles with ease. A strong accelerator, and good stopper are also good qualities to have in such an early car and they are there. This bird handled our test track with ease on all fronts and we do note that the reverse lights, radio, and heater blower do not work, but all else was working as it should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
All in all, a wonderful example that has been restored a bit ago and still retains its luster and charm. Go topless or don the hardtop, and climate controls assure you happy motoring throughout the year, although with a classic as such I personally don't know whether you would be doing too much winter driving. Either way you can soar through town, screech the tires, and turn some heads...all the way around! Grab your poodle skirt honey, we are going to get away from the kids for a while!
P6FH175366
P-312ci 4bbl V8
6-1956
F-Dearborn, MI Assy Plant
H-Thunderbird
175366-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 40A-Thunderbird
COLOR E-Colonial White
TRIM XB-Red & White
PRODUCTION CODE 12MLP414-December 12th
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
