1957 Ford Thunderbird Is a Rare F-Code, Black Beauty Has It All

As we dive deeper into this topic, we’re beginning to unearth more and more incredible machines. Like this 1957 Ford Thunderbird, sitting on the lot of cars auction house Mecum is preparing to sell this week during its event in Dallas, Texas.

The Thunderbird needs little introduction, but for the sake of argument, we’ll remind you that, in the eyes of some people (myself included), it’s one of the most beautiful cars the Blue Oval ever produced.

Designed as an entry into the luxury segment, it was around for ten generations from 1955 to 1997, with a short and not-so-successful revival (the 11th generation) in 2002 – 2005. The long years on the market mean it came into this world in various body styles, and in various configurations, some more successful, others less so.

Few are as appealing as the F-Code models of the first generation, though, and that’s exactly what this particular Thunderbird is, a rare F-Code from 1957, a black, elegant gem that’s now up for grabs.

F-Codes are technically Thunderbirds packing the 300-horsepower 312ci (5.1-liter) engine, topped by a 4-barrel carburetor and a supercharger, and running 3-speed automatic transmission. Only shy of 200 of them were made, and many of them even had famous owners.

This example shows just a little over 48,000 miles of use on the odometer (a bit over 77,200 km), and is presently part of the Mile High Collection, which is sending under the hammer later this weekend no less than 27 cars, mostly Fords (Shelbys, Broncos, regular Mustangs, a GT even) and Chevrolets (a pack of three Camaros), but also a 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392, for good measure.

The crown jewel of the collection is of course this Thunderbird, a Raven Black over black and white beauty, rocking the iconic porthole hardtop, whitewall tires over the Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, and a Town and Country radio inside.

Neither Mecum nor the seller are giving any estimates as to how much the Thunderbird is expected to fetch on Saturday, but the car is listed as one of the stars of the auction, and it’s going with no reserve, so some surprises might be lurking on the horizon.

Just to give you a sense of things, we’ll remind you the same auction house tried to sell last year an F-Code Thunderbird once owned by Jack Roush, and despite the $250,000 high bid, the owner wouldn’t let go of it.