1963 Ford Thunderbird Modernized Rendering Looks Like a Piece of Art

However, many people have a deep respect for the original designs of the Thunderbirds, which were among the best the American automotive industry produced. Far from the aggressive Mustangs and Camaros of the classic era, the T-Bird is formed using elegant uninterrupted lines.

Most agree that the best-looking version of the car was made from 1961 to 1963. The third generation is also known as the Bullet Bird, featuring a unique set of eyes, subtle fins at the back and ending with afterburner taillights.

We've all seen some kind of modernized restoration of this car, probably featuring new paint, lowered suspension and a set of Foose wheels with ventilated discs behind them. But the piece of art proposed by TheSketchMonkey is more than that. He tried to imagine what a 1963 model would look like if it were put together with today's construction methods.

The whole point of the Thunderbird is to have a Grand Tourer, like the European exotics, but with an American twist. They wanted it to be very large, imposing, but without the hand-crafting nonsense and a hood long enough to accommodate a powerful V8. At the time, the Mk3 T-Bird cost from $4,300, equivalent to $31,500 in today's money.

The Thunderbird was based around the new concept of a personal luxury vehicle, so it impressed with acres of nice leather and plenty of shiny switches. Later, it was upgraded to a two-row vehicle and the 1963 has possibly one of the coolest convertible folding roof mechanisms ever.

As usual, this artist chose to gloss over the old details to create a modern silhouette. He gets rid of excessive features, such as the grilles on the sides of the doors and paints an entirely new front end, inspired by the old fascia but featuring a modern, quite large single headlight unit.