Photo: eBay seller garandlin
The Thunderbird adventure was started by Ford in February 1954 when this model got to see the daylight at the Detroit Auto Show.
The production eventually started in September the same year, with the Thunderbird quickly proving to be quite a hit. Some rough estimates indicate 3,500 customers rushed to buy a T-Bird in the first 10 days after Ford started taking orders for the car.
The American carmaker initially intended to build only 10,000 Thunderbirds for the first year on the market, but given the huge demand, the 1955 production ended up including over 16,000 cars.
One of them is right here in unrestored condition, and this is pretty impressive given its overall condition.
The car continues to be mostly original, according to eBay seller garandlin, and in charge of putting the wheels in motion is the same factory 292 (4.8-liter) that was installed by Ford back in 1955. This was the only engine available for this model year, with a second 312 (5.1-liter) added in 1956.
The V8 still starts and runs nicely, we’re being told, and this kind of makes sense when taking into account how good the car looks in the first place. The seller explains the Thunderbird has previously been sitting for many years, and now it comes with several improvements, including a new fuel system and other small tweaks here and there.
The car, however, has never been fully restored, the paint is still the original one, and the engine has never been removed.
Clearly, this is quite a rare Thunderbird and given it’s among the first models ever produced by Ford, it’s actually an unmolested piece of automotive history. Contrary to most people’s expectations, it’s not really that expensive, though it’s not cheap either.
The seller expects to get at least $22,000 for this Thunderbird, but at the same time, some other offers might also be accepted. The car is parked in Binghamton, New York.
The American carmaker initially intended to build only 10,000 Thunderbirds for the first year on the market, but given the huge demand, the 1955 production ended up including over 16,000 cars.
One of them is right here in unrestored condition, and this is pretty impressive given its overall condition.
The car continues to be mostly original, according to eBay seller garandlin, and in charge of putting the wheels in motion is the same factory 292 (4.8-liter) that was installed by Ford back in 1955. This was the only engine available for this model year, with a second 312 (5.1-liter) added in 1956.
The V8 still starts and runs nicely, we’re being told, and this kind of makes sense when taking into account how good the car looks in the first place. The seller explains the Thunderbird has previously been sitting for many years, and now it comes with several improvements, including a new fuel system and other small tweaks here and there.
The car, however, has never been fully restored, the paint is still the original one, and the engine has never been removed.
Clearly, this is quite a rare Thunderbird and given it’s among the first models ever produced by Ford, it’s actually an unmolested piece of automotive history. Contrary to most people’s expectations, it’s not really that expensive, though it’s not cheap either.
The seller expects to get at least $22,000 for this Thunderbird, but at the same time, some other offers might also be accepted. The car is parked in Binghamton, New York.
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