I’d Rather Blow $80K on This Goldenrod 1955 Ford Thunderbird Than on a Brand New Mercedes

The car arrived on the American automotive scene about a decade after the Second World War ended. It was a time when most vehicle designers were trying to take the leap from the lines of the pre-war vehicles to a more modern approach, which blended stylish lines with comfort inside and power under the hood.

The Thunderbird was a luxury car by trade, albeit one at the entry-level of the segment, introduced by the Blue Oval in 1954. It was an instant hit for the Dearborn-based company, and appealed to people to such a degree that it initially spread over ten generations and a total of 43 years. Ford eventually discontinued the model in 1997, and tried a revival in 2002, but that didn’t turn out so great.

As it usually happens with long-lived nameplates, the Thunderbird eventually lost its initial appeal, and its design got diluted. It did so to such a degree that by the time the fifth-gen came around, in 1967, it had very few things in common with the original one.

So yes, if you ask me, and probably a lot of other people with a soft spot for this car, the first-generation Thunderbird will forever remain the best representative of its breed. And that’s why you still see so many of them being restored and sold for big bucks even today.

Several crews have specialized over the years in bringing back the former shine to first-gen Thunderbirds, but one of the most important names in this industry is Amos Minter. Based in Texas, the man specializes in 1955 – 1957 Thunderbirds and has released over the years some really memorable machines.

Minter does not modify Thunderbirds as to make them truly custom, but usually goes for complete frame-off restorations, adding new pieces of hardware only where there’s an absolute need to. Everything else gets remade or rebuilt, and when a project is done, it gets wrapped in colors so vivid you’re bound to remember them for a very long time.

Just take a look at this 1955 Thunderbird example, shining away its perfect body in a beautiful Goldenrod Yellow color we sometime see on Pontiac GTOs from the late 1960s. The bright hue is not contrasted in any way on the outside, but is possibly made even more exquisite by the many chrome details fitted onto it. The shiny metal can be most easily spotted on the two bumpers, the Kelsey Hayes wire wheels wrapped in whitewall tires, the door handles, and the radiator grille, among others.

Wearing all the right badges in all the right places, the Thunderbird is of the convertible variety, and for the purposes of this restoration two tops come with the car, a hardtop painted in yellow, like the rest of the bodywork, and a canvas one in black. No matter which one the driver chooses, the tops go over an interior in black and yellow that retains all of the car’s original fittings.

Back when it was introduced, the first generation Thunderbird came with a choice of two engines, the 292ci and the 312ci, both in a V8 configuration. The one you’re looking at now is fitted with the smaller-displacement powerplant. Like the rest of the car, it was remade and received an electric choke during the process for an easier startup. It is still tied to a 3-speed transmission, it too rebuilt, and has all the correct wiring, belts, and hoses.

As far as suspension and braking elements go, Minter rebuilt those too, but added new bushing and shocks for the suspension system, and new lines and hoses for the braking hardware.

It’s unclear when this particular Thunderbird was completed, but we do know it hasn’t been used much since. A quick look at the odometer on the dashboard will reveal the car has just 566 miles (911 km) of drive distance since then, making it virtually brand new.

I must admit I feel a bit lucky to have stumbled upon this car, as it was included in a private collection and only recently came out on the open market. It is for sale, of course, (we uncovered it on Classic Car Studio) with an asking price to match the ambitions of such an incredible build: $79,900.

That may seem like a bit too much, given how it's more than what Mercedes-Benz is asking for one of its brand-new luxury SUVs (the GLE, for instance, starts at $57,700). Some of us would be more than happy though to blow such a small fortune on a decades-old Thunderbird, because of its styling, pedigree, and history, than on a brand new Merc.

You also have to keep in mind that Minter himself, who sells other such Thunderbirds, generally asks for more than that - between $89,500 and $125,000, depending on a variety of factors.

To be fair though, we did happen to find cheaper Thunderbirds on Minter’s lot as well, down to $46,900 for a 1956 example. It’s important to note though that restoration work on that one is not over yet.