Vehicle Description
1955 Ford Thunderbird Roadster
Picture, if you will, a 1953 Ford Fordor sedan, sliced in half at
the B-pillar and welded together minus its entire rear door and
rear quarter area. The rearmost portion of the roof, including the
window, is awkwardly moved forward about three feet, and the entire
car finished in a rough fashion. This homely car was christened the
"Burnetti" after its creator, Ford engineer Bill Burnett, and was
designed to simulate the packaging of a European sports car for
American tastes; it was a major step towards creating what would
become one of America's most beloved and most collectible
two-seaters of all time-the original 1955-'56-'57 Ford
Thunderbird.
For consignment, version 1 edition 1 of the Ford Thunderbird. It
was purchased by the consignor for his son's wedding in 2018. It
had a fresh respray, and our as consignor states a rebuilt engine,
(no documentation). It was not running at the time, which our
consignor did accomplish making it run for the wedding. Some TLC
needed on some areas but all the basics are there and accounted
for.
Exterior
Starting upfront, we can see a beautiful original and mirror-like
bumper with mini "Dagmar" style bumper-ettes attached which take on
a jet engine-like appearance. Directly above is a well-preserved
egg crate grille, and flanking this on either side is a single
headlight. A long scooped hood rolls its way back to the passenger
compartment all bathed in Flame Red. The passenger compartment is
compact and a convertible soft top in white canvas however needs
some work. An accessory aftermarket reproduction hard top comes
along with this car and the rubber gaskets need to be installed on
it. On the back small fins float above round taillights and point
skyward with backup lights inserted within, again emulating jet age
design. Another clear bumper this time the "Dagmars" house the
exhaust tailpipes. Medium white bands surround rubber from the 46th
week of 1990 and wrap steel wheels which just make a small
appearance on the edges of the Ford flat dog dish wheel coverings.
All metal is straight and has good gaps.
Interior
The curvaceous thick door panels are wrapped in white vinyl with
some red vinyl accenting, and a strip of machined aluminum through
the center. These are fairly clean, and look the part, as they melt
into the curved dash keeping the machined metal line through the
center. Power seat toggles are in these door panels. A fan style
speedometer is above on the padded top red dash. We also note a
factory tachometer and a clock in circular form on either side. An
aftermarket IC AM/FM radio is within this dash along with various
knobs and pulls. A near perfect power adjustable bench seat is
complete with red smooth bolsters and white tuck and roll inserts,
The bench stretches from door to door. Nice condition red carpet
floods the floors and the original red and chrome horn ring
steering wheel fronts the pristine dash. A red tonneau cover is in
the rear storage area and awaits to cover the top when installed
and in the down position.
Drivetrain
A 292ci 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 shiny Thunderbird badged horizontal
ribbed valve covers add some more bling to the bay. A Ford-O-Matic
3-speed automatic transmission, a Dana 44 rear, and a 3.31 rear
axle and we can complete the drivetrain. The engine has rebuilt
heads and as noted consignor states the engine has been
rebuilt.
Undercarriage
Very light surface rust on just a few of the suspension parts, but
the X frame, floor plans and rockers are really beautifully
preserved with patina undercoating. Independent coil springs for
the front, and leaf springs for the rear make up the suspension and
drum brakes are all around. Nicely preserved for its ripe age.
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 working. What is not working is the speedometer
and odometer, power seat growls but does not move, the heater
blower, wipers are inoperable and the turn signal stalk is broken
off.
All in all, a wonderful example that has been restored to a point
where it was wedding ready. Now it needs a new owner to complete
the details of the restoration task. A convertible soft top, and
hardtop assures you 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! Go
Red!
PSFH1197198
Non Decodable VIN
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
