HIGHLIGHTS
THE STORY
The 1961 model year was a pivotal one for Ford Motor Company that introduced a number of new body designs and powertrains, presented new interior materials across the entire family and brought around a host of other fresh ideas. It was also the year Ford launched the “Total Performance” marketing campaign, through which the company would commit to various international racing enterprises and produce higher-performance versions of its showroom offerings. This particular Thunderbird is a piece of that history, a very rare, factory M-Code Thunderbird equipped with the 390 CI V-8 and tri-power carburetion. Only 138 1962 M-Code Thunderbirds are listed in the registry, this one being one of 49 63A M-Code hardtops in the registry. The rare engine features a dress-up kit with chrome, aluminum and stainless details and is backed by an automatic transmission. Equipped with power steering, power brakes and power windows, it also has an AM radio, tinted glass, bucket seats, a center console and the famous “Swing-Away” steering wheel. For 30 years, the car was part of former NHRA crew chief Dale Armstrong’s personal collection and has the fender skirts, mat, spare tire and jack in the trunk. Rolling on whitewall radial tires and Kelsey-Hayes chrome wire wheels, it is a prime example of why Thunderbirds were so popular: style, exclusivity, comfort and Total Performance.
