Vehicle Description
A professional restoration executed by the father and son team of
Amos and Justin Minter earned this late-production 1957 Ford
Thunderbird the highest concours class score at the Classic
Thunderbird Club International Concours in 2011. It's among the
last examples of two-passenger, first-generation cars built before
the controversial four-place Thunderbird "square bird" made its
debut for 1958. Machined and assembled to factory or better
specifications, the rebuilt 312ci Y-block Ford V8 engine was good
for 245hp in factory trim. Automatic shifts and fluid power
delivery come thanks to a Ford-O-Matic 3-speed transmission with a
floor-mount shifter. The stock Holley vacuum secondary 4-barrel
carburetor delivers performance. Attention to original factory
detail beneath the hood is complemented by an engine dress-up kit.
Power steering and brakes work with improved-for-1957 suspension
for road handling. Finished in Seaspray Green, this example rolls
on chrome wire wheels and Coker Classic wide whitewall tires
dressed in fender skirts. Removing the porthole hardtop reveals the
Thunderbird interior with Creme leather upholstery over rayon
carpeting. Air conditioning was not available for 1957, so the
Thunderbird is outfitted with an exclusive Minter
factory-appearance cooling package retrofit as well as an AM/FM
stereo with iPod hookup.
