Fantastic frame-off restoration with a brutal, bare-knuckled look. Plenty of fluffy, soft ‘Birds around, but this one stands out. Runs and drives superbly, tight, smooth, solid. Not modified, but definitely hardcore.
Raven Black is this car’s original color and the sheetmetal on this roadster is extremely straight, so obviously there’s a ton of time invested in getting it right. Black is unforgiving in that regard, and it’s good to see someone was willing to go the extra mile. Panel fit is quite good for a Thunderbird, although in typical Thunderbird fashion, the door bottoms protrude a little bit. And you wouldn’t know it by looking at all the other ‘Birds, but fender skirts were optional, so seeing this car without them gives it a very unique profile. Despite the aggressive look, this Thunderbird remains quite stock.
All the chrome and trim appears to have been restored at the same time, and nothing has been shaved, deleted, or modified. The lovely grille, bumpers, hood scoop, and louvers on the front fenders are all crisply rendered. The Thunderbird emblems have turquoise-looking inlays that are meant to recall the car’s Native American inspiration, and, of course, Ford’s jet-age taillights.
The red interior is also entirely new and nicely fitted. The bench seat remains comfortable and supportive and your backside will instantly tell you that there’s new foam underneath. Correct door panels with engine-turned inserts and armrests that sweep into the dashboard are just beautifully done and it carries correct red carpets with black specks. The steering wheel was surely restored, as it’s just too nice and too perfectly matched to be original, but the gauges and instrument panel may very well be nice 1957-vintage equipment. A modern digital AM/FM radio was fitted into the original radio’s slot, an acceptable upgrade for a car whose mission is to be driven, and the heater puts out enough warmth to keep you toasty on a cool autumn night’s drive with the top down. And speaking of the top, the car has a very nicely fitted black canvas convertible top that stows behind the seats and out of sight behind a red vinyl “curtain.” The trunk is trimmed with a correct gray plaid mat set and just a spare tire away from being ready to show.
We have every reason to believe that the 312 cubic inch D-code V8 under the hood is the car’s original engine. It was fully rebuilt and detailed at the time of the restoration and runs quite well today. It wears a dealer-installed dress-up kit that includes the chrome air cleaner and lovely finned valve covers, which really pop against the Ford Red paint on the block. Correct Ford script hoses were used, there’s a yellow-top coil for the ignition, and the factory SeeClear solvent bag still hangs on the inner fender. New wiring, a fresh radiator, and—finally!—a Holley 4-barrel carburetor all make this a car that’s ready to drive and enjoy.
On the road, this car is tight, solid, smooth, and well-assembled without a single squeak or rattle in the structure and a suspension that feels like it’s glued to the pavement. There’s no slop in the steering, the brakes are as powerful as 1957 drums can be, and it goes down the road better than any other Thunderbird I’ve ever driven. This is not hyperbole, because after my first test drive, I didn’t want to get out of the car. It’s that good. The Ford-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission shifts so cleanly that when you’re running hard it’ll bark the tires on the 2-3 shift, but it settles right down with 3.00 gears out back, making it a great car for long-distance cruising. The undercarriage is very nicely detailed and we can see little evidence of patch panels or rust repair, suggesting that this car has always been clean—that’s probably why it feels so solid. There’s a new dual exhaust system, new gas tank, new shocks, new lines and hoses, and even the body mounts are fresh. You’ll note that the spare tire well is completely solid, the inner quarters are spotless, and, well, this is one heck of a nice car. We did install the black steel wheels with a set of original dog dish hubcaps, a look that was inspired by a quarter-million-dollar 1957 F-Bird I spotted at auction a few years ago. It looks absolutely killer!
This car includes a detailed photo album of the restoration from start to finish, as well as some catalogs and manuals.
This is the only early Thunderbird we’ve ever featured that I would consider keeping for my own collection, and that’s the highest praise I can possibly offer. I love the blacked-out, no-nonsense look and the way this car drives will make you a believer. Try a few others, then come test drive this one—you’ll leave knowing there’s a difference between a great Thunderbird and an ordinary one. This is truly a great one. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
