For some years after World War II, Ford USA concentrated on building large, reliable family cars. It was only after Ford’s rival, General Motors, unexpectedly put the two-seater Chevrolet Corvette on sale that Ford was inspired to react: The famous Thunderbird two-seater was the result.
These first generation T-Birds were all two-seater convertibles with capacious boot accommodation, with a detachable hardtop available as an option. This top, which turned the car in to a wind and waterproof two-seater saloon, was plain-paneled at first, but beginning in 1956 there was an option of circular “portholes” in the rear upper quarters. The last of the two-seater Thunderbirds was built in 1957, after which Ford produced a much larger, less sporty four-seater. Buyers of the ’57 could choose from four V8 engine options, from a standard 292ci that could produce 212hp all the way up to a supercharged version that churned out a whopping 300 horses. Few enthusiasts were fortunate enough to obtain the rare 270hp, 312ci V8 engine option, which featured a pair of 4000-Series Holley 4-barrel carburetors. The Thunderbirds fitted with these E-code engines have been commonly referred to as “E-Birds.”
Offered here is a very rare E-Bird – one of only seven produced in beautiful Sun Gold. A total body-off restoration was completed, and the car has less than 1,000 miles since a comprehensive engine rebuild (with papers). Align boring, align honing, cylinder honing, crankshaft honing, block decked and engine balancing were all completed, and the car runs clean. The engine was beautifully reassembled and painted in factory-correct colors and topped off with an engine dress-up kit. This E-Bird features power steering, power windows and new stainless exhaust, with all chrome and stainless restored. Boasting show-quality paint and interior and riding on new wire wheels with correct Firestone wide white tires, this 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Code Convertible is absolutely stunning.
