Vehicle Description
1956 Ford Thunderbird Roadster
The Thunderbird and the Corvette have a long and sorted history,
with both initially competing for the same customer space.
Eventually the Corvette went to racing, and the Thunderbird became
the boulevard king. The ultimate getaway car from the kids with
only 2 seats, as well as the option to have a hardtop traveler, or
a convertible cruiser, it became the "it" car for mid-1950's
suburbia.
If you're looking for a sweet 50s-era classic that's valuable, fun
to drive and has the ability to turn Main Street into an instant
classic car show then this is "it" for you. An all Colonial White
exterior with white and black interior and a Colonial White factory
hardtop you will think you are driving down the street in a crisp
clean bridal dress! Oh, don't forget we will be bringing up the
rear with that Continental rear bumper complete with covered rear
tire.
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
shiny egg crate grille complete with an AACA National First Senior
award plaque and flanking this on either side is a single visored
headlight. A long-scooped hood rolls its way back to the passenger
compartment, which is small, and is topped with a hardtop in body
matching Colonial White complete with the iconic Thunderbird
portholes. On the back, small fins tip round taillights again,
emulating jet age design, and another clean bumper, this time the
bumper houses the exhaust tailpipes at both corners. These cutouts
flank the Continental kit with its covered spare tire and add an
air of class to this sporty roadster. Medium wide white sidewall
tires wrap 15" Kelsey Hayes wire wheels and hubcaps. All of the
metal is painted in Colonial White paint and has nicely preserved
gaps with no rust seen on its exterior. From its fender skirts to
the chromed venting on the front quarters to the tasteful fins and
jet engine taillights, "Dagmars", and all is super snazzy.
Interior
The curvaceous thick door panels are wrapped in white vinyl with
some black vinyl covered swooping upward long armrests, and a black
padded window sill attached at the top. There is a large panel of
machined aluminum through the center which is the background for
the door actuator and in the white vinyl are the toggles for the
power windows. These are nice and clean, with the aluminum showing
a few dimples. These panels look the part, as they melt into the
curved dash keeping the machined metal line through the center. A
fan style black background with white numbered speedometer is above
on the painted metal black dash top and more black for below the
machined strip of aluminum. Flanking on either side of the speedo
are round gauges, one a factory tachometer, and the right a clock.
Also noted, a modern AM/FM radio is neatly installed in the dash
center. Fronting a near perfect bench seat is a chrome bezeled
small shift lever well within reach of the driver on the hump. The
power bench seat is complete with black smooth bolsters and
surrounds and shows with white tuck and roll inserts and some
piping at the seams, and it stretches from door to door. Lightly
faded black carpeting floods the floors, and the black bakelite and
chrome horn ring steering wheel fronts the pristine dash. A white
tonneau cover is on the rear body/passenger sill and covers the
area where a soft top would be stowed. Totally delicious in this
presentation. And if the weather is bad, pop on the hardtop!
Drivetrain
A 312ci 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 aluminum ribbed valve covers with
turquoise Thunderbird badging add some more bling to the bay. A
Ford-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission and 3.31 Dana 44 rear
axle complete the drivetrain. Just a beautiful presentation under
the hood.
Undercarriage
Just a hint of surface rust and some road dirt is noted but
otherwise the X frame and floor pans are really beautifully
preserved sporting a nice undercoating of rustproofing. Independent
coil springs for the front, and leaf springs for the rear make up
the suspension with drum brakes all around. We note power steering
also as well as shiny like new dual exhaust.
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 there. This bird handled our test track with ease
on all fronts and provided a fully functional enjoyable drive.
All in all a wonderful example that has been restored a bit ago and
still retains its luster and charm. Go topless or don the hardtop,
and climate controls assure you happy 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! Grab your poodle skirt honey we are going to get away from
the kids for a while!
VIN DECODE
P6FH251311
P-312ci V8 4bbl 225hp
6-1956
F-Dearborn, MI Assy Plant
H-Thunderbird
251311-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY TAG
BODY 40A-Thunderbird
COLOR E-Colonial White
TRIM XA-Black & White Vinyl
PRODUCTION CODE 23CH555-March 23rd Build
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.