Vehicle Description
1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
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 50's 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. With an all Fiesta Red
exterior with a Fiesta Red hardtop, a title verified 110,909 actual
miles, and a clean black and white interior, you will turn heads
wherever it takes you!
Exterior
Starting upfront, we can see a beautiful mirror like bumper and
directly above is a well preserved shiny egg crate grille; complete
with flanking on either side are single visored headlights. A long
scooped hood rolls its way back to the passenger compartment, which
is small, and is topped with a hardtop in body matching Fiesta Red.
On the back, small fins tip round tail lights again, emulating jet
age design, and another clean bumper. The exhaust exits through the
bumper. The spare tire, within its Continental kit, with matching
Fiesta Red spare tire cover sits in back as a nicetouch. Medium
wide white sidewall tires wrap 15-inch steel wheels and hubcaps
with just a hint of red peeking out at the edges. All of the metal
is painted in Fiesta Red 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
tail lights, this car is a perfect example of the futuristic themed
look signature to 1950's styling.
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 shiny cranks for
the windows. These are nice and clean. 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 padded black dash top and
below the machined strip of aluminum is a pleasant band of black
steel. Flanking on either side of the speedo are round gauges, the
left a factory tachometer, and the right a clock. Fronting a near
perfect bench seat is a chrome plated automatic shifter well within
reach of the driver on the hump. The bench seat is complete with
smooth black bolsters and surrounds and shows with white tuck and
roll inserts and some piping at the seams, and it stretches from
door to door. Black, minimally faded carpeting floods the floors,
and the black leatherette wrapped steering wheel with chrome horn
ring fronts the pristine dash. A Fiesta Red removable hardtop
finishes the look. 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 aluminum ribbed valve covers with
Thunderbird badging add some more bling to the bay. A Ford-O-Matic
3-speed automatic transmission and 3.31 cogged Dana 44 rear axle
complete the drivetrain. Just a very honest 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.
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 we do note that the reverse lights, radio, and
heater blower do not work, but all else was working as it should.
While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were
working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these
functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
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!
P6FH175366
P-312ci 4bbl V8
6-1956
F-Dearborn, MI Assy Plant
H-Thunderbird
175366-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY PLATE
BODY 40A-Thunderbird
COLOR E-Colonial White
TRIM XB-Red & White
PRODUCTION CODE 12MLP414-December 12th
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
