The 1955 Ford Thunderbird was introduced as the world's first ‘personal car’, a luxurious two-seater that competed with the Corvette w/ the same 102” wheelbase, but emphasized comfort over sportiness. It featured a 292ci Y-block V8 engine, a removable fiberglass hardtop, optional convertible top, and luxury options such as power seats & windows. The Thunderbird debuted @ the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954, w/ sales beginning later that year, and the car was an immediate success w/ over 3,500 orders placed in the first five days, and 16,155 sold in its first year, far exceeding Ford's initial goal of 10,000 units. And well, the rest as you know is history.
‘Red Hills Rods & Classics’ is very happy to offer you this one-of-a-kind 1955 Ford Thunderbird Custom! This is a local car that is very well known in Southern Utah, owned by a gentleman who put his heart & soul into creating his absolute dream car. He was always at every car event in the area, showing off his creation, and he always took home ‘top honors’ from every show that he entered. Sadly, he recently passed away, so his lovely wife has decided to let someone else enjoy this amazing T-Bird and we are grateful that she chose us. The paint was done @ Mastercraft in Cathedral City, California, featuring a glossy Classic White w/ House of Kolor Pearl (15 coats of white & 15 coats of clear), which came out beautifully. The custom graphics were done by Brian Van Houten @ Van Houten Graphics here in St. George, Utah. All of the chrome & stainless trim is in outstanding condition throughout. It comes w/ it’s classic canvas top (tan), along with the original hard top, both in outstanding condition, along w/ a matching tonneau cover. She rolls on 14” Kelsey Hayes chrome wire wheels, wrapped w/ BF Goodrich TA Radial tires (P215/70/R14). The undercarriage is super clean, showing the original floors that have never seen a speck of rust. The car was lowered 2”, and features KYB front shocks, original leaf-spring rear suspension, rear anti-sway bar, and chrome oil pans, along w/ a chrome differential cover. Please look at the undercarriage photos for reference.
When you open the driver’s door, you will find a gorgeous custom Connolly Tan Leather interior, featuring matching leather seats, door panels, dash board, and shifter boot, engine-turned aluminum dash inserts, 4-way power seat, Grant mahogany steering wheel, custom mounted oil & water temperature gauges under dash w/ gold trim, Mark IV vintage air conditioning, vintage Thunderbird radio w/ cassette player, chrome speedometer housing cover, chrome dash vent, custom billet shift knob, (2) sets of tan seat belts, and Porsche tan wool carpeting throughout. The interior is not only beautiful, but it is fully functional and certainly one-of-a-kind in every way.
Pop open the hood, and nestled inside the amazing engine bay resides the original 292ci Y-block V8 motor, bored & stroked to 331ci. This fully chromed motor features: aluminum heads, 10:1 forged-pistons, chromed finned valve covers, roller rockers, stainless valves, chromed aluminum dual-plane intake manifold, Holley 650cfm carburetor, Mallory ignition, and ceramic-coated Red’s Headers. Nearly every single component under the hood has been fully chromed, including the brake booster, master cylinder, heater box, headers, power steering unit, radiator shroud, all of the lines & hoses, etc., again, nearly everything has been fully chromed! It is truly a sight to behold, and has won countless awards for ‘Best Motor’. The motor is linked to a Tremec 5-speed manual transmission, which feeds power to the Dana/Spicer Model 44 rear-end, w/ 3.73 gears. She fires up instantly, settling into a nice smooth idle, and she runs, drives & performs beautifully in every way. This ’55 T-Bird is a blast to drive and gets a ton of attention anywhere she goes. The new owner will receive two huge binders full of documentation/receipts from all of the work that was done on the car, along w/ the free & clear title.
If you have been searching for a classic car that can win ‘First Place’ awards at any car event that you decide to enter, but also one that can be driven & enjoyed to the fullest, you will want to take a very close look at this gorgeous 1955 Ford Thunderbird Custom!
