1956 Fiesta Red Ford Thunderbird
The current owner obtained this beautiful Thunderbird in a trade just about a year ago. The previous owner had gone through the car and had all body work done, some rust repair in the floors taken care of, purchased a new top, reportedly had the engine rebuilt, new aluminized dual exhaust added and had the car repainted in a 56 only color of Fiesta Red.
We know the car was originally produced on Feb. 20th, 1956 and shipped into New York, in Colonial White over a Black and White interior, with a white top. The engine is a 225HP 312 4bbl hooked up to a 3 speed Ford-O-Matic auto transmission.
We're also pretty sure that the previous owner had the seats reupholstered in the same Fiesta Red and white, however, we think that a different owner changed the colors of the exterior and interior. The car was brought to CT from Maryland where the previous owner had the car for about 20 years.
The odometer shows just over 13000 miles however, true mileage is unknown.
The exterior is in beautiful condition, with hardly a chip or scratch found anywhere in the paint. .. Those I did find are captured in the photos. The car was taken fully apart when painted as there are no signs of over-spray, tapes marks, etc and the entire under hood area and trunk are painted in the same color. Most of the chrome is clear and bright, some minor flaws in the front "horns".
The hard top is in great condition, both inside and out, there is a small imperfection in the paint on the top. Due to the difficulty in taking the top off alone, I was not able to fully open the soft top, but as seen in the photos, both the fabric and metal frame are in new condition.
Under the hood looks factory new including the factory Ford Final OK and Paint OK markings. Aside from the 312, the car has the power brake and power steering options (the former being added by the current owner). The current owner also had new tires mounted and balanced. Diamond Back wide whites, in 205/75/R15.
The red and white interior is shows very well, with like new seats, however, the dash does show some minor wear. All the electronics work as they should, wipers, horn, radio (aftermarket), all the lights - blinkers, headlights- L/H beams. Power steering is nice and solid and the 4 wheel discs slow the car with ease. In my time driving the car, I found it to accelerate well, sounds great, handles awesome .. not what I expected after driving a Corvette that morning.
Tap the gas, turn the key and the 312 fires right up. The transmission shifts smoothly (remember - this car starts in neutral not Park).
In the trunk is just as clean as under the hood with an original style houndstooth pad, spare tire and jack. There is a new gas tank tucked in there as well.
When you get under the car, everything looks clean and rust free. If you look closely, you can see evidence of rust repair. While not concours quality, it is done well and to the casual glance not even noticeable. The current owner has installed new gas shocks just recently.
This a great cruise night and local car show car, getting thumbs up and gathering a crowd. It can very well take a trophy locally, probably not at a national T-Bird Association concours.
Asking price on this beautiful Bird is $34,500
Any questions, to see several hundred additional photos and videos, to schedule a time to inspect her, or to make an offer, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for the interest!
