Thunderbird 50 Years by Alan Tast & David Newhardt Motorbooks 2004.

His Technical section is chock full of information regarding ROT/Build Sheet explanations, Engine weights, Part # Decoder, Convertible Electrical Diagrams, Paint Color Chips, Wiring Diagrams and '58-'66 Body Parts. VIN - Vehicle Identification Number Explanation - Courtesy of John Rotella Vintage Thunderbird 1958 - 1966 Data Plate Decoder . No estimate on how much it is expected to fetch is available, but be sure we’ll get back on this if it breaks a record or something.Topics: Resources On Thunderbirds (1958-1966)īooks, Magazines, Periodicals liuyfgyfpyfgp iug p kjgkjg

We found the car waiting to be sold this weekend as part of the Mecum Kansas City auction. But even those who feel that can’t deny the fact the Thunderbird has more personality than most of Ford’s lineup has today, combined. So they chopped and lowered it by 2 inches, slapped a 390ci (6.4-liter) engine under the hood, and took the bold decision of painting it purple.Īll of the above might make the car, in the eyes of some, one ugly duckling. The aggressive stock look of the car apparently wasn’t enough for the guys behind this here Thunderbird. The one we have here comes from 1959, meaning it’s a second-gen – that’s the one that made the transition from the original two-seater thunderbird to a four-seater, and looked so sharp it was almost menacing. Counting that little fiasco, the Thunderbird burned through 11 generations before being shelved (apparently) for good. Born in 1955, it was in production well into the 1990s, and then revived for a brief period of time in the early 2000s.

The Thunderbird was one of Ford’s longest-running nameplates. For us, that special something today is this 1959 Ford Thunderbird. Where are the sculpted panels of before, the flowing lines, all the details that made cars look stunning, or at least made them seem to say “this is me, and I like it”? No, they’re not gone, only you’ll never find them on today’s cars – you’ll have to go back in time to get your fix.Īnd the best way to do that is to surf the open market, looking for that special something that makes you tick.

59 ford thunderbird