HIGH-$$ RESTO, FRESHLY COMPLETED, 312 V8, PWR STEER/BRAKE, CONTI-KIT, PORTHOLE

1956 Ford Thunderbird Description

Baby Birds have been a staple of the car hobby, well, since they were new. Immensely stylish and fun to drive, this 1956 Ford T-Bird offers great colors, a fresh show-quality restoration, a porthole hardtop, and a warm welcome everywhere you go. Just imagine yourself and your favorite someone special heading out for a trip in this lovely little convertible and you can see just how easy it is to fall in love with a car.Fiesta Red always looks good on 2-seat Thunderbirds, offering high-impact looks to go with its sporty demeanor. Two-seaters have distinct personalities each year, with the '56s getting a myriad of upgrades that were added after the '55s landed in consumer hands and complaints started coming in. As a result, the '56s received their most obvious change, a continental kit out back that not only improved trunk space but make this car pure 1950s cool. The finish is extremely well done, with the restoration showing less than 1000 miles since it was completed. Fit and finish are much better than you normally see on these cars, with great panel gaps and crisp detailing that really needs to be right for these cars to look their best. And as with any product of the 1950s, chrome is critical so it's a relief to see that the shiny stuff on this car is in fantastic shape and really sparkles against that red paint. And we have to admit that we like the white tire cover on the spare, which works incredibly well with the color-matched hardtop.The red and white interior is pure class and Ford designers knocked it out of the park when they put this one together. As a fresh restoration, the seat covers have zero stretching from use and look almost new, and it's still quite comfortable to settle in for an afternoon of cruising. Nice red carpets are protected by a set of black mats and the door panels feature bright metal inserts that wrap into the dash for a cockpit feel. The gauges are in very good condition with bright markings that are easy to read and the original Town & Country AM radio remains in the dash. A trio of auxiliary gauges were added under the dash to better monitor the vitals, and that's probably not a bad idea, even on a show-worthy car like this. Thunderbirds came standard with either a convertible top or a removable hardtop, with both being an extra-cost option, with this car wearing a white hard top, complete with porthole that was added to remedy blind-spot complaints in 1955. The trunk is also correctly detailed with a proper plaid mat set.Ford's 312 cubic inch V8 is smooth and torquey, so the Thunderbird is a lot of fun to drive. It's also quite attractive with red engine enamel, a dealer-installed dress up kit, and nice details like the chrome radiator shroud to add some sparkle. The Thunderbird is one of those cars where you'll be happy to have power steering despite its small size, and power brakes are a nice upgrade. A Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission never seems to draw attention to itself, and there's no doubt this was a frame-off restoration, because everything is new underneath, including the dual exhaust system, shocks, and gas tank. Bright whitewall tires on glittering chrome Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels are the ultimate '50s look and really make the Thunderbird look right.These are great cars to drive and no collection is complete without one. You won't find many nicer than this, at this price. Call today!