First, let met begin by saying this… If you have any interest in buying a 1950’s convertible and are trying to remain a little “inconspicuous” this is definitely not the car for you. This super bright “torch” red on red classic T-bird with wide whites and gorgeous Kelsey Hayes chrome wire wheels will practically stop traffic.

In my opinion this car is in the level of condition that I prefer. It looks great and it’s perfect for a local show but it’s not too nice to drive it. Although you’d hate to see anything at all happen to it, if you got a tiny little scratch on it you wouldn’t feel like committing suicide.

The present owner’s family has enjoyed this car for approximately seven years now. They bought it from a local dealer who didn’t seem to know a lot about the car’s history. From looking it over quite a bit, both underneath and on top, it looks like it might be an older body off restoration? I’ve included a few photos of the chassis because I wanted you to see how nice it is under there. However, I have more photos if you’d like to see them.

The car is a color change from the way it originally left the factory. When this car was new it was a rare color called Seaspray green, which was code “N” on the original data tag. The interior color was factory code “XM” which was called Cumberland green. As I recall these colors were exclusively for late production T-Bird’s only. It’s an interesting and unique color but certainly not to everybody’s liking. However, who doesn’t like the factory shade of brilliant “torch” red with a flame red interior? As a matter of fact, this is the same color combination as the Amos Minter restored ’57 that “broke the bank” and sold for something like one hundred and twenty four thousand dollars in January 2007. Quite simply, this color combination is stunning!

This one has a few options but it’s not fully loaded. It’s got the 312 cu. in. motor with the four-barrel carburetor and some of the engine dress-up features. It has a town & country radio, power steering and a few other extra cost options as well. A very nice “plus” is a mint set of four chrome wire wheels. I don’t believe these were actually available from the factory on these T-Birds when the cars were new. The wheels were likely a dealer-installed option. It’s a one top only car at the moment. Unfortunately, the previous selling dealer removed the folding top and sold it. All is not lost though as original soft tops and swing bars are out there and available for purchase. I made one phone call the other day and located an original soft top that’s available for $3,500 if you want one. The white porthole top is a great companion for the beautiful wide white wall tires. However, I don’t think this is the original hard top that came on this car due to the vintage Ford crests in the top corners.

The engine compartment is very nicely detailed as you can see. The trunk looks good too. I took a photo of the trunk floor sheet metal to show you how exceptional it is. However, while I was looking around in there, I noticed that the spare tire bumper jack is missing. They’re a little tough to find but not impossible. In fact, I just located one for a friends Starmist blue ’57 “E” -Bird just a couple of weeks ago.

The car seems to run very well. We’re guessing now but from the looks of things and the indicated mileage on the odometer of approximately 8,800 is possibly the total mileage on the car since restoration? Again, the general feeling from looking the car over is that it was a thorough restoration and possibly a body off, ground up but we can’t say for certain.

There is a panel gap issue regarding the left rear quarter panel alignment. Not the worst I’ve ever seen by a long shot but not the best either. Please remember though that the “fit and finish” of any American car in the mid to late 1950’s certainly wasn’t perfect when the car was new.

I think that the bottom line on this little T-Bird is that it’s in way above average condition and far better then many that you’ll see. There’s probably something close to fifty thousand dollars worth of restoration work that’s been done to this car and that’s not including the value of the base car. It isn’t perfect though and if you’re trying to buy a one hundred thousand dollar car for half price, this isn’t it. If you’re not looking for a trailer queen but want a great looking and running car for a fair market price then this might be the car for you.

Asking $52,500 or would consider a close reasonable offer. I fully understand that there are old T-Birds out there for less money. I also know that they’re nothing like this car. About six months ago I looked at a ’56 that a man bought on an Internet auction for about half of this price. Believe me, you could spend seventy-five thousand dollars on that car and I doubt it would come out as nice as this one.

Please call Larry at 480-483-2555.
If you’re located out of the USA and with to email me, the address is ljkay@cox.net.

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