The Pick of the Day is an early bird.
Specifically, it’s a 1958 Ford Thunderbird listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Tucson, Arizona. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Stunning ‘Square Bird’ example,” the listing begins. “Car was purchased in CA by an elderly woman in 1958. She drove the car and after passing, the family stored the car in a barn. Car was subsequently found in great condition and fully restored.”
The odometer on this car shows 38,000 miles, which the seller asserts is a true reading. Based on the look of this Gulfstream Blue beauty with a removable white hardtop, the number is believable.
Following the success of the original Thunderbird personal luxury car which launched in 1955, its second generation debuted in 1958 with a more versatile passenger compartment. The interior now accommodated four instead of two, and a new styling theme was rolled out. Exterior lines were penned primarily by Joe Oros, who was later responsible for designing the iconic 1964 Mustang.
Enthusiasts call this the “Square Bird” Thunderbird generation, and the marketplace received it warmly when it went on sale. Over 37,000 units were sold the initial year, and Motor Trend awarded the Thunderbird the coveted “Car of the Year” trophy. This body style would last through the 1960 model year .
Power for this example comes from a 300-horsepower 352cid FE V8 mated to a three-speed Cruise-o-Matic automatic transmission. The seller states that the powertrain is numbers-matching and the “car runs incredible.”
The sale includes various supplementary artifacts, including receipts, manuals, booklets, warranty documentation, registration cards, and detailed photographs of the restoration.
One of the neatest pieces of paper is the Service Policy pamphlet. It shows an original in-service date of August 23, 1958 for the car to a woman named Eleanora Twisselmann from Cholame, California near San Luis Obispo, so the seller’s story about the “elderly original owner” could very well be true.
The seller is asking $55,000 for this T-bird and all its accompanying goodies.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com