If you’ve been in the market for a rare or unusual Ford Thunderbird to take on as a project, this one will satisfy both objectives as it’s only the second and final example ever produced. What we’re seeing here is known as a 1963 Thunderbird Italien Fastback concept, with this one being the number 2 example made but it’s got a different history from the first. The car is a project, but one the seller believes is well worth the effort, so if you’ve been looking for something in the Ford family that nobody else on your block has this should do nicely. The car is located in San Diego, CA, and can be spotted here on Craigslist, and if I did my math correctly the owner is looking at somewhere around $73k to let it go. Numskal, thanks for the great tip here!
Comparing the #1 and 2 cars is sort of a gray area, as the first one was a true Ford project brought on by the Thunderbird design team toying around and studying what a Thunderbird would look like with a different roof. The idea started as a plywood roof concept, then a clay model was sculpted, followed by a plaster from which the actual fiberglass top and deck lid were made. The original auto, pictured above, was restored and fetched $660,000 at a Barrett-Jackson auction back in 2008.
The Thunderbird for sale here is car number two, which has a much different history and is probably somewhat less desirable. The story goes that the first car ended up in the hands of actor Dale Robertson, the Wells Fargo man, and then went to a T’Bird specialist in Hollywood who took a stock car and copied the details from the first vehicle, with one key difference being he incorporated a steel trunk and roof.
The seller says some restoration work has already been started, with obviously quite a bit more left to go, but the roof structure and rear area seem to be in decent shape structurally so I’m guessing when the body gets smoothed out and painted this one’s going to be a real head-turner. It’ll be quick too, as an M-Code 390 V8 is under the hood with a trio of 2-barrel carbs on top, although there’s no word on exactly what kind of and how much mechanical work will be in the next owner’s future.
We only get one shot of the interior, but it’s enough to reveal that plenty of attention will be needed inside and possibly some new floorboards. When restored, the seller feels his car would be valued at least one-third of the $660k brought by the original, and even as it sits he believes it is likely worth one-third of that amount, so I gather it’ll take roughly $73,000 to buy. Is this one worth it?
Shouldn’t it be more like $59,400?
Math was never one of my strengths, but if I’m reading this correctly the seller believes if The Thunderbird was restored it would be worth (at least) a third of $660k, so that’s $220k. And then as it sits now, he values the car at a third of $220k, which I believe is $73,333. Of course, I could be wrong!
Wow what a beautiful fastback / bubble top combination! Too bad Ford didn’t produce these for at least a couple of years.
I remember the annual version of the AMT model kit of the 1964 T-bird convertible . It was a ”3in1” ( stock/custom/racing ) kit and ,it had the ” Italien ” fastback roof included . Dig up a 1963 T-Bird convertible kit and , you are on your way to building a replica of this car .
It would have given the 1966/67 Riviera a good run for the money!🤔
Mamma mia! That’s a spicy meatball and worth about the same.
LOL wow
Wonder what the total cost would be to make it look original?
Stunning car when new.
5000 working hours minimum. Plus parts, plus materials.
Oh dear.
Looks like a Marlin roof-line…
my first thought as well.
Seems you’ve never seen a Marlin… looks more like an Aston Martin or Maserati-influenced roofline.
Funny…..I’m watching Wells Fargo with…….Dale !
There you go!
1958 Buick Limited,
Someone with lots of time, talent and treasure needs to rescue this and restore it to its former glory or place a 21st Century customization on it.
Russ wrote this car up in August of 2023.
I’d only consider the asking price if they included the ropes used to hold the trunk lid shut.
Is the rope holding the trunk lid down…or holding the whole back end of the car UP? LOL.
Looks like a variation of the Starliner roofline. Both interesting and rather enjoyable to me. Love to see it finished.
very interesting car, and certainly some upside. but I cannot fathom the cost of fabrication of interior and exterior trim pieces. not like you can run to the auto zone on the corner and pick up the chrome missing on the doors. probably that part alone a few thousand dollars, or more. I think this seller is a bit unrealistic.
No one who will restore this car shops at Autozone…lol. There is a gentleman in Wisconsin who is an expert at restoring “bullet birds”, I’m sure he’s familiar with this car, maybe he will chime in. It is a significant restoration project, no question. There is a good aftermarket industry to supply parts. I’ve restored a few Thunderbirds and this one is well worth it.
If you look at the photos carefully, there appears to be a ton of rust in the body that would require extensive rebuild, not to mention the chassis. There is some good reason that no one has yet restored this car, especially during the 1990’s when the ’61-’63 body style was more popular. It certainly would have been cheaper to do at that time than now!
This will never be a 1 of 2 car since Ford only ever built one. At best it will be a replica of a 1 of 1 car. In the end it’s just another custom Thunderbird which if finished to a high standard will be worth about half of what it takes to finish it.
This car was a tribute car started/built by the guy who owned the Italien years ago. He was building this car from measurements of the original Italien.
This car was not built during the 1963 era that the original Italien was built.
If I’m reading the ad right, it says this one was duplicated by the guy who bought Dale Robertson’s car, not by Ford. Therefore, I’d say it’s just a modified T-Bird, not 1 of 2 original concept cars.
Oops! I should have read the previous few comments, which state the same thing I wrote.
Better plan would be to purchase the identical year from someone (for considerably less than $600K) and take it to a custom shop to do a conversion. The value of that car would be much more than vehicle no. 2 and make the owners of vehicle no. 1 envious.
So whoa……the second owner of the original concept car done by Ford, took a stock TBird and copied the original with the change being a steel roof and trunk. The original concept car sold fifteen years ago for an ungodly amount.
Ergo this pile of parts is worth a lot of money? Apparently so. To the seller. I want to meet the buyer who spends the ask for it.
Obviously I dont understand.
Since it not an original, it should not ultimately be worth any more than the cost to duplicate. The value of the original is irrelevant.
Looks like a AMC Marlin thru the roof.
If you look at the pics you will see the black primered one is a 63 but the gray primered one is a 62 based on the chrome inserts on the rear 1/4 pnl.??The fact that it is rare doesn’t correlate with value.
Being a guy that likes different and having something that no one else has, this would be a cool car to have, there is a history and it would be the talk of cruise night if it showed up, but a project like this, not at the asking price, The original one looks exceptional as the price indicated.
YIKES! the 1963 thunderbird in my opinion was Fords best example of what custom cars were trending to look like for those early 60’s years what a beautiful design! sticking that roof on it destroyed the original concept and makes it worth less.
The guy that started this car copied the original Italien. He never built the original one, that was built by Dearborn Steel Tubing, to Ford specs. Bill, I think his name was, needed a tri power setup for this car, and I supplied it in a trade-out for some other T-bird stuff, and access to his shop welder for a week. I last saw this car in ’79 and it had progressed this far. Looks like he never finished the project. He told me the roof came off a Rambler, modified to fit. I’ve had conversations with the restorer of the real Italien, and he verified that there never was another one made. Period. This is passed off as a “tribute”.
What is in the California water ?
What I interesting and sad is the condition of the car. For only being one of two, you would think it would at least be complete. It deserves to restored but at the asking price, I think you would be doing for the love of the car and not so much worried about the cost overall. Do we know where the one is? Hopefully in better condition.
1st car …
“Displayed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair (the one and only time it was shown), and was destined to be destroyed after the show. Instead, it was sold to actor Dale Robertson, and later in 1986 sold to Ford collector Don Chambers. Chambers owned the car for twenty years, and then sold it to Thunderbird restorer Tom Maruska, who brought the car back to its original condition.”
It is, or can be an amazing car once restored. And the 63 is one of my favorite Birds.
But as usual the seller is a bit optimistic, as ALL sellers are. Asking for a third of a third ($73,999.99) of what the first car sold for is simple math.
But consider that it’s true value is what the person, or persons in front of you are willing to pay. And considering that this is NOT an original (made by Ford), but a copy of an original using a Ford as a base. For example, what’s the value of an original AMC Cobra vs a Cobra clone? Even if built with exact parts. We’re talking probably $1.3 million vs $30 – $60 thousand depending on where you shop. The pride of ownership and driving experience will be the same mostly.
I would say to offer $30k to start, but no more than $45k.
Shop wisely my friends.
It is, or can be an amazing car once restored. And the 63 is one of my favorite Birds.
But as usual the seller is a bit optimistic, as ALL sellers are. Asking for a third of a third ($73,999.99) of what the first car sold for is simple math.
But consider that it’s true value is what the person, or persons in front of you are willing to pay. And considering that this is NOT an original (made by Ford), but a copy of an original using a Ford as a base. For example, what’s the value of an original AMC Cobra vs a Cobra clone? Even if built with exact parts. We’re talking probably $1.3 million vs $30 – $60 thousand depending on where you shop. The pride of ownership and driving experience will be the same mostly.
I would say to offer $30k to start, but no more than $45k.
Shop wisely my friends.
I’m going to look for that AMT model kit Norman mentioned for my “Dream Garage”.
What the heck is an AMC Cobra? AMC AMX or Javelin or even Marlin yes, never heard of AMC making a Cobra.
My mistake. Spell check changed AC to AMC. You are correct.
Please do a search for AC Cobra, or you can educate yourself here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Cobra