In its infancy, the Thunderbird was developed quickly by Ford in response to the Chevrolet Corvette, spending its first three years of production as a two-seater. However, it didn’t take the car long to gain extra passenger capacity, adding a back seat in the second through tenth generations, then returning to its roots in the eleventh and final gen from 2002 through 2005. One of the interesting concepts for the fifth-generation examples was 4-door availability, and while these T-Birds are a bit unusual, it’s still hard to beat a nice 2-door model from this period, such as this 1968 Ford Thunderbird here on eBay. This one’s lived on both coasts and now resides in Novato, California, with the seller believing the 24,000 miles showing are actual. A buy-it-now price has been set at $22,000, but you can also make an offer.
T.J., thanks a lot for your excellent tip here! It’s always fun when a vehicle this old has a story behind it, and this T-Bird has some interesting history shared by the seller. Apparently, this one was purchased new in New Jersey by the original owner as a graduation present for his daughter, but she never drove the car. It was subsequently sold to a buyer in Indiana, who rarely got behind the wheel and eventually put the Ford in a barn. The seller acquired it in 2012 with just 17k miles on the odometer, adding 7k since then and bringing the current reading to 24,966, which is presumed accurate. The gold paint isn’t quite perfect, and the exterior has a couple of light bruises, but the overall condition outside suggests that number could be plausible.
Stepping inside, the interior also still seems very good, especially considering it’s nearly six decades old. There are a couple of blunders inside if you look closely, including some minor separation along the driver’s side door armrest. However, the vinyl seats show no visible splitting, and the dash, instruments, and headliner are all well-preserved, looking much better than they likely would if the car had an additional 100,000 miles.
Another plus here is that this one features big-block power, coming from a 429 V8 rated at 360 horsepower, which makes me wonder why the graduating recipient wouldn’t have lovingly embraced this very generous gift from her father. On the other hand, it might not have survived as well if there had been more heavy use in the early days, so perhaps this is a blessing 58 years down the road. Given the reported history here, I’m inclined to believe the low-mileage claim for this 1968 Ford Thunderbird is likely accurate. What do you think?
Good write-up, Mike.
Much more desirable than the 10 year newer cream sickle T-Bird listed earlier, and this one has 200 more horses and so much more style for $5500 less.
It’s a no brainer for me.
GLWTS.
Not bad. Some bumps and bruises, pitted chrome, etc. which the seller, to their credit, does show. But I think this does led credibility to the car; after all, it is 58 years old. To me the wheels don’t fit the personality of the car.
When I see one of these, I think of a lady (I think she was a widow) who lived up the street from my growing-up house, who had one. There weren’t very many non-blue-collar-type cars in my small town, but hers was an exception.
Good looking t-bird. I think those wheels really don’t belong on that car.
Exactly. Those wheels have GOTTA go!
Such a beautiful car in great shape and it comes with the big block. I so wish I had disposable income right now it would be in my driveway.
Rims ain’t that bad, it’s in california so it fits in with the neighborhood.
I’ve always been mesmerized by that taillight panel at night. Just have always loved the look.
best,
bt
My friend had a saying that came from his father whenever we thought something was overpriced, “NO GUY, how much for one!” We would use that whenever anything was too much. lol thanks for bringing back that memory.
lose the ghetto wheels
Great write up, nuce find.I had a 67 with the center console, red with white landau top white interior 2 door, it had the steering wheel that flipped to the side when you opened the heavy door. I drove it my Junior and senior year in HS. Left for the Navy, older brother needed a car and my dad gave him mine and he got drunk and crashed it. But thats another story.
Nice write up. Sharp looking car, sadly a lot of them were scrapped because they weigh over 5000 lbs. So… I bought one a few years back, a 69′. I called U haul and made a reservation for a car dolly, and took off work. Get there, fill out paperwork, and as I’m walking out the door the guy asks me what kinda car I’m hauling… I tell him, he says wait a second, checks his computer and says, Oh, wait, we got a problem, that car is to heavy. I ask if he’s joking and he says nope, and guess what, 68, 69, and 70 T birds are the only cars on the list… Weeeeeee….
Lovely looking car. This has always been my favourite generation Thunderbird. It’s my favourite version until the Aerobird of the 1980s.
The description reads that the factory wheels and covers come with it. A forthright seller in regard to vehicle needs. A better deal than the orange one…
My favorite was a 56 T-Bird. I had a 60 Square Bird with the 430 that got around 8 mpg. For some reason I bought an 02 Retro Bird that was a nightmare. I liked the styling on a few of the land yacht T-Birds but never thought of getting one. I know hindsight is 20-20, but I still believe Ford messed up a good thing when they could stop the Thunderbird from growing. Maybe one day I’ll get a 56.