Who doesn’t remember the Beach Boys song lyrics, “fun, fun, fun ‘til daddy takes her T-bird away”? Or iconic scenes in the movie American Graffiti with Suzanne Somers driving her white Thunderbird? This white 1957 T-Bird replica brings both back to mind for me, and it’s a running (sort of) project in Marine, Illinois. It sports a more modern V8 but has been in storage for 20 years. This throwback ride is available here on eBay, where the bidding stands at $2,550, awaiting the reserve to be met.
The 1955-57 Ford Thunderbird is often lumped in with the Chevrolet Corvette of the same era because they’re both two-seaters. But while the ‘Vette is a sports car, the first-gen T-Bird was a personal luxury car. And the T-Bird found far more buyers in the first three years than the Corvette did. The ’57 T-Bird received a mid-facelift that made it the best-looking of the three years (IMO), but the concept was gone at the next outing. The 1958 Birds were bigger four-seaters, and that layout would remain for many generations.
Ford built 21,380 Thunderbirds in 1957, as the run lasted into December thanks to delays in getting the 1958s ready. One of the complaints about the early T-Birds was about visibility, so with the optional hardtop, a porthole was added to each side in every case. As this replica was based on a 1984 car (Foxbody Mustang, perhaps?), it is said to only have 30,000 miles, maybe due to it being in storage since 2006 (more or less).
The seller says the engine will run with gas poured into the carburetor. And that’s a 302 cubic inch V8 rather than a 292 or 312 that would have been in a real ’57 edition. The gas tank will need to be flushed, the brakes checked out, and new tires installed. The fiberglass body and paint look okay, as does most of the interior, but the weird steering wheel needs to go. Suzanne is looking for a riding partner! But would she (or you) settle for a replica rather than the real thing?
Price is already on the rise, this looks manufactured. Yes that’s a fox steering column and I also recognize some other parts of the era of the build. Clean it up, get the mechanicals sorted and would make a great daily driver. The proportions look good too, I have seen some that that’s off. It’s even has A/C!
I wonder what it weighs. It might make a great, upgradeable Battlebird clone for shows and track days.
Does it come with a replica Suzanne Somers?