This 1960 Ford Thunderbird is an award-winning car that has undergone a meticulous restoration. The car started life finished in its current Beachwood Brown Metallic, but the original owner then had it repainted by the dealership in white. It has now been restored to its original condition, and due to ill health, the current owner has made the difficult decision to part with it. If you would like to park this car in your garage, the car is located in Portland, Oregon, and is being sold with a clear title. You will find the Thunderbird listed for sale here on eBay. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Jason P for bringing this beauty to our attention.

When the car’s second owner purchased the car, it was still finished in white. He then dismantled the car and began to restore it to its original state. The project stalled, and the car then moved on to its third owner, who utilized a lot of NOS parts to finish the restoration, which was completed in 2002. Since then the car has only covered a total of 584 miles. Since the restoration, the car has been entered in a number of car shows and concourse competitions and has accrued a healthy collection of prize-winning silverware. It certainly looks very nice. You look over the car and it’s very hard to pick faults with it. One thing that I would love to know is why the original owner chose to cover that original Beachwood Brown paint with white. Still, personal taste, I guess.

As with the outside of the car, the interior is beautifully restored and is virtually faultless. As previously stated, the restoration included the use of a substantial number of NOS parts, and the interior certainly shows the benefit of this approach. The seats have been re-trimmed in their original leather, and the combination of parchment leather and dark beige lends the interior an air of class and style. To add to your comfort, the car is fitted with power windows, power seats, and air conditioning. Once again, given the low accumulated mileage since the restoration was completed, it isn’t surprising that the interior has remained looking so good in the 16 years since the restoration was completed.

The Thunderbird rolled off the production line fitted with a 430ci V8 and an automatic transmission. It has managed to retain both its original engine and transmission, although both underwent a full rebuild and detail as part of the restoration process. As with the engine and transmission, every other mechanical component on the car was either refreshed or replaced to bring the car up to the highest standard. The car has seen very limited use since 2012, so it was recently brought out of storage and given a thorough check, full maintenance and servicing, and fully detailed, ready for sale. The owner says that the car runs and drives as new.

While Thunderbirds of this style are generally not as popular as the iconic ’57 model, this car is a nice example. It is hard to find any faults with it, and the restoration looks to have been completed to the highest of standards. People can sometimes be a bit hesitant about buying a restored car because it can be hard to know if the restoration work can hide some nasty surprises. The fact that this car is not showing any issues 16 years after the restoration was completed is a reassuring sign. It is obviously reassuring enough for 6 people to bid on the car, and for that bidding to have reached $15,100, with the reserve unmet. It will be interesting to see if the bidding continues, or if someone decides to exercise the BIN price of $35,900. With nice examples still capable of selling for prices well in excess of $40,000, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone does just that.