Here’s yet another “barn find from an estate sale” in the form of a sleek-looking 1962 Ford Thunderbird Coupe. I’m sure there’s a story here, but taken at face – or photo – value, it looks like a nice, clean, driver-quality Thunderbird that’s looking for a new home. The styling development of the third generation Thunderbird is a complex one, with some at Ford wanting a more sporty-looking car and others not. In the end, the proposed ’61 Thunderbird was transformed into the graceful 1961 Lincoln and the Thunderbird looked like a counter piece with sleeker lines and a wow-factor that packaged personal luxury in a sportier-looking car.
Although Thunderbirds could be ordered in 23 paint colors in 1962 (14 of which were metallic), I think this Thunderbird’s Corinthian White shows off the car’s elegant, simpler lines. The photos are taken inside of a garage which isn’t the best setting for showing details, but overall, the ‘Bird looks very good. The paint is presentable as is the chrome, trim, and glass, and I’m not spotting and rust or major bumps and bruises. I’ve always liked the outrageous “jet afterburner” round taillights of the ’61-’63 Thunderbird. They look more custom car than production car to me. And photos don’t do the low, wide, low-slung stance of this generation of Thunderbirds justice. You’ve got to stand by one to truly appreciate what the talented stylists at Ford achieved.
Taking photos of a car’s black interior inside of a garage isn’t the best idea, but you can see enough and the solid black cockpit looks very good. There’s an unfortunate tear on the top of the passenger bucket seat, but everything else visible looks presentable. Under the hood is a clean engine bay housing a 390-cubic-inch V8 with 112,960 miles on the clock. (The seller describes his Thunderbird as “an M-Type,” but the engine appears to be a 390, not the special high-performance version of the optional 406-cubic-inch V8.) The only thing the seller says about the old ‘Bird’s engine is that it “starts right up.” The second year of the Bullet Bird’s three-year styling cycle ended up being its best as 78,011 units were sold. And to further take the Thunderbird in a more sporty direction than the Square Bird, the limited-edition convertible edition of the Sports Roadster was also introduced in 1962. This classic Bullet Bird calls the Pacific Northwest home and is currently residing in Sequim, Washington. It is for sale here on craiglist with an asking price of $14,000. Another thank you to our Barn Finds buddy, Scott, for spotting this ‘Bird and sending it our way. 
Seems like a great price for this Bird. My favorite year as the styling knocks me out. All it needs is AC, no problem to add on a Vintage Air solution. Then ready to cruise. Great find.
No one cruised with air conditioning in ’62 – think American Graffiti.
GOTTA have the windows DOWN. Cruising takes place only at night.
Where were u – in ’62? Real cruising has been dead for many years now.
The smart phone was the last & biggest nail in the cruising coffin, sending all younger people inside, glued to those things – & even looking down at those phones when u rarely see them outside, missing seeing even the best lookin classic car drive by.
Absolutely spot on with your thoughts – air conditioning with the windows up wouldn’t work if you were out cruising and looking for some new best friends – and smart phones along with artificial intelligence will forever change the course of humanity and not in a positive way.
Elbert, even worse in last couple years – did you notice how many “cars” now have glass tinted so dark you can’t even see who’s inside? – even thru the windshield! & the cops do nothing! wth They could make a FORTUNE ticketing just parked cars like that – say for $200 each. Don’t even bother to run the plate – like writing a ticket when a parking meter runs out of time.
I know I’ve said this before on here…. ( But I’ll say it again) this is my favorite generation of T Birds. This one looks pretty good from what we can see in the photos. And I agree it seems like a fair price too.
Best year for bullets-not tarted up with unnecessary chrome-the lines speak for themselves. Reasonable price if it all looks and works as advertised. Someday I’ll have enough space to add one.
By coincidence, a red 62 convertible turned up at the back of my drive yesterday, and now this one! A friend that we have not seen in person for years asked us if he could park it off the street for a few days. It seems to run well but it has a cover on it as the top is down and the mechanism is faulty. I searched in Hemmings but did not see repair parts or exchange. Any experience with that? It has the 390 as does the white coupe.
Driveinstile the back end treatment on these is maybe even better than the front. Beauties from Ford.
I agree Stan. The rear is absolutely beautiful. The fronts always reminded me of a family resemblance to the Lincolns, which is a compliment. They were really handsome cars too.
That’s interesting. I never noticed the connection to the Lincoln that year but now I see it.
Seems very reasonable if it’s in drivable condition.
By strange coincidence yesterday a friend who used to live next door showed up with a red convertible version, also with the 390. He asked if he could park on our drive. The top does not go up. I see ads in Hemmings from years ago to replace or repair services, but none in recent issue. Anyone know about these motors or mechanisms?
Watch Jay Leno’s Garage video on his Lincoln convertible. Jay had a guy, John Cashman I believe was his name, and he was the “whisperer” of these Ford/Lincoln convertible mechanisms.
I hear Cashman is retired, so I don’t know who the new guy is, if there is one. I’d sign up on a Lincoln forum.
Thank you, Rex. I saw three ads in a 1998 Hemmings, from before the popularity of internet sites. Two of the three had disconnected phone numbers but one rang (no answer on Sunday of course). It is in Florida. I will check again when open perhaps.
The 62 convertible starts and runs well but needs paint and interior work. If I had it, I would be tempted to put a tonneau cover on with a zipper down the middle, like I had on my Triumph TR3 50 years ago. Sometimes I got caught driving in the rain with the TR. If you went a certain speed a medium rain would miss you.
Rex, I did reach the man in Florida for convertible top cylinders availability. He was the only one still in business that advertised in 1998. He did not have any of the three cylinders in stock but he can check with his supplier once we do troubleshooting. I spent an hour last night watching You tube videos about the complexity of these mechanisms. There are nine relays and at least two motors. What my friend has is the valuable 1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster with the fiberglass tonneau cover (over the rear seats) with original Kelsey Hayes wire wheels. Now it sits forlornly with the top down in my back drive under a cover. While it runs well, I would say it is in #3 to #4 condition. So, this could be something relatively simple to fix but complex to diagnose. I like this myself of course.
Hagerty values the Sports Roadster convertible at a crazy price even for #4 pitiful condition. I have not seen my old friend since this car appeared on Saturday but is under cover with the top down outside. It just rained too. The engine compartment is an oily mess, the oil level is low, and it needs changing. After it dries, I am tempted to degrease the compartment, hose it off and change oil and filter, vacuum the interior. He has major health issues, so I hope this works as a surprise.
Hemmings Motor News has advertisers that sell everything for those tops.
Good looking and appears to be in original excellent condition. “Dad, can I borrow your car for the prom?”
I like these. A few (quite a few actually) years ago I was listening to one of those radio flea market shows and someone had a 3 two barrel setup for a big block Ford for sale. It was close by so I ran right over there. It was complete with the fuel rail, linkage and air cleaner. The serial numbers on the carbs matched. It was a fairly rare setup from. 61 , 62 Thunderbird. I paid $300 for it. I sold it on eBay for $1800.
Wow – yet another early 60’s T-bird comes on the market and apparently in excellent condition too. If you haven’t seen the photos on Craigslist, you should. It appears to be worth every penny of the asking price. The engine has a 112,960 miles on it, but for a 63 year old car, that’s not much and the new owner can easily check out the engine’s health to see what it may need – if anything. — I absolutely love the door handles integrated into the side chrome trim, the interior styling was top notch at the time, and the rear styling of these T-birds is just the best of any car of the time. Someone is going to be a very happy camper to get this beaut in their driveway and hopefully keep it in their garage whenever they are not out showing it off.
Nice t – bird. Before ya dish out 14000 for it ya might want to remember most of the time after 90000 miles the motor is tired and needs a rebuild. Just saying! Peace!