Beautiful Baby Blue 1957 Ford Thunderbird

It’s easy to see why the ’57 Ford Thunderbird has been a popular collectible for nearly six decades. In the third and final year of the two-seater Thunderbird, the ’57 model offered an attractive styling update. The Ford Styling Department gave the ’57 a reshaped front bumper, a larger grille, tasteful tail fins, and an extended rear deck that solved the spare-tire/trunk-space issue that plagued the ’55s. (The spare tire is now stored vertically thanks to a new wheel well.) Paint color options also expanded from 10 to 15, including the first true light blue option like we see here. I believe this is called Starmist Blue, which is one good-looking color on this classic. The seller, who says the car is part of an estate sale, doesn’t share many details, history, or photos, but it looks impressive. It is currently nesting in Grants Pass, Oregon, and is for sale here on craigslist for $35,000. Another shout-out to super-spotter Curvette for sending us this beautiful bird.

Based on the posted photographs, this looks like a solid, pampered, nice restored Thunderbird. The light blue paint with its contrasting Colonial White removable hardtop presents well and I’m not seeing any rust or accident damage. The seller says the ‘Bird has the optional soft top, but there are no photos supplied. The chrome bumpers and other shiny stuff look very good as does the glass and trim. The period-correct whitewalls and the Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels give it a classy look. The elephant in the room, as they say in Cliche Land, is that extended rear bumper/Continental Kit. I’m sure there will be opinions expressed in the Comments below, but for me, that would be the first thing I’d remove. It’s not my cup of tea as the Brits say.

The number of interior color options were also increased for the ’57, including this beautiful all-white cabin. Sure, it would take extra effort to keep it clean, but what an impressive statement this makes. The white interiors I’ve seen over the years have a white steering wheel, instrument panel, and padded dash. The light blue steering wheel and lower instrument panel trim were probably added during the car’s restoration. The black carpet looks good, and although it’s hard to see, this ’57 has a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Although numbers aren’t available, most ’57 T-Birds were ordered with a Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. Some T-Bird aficionados estimate the number of three-speed-with-overdrive ’57s to be in the single digits.

In addition to the restyling, and the expanded paint and interior options, the other big news was the increased engine options available in ’57. The Code D 312-cubic-inch Thunderbird Special V8 was the T-Bird’s standard engine, but customers wanting more oomph could chose a Code E 270-horsepower or a Code F 300-horsepower V8. The seller says the car’s 312 “runs and drives very good” and the ad lists 5,000 miles on the odometer. The seller also describes this ’57 Thunderbird as “like new.” That claim remains to be seen, but it does look like a very clean, beautifully restored Baby ‘Bird.