For decades, many a car person longed for a two-seat “Baby Bird,” and I’m no exception. My phase was early on in my teens, as a high-school student in the mid 1990s, when I would have done almost anything to grab a 1956 model like the one shown here. I’d agonize over whether I liked the T-Bird better with or without the Continental kit before finally calling it a draw: either a ’55 or a ’56 model would have made me happy. While I moved on from Baby Birds over the years, they still bring those pangs of nostalgia when I see one, and don’t you know, Barn Finds reader PRA4SNW sent us this nicely restored example in Buckskin Tan, which he found here on Hemmings Marketplace in Mountainside, New Jersey. The asking price is $56,900.
The seller says that this T-Bird is a “concours winner,” and includes a picture of the trophies it’s won. Judging by the engine compartment, I’m not too surprised—I’d say this T-Bird doesn’t see too many road miles considering how clean and polished everything looks. The Fordomatic-equipped T-Birds such as this one got the 312-cubic-inch Y-Block, which was new for 1956. So equipped, it produced 225 horsepower, ten more than its manual-transmission counterparts thanks to a slight bump in compression ratio from 8.4:1 to 9:1. Sports Car Illustrated found that a Fordomatic T-Bird could accelerate from zero-to-sixty in 11.5 seconds, and on through the quarter-mile in 17.1 seconds at 79 miles per hour. Given enough room (a five-mile test loop in this case), it could reach 119 miles per hour. All of these figures were pretty good going in 1956, but engine technology was increasing at a rapid rate, and within a few years, the spry little ‘Bird would be left in the dust. Still, this is good enough performance for today’s traffic.
The T-Bird’s interior is cozy, and this was the last year for the neat “see-through” speedometer, which used natural light from behind the gauge face to make it easier to read. A little tachometer was positioned to the left of the speedometer, and a clock to the right. In 1956, Ford advertised new “Lifeguard” safety features, including a slightly dished steering wheel, which just happened to look a little sportier than the 1955 model’s.
The advertisement points out that the convertible top cost $8,000 and has a “hand-polished frame,” but the car will also come with its original Colonial White hardtop (with porthole), which was a factory-available color combination with the lower body’s Buckskin Tan.
All in all, this is a very nice Baby Bird, with beautiful chrome, wide whitewall tires, and a set of gleaming wire wheels. Ten years ago, I’d say the nearly $57,000 price tag was not bad for such a nice car, but I wonder if the two-seat T-Bird market can support such a price these days, as their popularity seems to be on the wane. As always, it’s something to discuss in the comments.
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