Growing up in the 60’s, our neighborhood was a typical middle class one with most of the homes being brick ranchers with a Chevy or Ford or a station wagon tucked in the carport. To get out of our subdivision, you had to drive by Mr. Joyner’s house. I always made sure I had a good view of Mr. Joyner’s carport because he owned a silver ’66 Thunderbird Landau with a black vinyl top. He was an older gentleman who rarely drove it and always kept it shiny and showroom new. Well, here’s a ’66 Ford Thunderbird that’s neither shiny or showroom new. It’s a Mystery Bird project because very little information is shared and the few photographs are “below average” in trying to assess its current condition (but to be fair to the seller, the Bird is really shoehorned into a narrow storage bay).  About all we know is that it’s been in dry storage for 17 years, it has not been started in 15 years, and that the ‘Bird ran when it was parked. Currently located in Beavercreek, Ohio, this ’66 Thunderbird which is described as being in “Fair Condition” is for sale here on craigslist for $5,000. Another shout out to our pal, T.J., for bird watching and sending this one our way to feature.

1966 would be the end of an era of sorts in Thunderbird Land. The ’64-’66 ‘Birds were the fourth-generation overall, but they represented the final iteration of the four-seater, unibody personal luxury car concept Ford introduced in 1958 (the ‘Bird would be a totally different looking car in 1967). It was also the last year of the graceful-looking Thunderbird convertible. The seller describes this ‘Bird as a blue hardtop with the paint in “fair to poor” condition. If so, it would be one of 13,380 conventional hardtops with a rear quarter windows built in ’66. The majority of the 69,176 ‘Birds built in ’66 had the squared off, formal-looking hardtop with the “blind roof quarters” which looked cool, but talk about blind spots (and a bit of a claustrophobic riding experience for the rear seat passengers). And speaking of rear seats, there’s a photo of this ‘Bird’s unique, curved rear seat and it looks to be in good condition.

There’s also a photo looking down on the front passenger’s bucket seat. It looks to be good shape as well but the front armrest is discolored. The seller describes the ‘Bird’s cabin as “Interior and headliner are very usable. One door panel has some damage and the driver seat has a tear” but there are no accompanying photos. In describing the car’s exterior, the seller states that it is “straight and solid with minor rust on the rear wheel wells and that all exterior chrome and trim is in good usable condition.” There are no photos or details about the ‘Bird’s power plant other than it shows 93,386 miles on the odometer. 1966 would see a 15 horsepower increase (now 315 horses) in the standard 390-cubic inch V8. But for only $64.30, you could opt for the 428-cubic-inch V8 that generated 345 horsepower. Quite a bargain. Both were mated to a 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. So lots of questions remain about this ’66 Thunderbird in determining its current condition and what it would cost to get it drivable again. I’m a sentimental sucker for Thunderbirds, so I’m hoping this one can get out of it’s current slumber and back on the road sooner than later. Happy bidding!