I was on a Thunderbird Facebook site recently where the owner of a ’56 Baby ‘Bird was showing off his recently upgraded pride and joy. His two-seater now had a modern-day drivetrain, disc brakes, and a new A/C unit. He said he knew he’d get criticized by “the purists out there”, but stated that he was 75 and wanted to enjoy driving him and his wife around in something more reliable. He also wanted a drivetrain that today’s mechanics would be more familiar with. I can’t blame him for that decision. In that same vein, here’s a ’56 Thunderbird that has a fuel-injected 5.0L V8 with an Automatic Overdrive 4-speed automatic transmission. It is currently in Tulip, Washington, and is for sale here on craigslist for $34,000. The seller says the price can only be negotiated in person and that they’re also open to trades. Thanks again to Curvette for spotting this beautiful ‘Bird and sending it for us to feature.
The seller, who is the third owner after the restoration says, “The car was built in the early 2000s, and as a testament to the quality, it comes with half-dozen car show trophies from that time.” The ‘Bird looks sharp in Fiesta Red and I’m not spotting any issues on its exterior. It’s sporting the Fairlane Headlight Chrome Eyebrows on each headlamp and comes with the desirable soft top and removable hardtop combination. The Colonia White fiberglass hardtop has the iconic porthole windows and is a great-looking contrast to the red exterior.
The black and white classic Thunderbird interior looks terrific and coordinates with the red exterior beautifully. The instrument panel and padded dash look very good and you can see the aftermarket air conditioning unit under the dash. This ‘Bird also has power windows and power steering. Purists will spot that the restored door panels are finished in a ribbed black vinyl instead of white vinyl, but I personally like the all-black look.
The big surprise is what’s hiding under the hood. The ’56 Thunderbird offered two “Y-block” V8 engines: the standard 292-cubic-inch “Thunderbird V8” and the optional 312-cubic-inch “Thunderbird Special V8.” You won’t find either of them here. Instead, you’ll find a fuel-injected 5.0L V8 that the seller says came from a late-’80’s Mustang GT. It’s paired with a Ford AOD four-speed automatic transmission. It’s unclear of the mileage as the seller lists the odometer at “12,345.” The seller says, “It runs, drives, and stops flawlessly. The perfect car for a collector or as a driver. Show ready and road worthy!” I like these upgrades and how this ’56 T-Bird presents itself. It’s one sharp-looking car. What do you think?
I think my wife would LOVE this car. Much more practical than the Purple Metropolitan from a couple of weeks ago, though less toy-like at twice the price.
Beautiful T Bird!! Normally I’d go with original, but I totally understand why they did what they did. They chose a more modern and rock solid Ford powertrain that sounds great and is reliable. Lets face it. On a Saturday, all you want to do is hit the key and go and have fun.