Limited Edition cars have been used to generate foot traffic to dealerships for years, especially in the middle of the sales cycle when sales generally slow down. Back in 1963, Lee Iacocca hoped to generate some buzz at Ford Dealerships by building 2,000 Limited Edition Thunderbird Landaus to honor the most famous (and glamorous) princess on the planet at the time, Princess Grace of Monaco. The beautiful Grace Kelly had given up her Hollywood stardom to marry Monaco’s Prince Ranier III in 1956. She devoted the rest of her life to her duties as Princess of Monaco and charity work that focused on young children and the arts. It’s hard to know how many of these Limited Edition ’63 Thunderbirds exist, but number 1765 looks to be in very good condition, is nesting in Terrebonne, Oregon, and is listed for sale here on craigslist for $25,000 or best offer. Another tip-of-the-hat (or crown) to Curvette for sending this rare ‘Bird our way.
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The seller doesn’t share anything about the car’s history or even its specs. All that is listed is: “1963 Ford T-Bird Princess Grace of Monaco. Very rare. 48,000 original miles. $25,000 OBO.” The photographs aren’t the best and I wish there were closeups of the special badging such as the numbered “Limited Edition Thunderbird Landau” nameplate which can be seen on the console. Based on my research, Princess Grace had some involvement in the car’s color scheme and special appointments. All 2,000 were finished in Corinthian White paint with a Rose Beige vinyl top with Landau “S” bars. Other exterior goodies included deluxe wheel covers and rear fender shields (which are not shown on this one). The paint looks presentable as does the chrome, trim, and glass. It’s hard to determine the condition of the vinyl roof. I read where these had a tendency to fade from there original dark rose beige finish.
The interior looks to be in very good, clean condition. The Limited Edition Landau Package included Pearl White leather seats, a Rose Beige padded dash, white tilt-away steering wheel with a unique insert, simulated rosewood trim on the console, instrument panel, door panels, rear quarter trim panels, seat back emblem inserts, and the numbered “Limited Edition Thunderbird Landau” nameplate mounted on the console. It appears that the original Rose Beige carpet has been replaced.
There are no photos supplied of the engine bay, but there should be a 390-cubic-inch V8 under that sloping front hood. It’s mated to a three-speed Ford Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission and 48,000 original miles are on the clock, although there’s no mention of documentation. Iacocca was able to talk Ford into making a TV commercial for his limited-edition luxury ‘Bird and it aired on February 17, 1963 during a Ford-sponsored Tour of Monaco CBS special hosted by Princess Grace herself. The official introduction date for these special ‘Birds was February 22, 1963 and Landau number one was presented to Princess Grace by the Ford Motor Company. Numbers 2 through 19 were sent out to auto shows across the country and later sold to the public. It’s hard to determine how many of these rare 1963 Limited Edition Thunderbird Landaus exist today. Some say as few as 30 are left. So, what are your thoughts about this rare, limited-edition Thunderbird? Have you ever seen one?
