For model year 1973, Thunderbird buyers had a choice of 23 standard and glamour paint options, but Ford’s Bright Red (Color Code 2B) like this T-Bird is sporting, wasn’t on that list. This Red ‘Bird came from the Los Angeles factory as a “Special Paint” order and the color code was left blank on the door tag. This two-owner, low mileage survivor (73,785) is in great shape and is for sale at No Reserve here on eBay. As of this writing, 33 bids had been placed with a top bid of only $6,800.
Kudos to the seller, because the T-Bird’s history, description, and selection of photographs in the ad gets an “A” in my book. It is currently located in Nine Mill Falls, Washington and has probably been a Washington state car all its life since it was originally shipped and sold at Center Ford in Spokane. 1973 marked the second year of the redesigned sixth-generation Thunderbird that ran from model years 1972 – 1976. They were lush, plush, luxury liners with the ’73 ‘Birds seeing minor changes from the year before (new small opera windows, a new grill, headlight surrounds, and hood ornament).
The biggest stylistic change was the first year of the mandated new energy-absorbing front bumpers. Some think the large size of the Thunderbird pulled this off better than smaller cars. And even though the oil crisis began in October 1973, Thunderbird sales were strong. 87,269 were sold, which at the time was just short of the record 90,843 T-Birds sold for the 1960 model year. It’s hard to find fault or “red flags” with this car’s exterior. The original Bright Red paint looks shiny and very presentable, the black Odense-grain vinyl top looks like new as does the chrome, glass, lenses, and trim. What their sales brochure called “a vacation-sized trunk with 13.9 cubic feet of capacity” is fully lined, clean, and houses the original factory spare tire. The wire wheels may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t mind them too much.
“Enter the rare and private world of Thunderbird. Opulent. Spacious. Supremely comfortable.” That’s how Thunderbird described this original interior. The black cloth and vinyl fabric front and rear seats are well preserved and look “deeply cushioned and contoured for comfort.” The instrument panel, dash, black carpet, door panels, and headliner look very good as well. This Thunderbird is well equipped with air conditioning, the optional AM-FM Stereo Radio with 8-Track Tape Player (an expensive $300 option back then – $2,055 in today’s dollars!), power steering, windows, side windows, seats, locks, brakes, cruise control, tilt wheel, and more. The seller claims that everything works as it should, plus a case of original 8 Track Tapes (including Willie Nelson, Don Williams, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, and of course, Percy Faith and His Orchestra) are included!
Under that very long, red hood (where the under-the-hood light still works) is a very clean engine compartment housing the T-Bird’s original 460-cubic inch V8 that’s mated to a SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission. It has 73,785 miles on the clock and the seller says “it starts right up and drives great.” So, what do you think of this rare red bird? Chances are, the next owner will be the only one at the local car show with a ’73 Bright Red Thunderbird…
Excellent write-up Ron. You hit on some of my thoughts on this T-Bird: how it doesn’t look that bad with the big front bumper (and, as a 73, doesn’t yet carry the worse-looking big back bumper); highly optioned; excellent condition; wire wheels aren’t my favorite either. This would be a terrific cruiser and something rarely seen today, all for not much money.
Here’s another tidbit from the window sticker: even for a luxury car like this, cruise control was an option. Its cost of $103 is $700 in today’s dollars. And can you even buy a new car today (even an econobox) without cruise?
Thanks, Bob, and good point about the cruise control. I also found online that on 6/11/73 the following items were added as standard equipment resulting in a $837 price increase: Vinyl Roof, Opera Windows, Power Side Windows, AC, Tinted Glass, and Automatic Seat Back Release…
Solid write up and a solid car!!! Nine Mile Falls, WA is basically in the suburbs of Spokane, WA. So it sounds apparent this car has been meticulously maintained and avoided any winter road condition usage. Basically it has been in its town of delivery to original owner and remains…A nice & simple history of this car…I like it!
My friends family car in the 60’s into the 70’s was a 66’ olds 98 with cruise control. We thought that was the balls the whole car was power everything. You had to flip a switch to on then it had a dial which you dialed the speed you wanted set.
Bob, I have a 2007 Escape that came without it, and it cost me $500 to have it installed!
Love this car. I love all those tuned down personal luxury cars from 70’s doesn’t matter what manufacture. These Ford’s are smooth.
Very clean car with rare options and the ultimate 460 engine, what’s not to like? I hope it finds a good home. Back in the 90s, one of these emerged from a garage in beautiful condition and low mileage, and a trashy family bought it and used it and neglected and destroyed it. What a shame.
I’m willing to bet it was either yours or a figment of your imagination.
Wasn’t these year’s the same chasie and eng trans as the Lincoln marks ?
460 Fords 😎 👍
Sorry, I can dig the wire wheels but that color paint just does not look right on that car. I do wonder how well a twin turbo Ecoboost V6 would work. Same power and twice the gas mileage.
…and half the engine life and three times more expensive to maintain.
Fox owner must have overlooked the recalls on the 3.5 Ecoboost engines for blowing their headgaskets.
Sorry but that does not go well with a car like this not even the beautiful ’77-79 T Birds that came after this.
Solid write up and a solid car!!! Nine Mile Falls, WA is basically in the suburbs of Spokane, WA. So it sounds apparent this car has been meticulously maintained and avoided any winter road condition usage. Basically it has been in its town of delivery to original owner and remains…A nice & simple history of this car…I like it!
The oil filter can on the air cleaner always killed me!
The vinyl top make the car look like its wearing a toupee.
Toupees 😎 👍
Sharp car, Lima Engine 429/460 motor.
I have an exact set of those same wire wheels in storage. I believe they’re made by Fenton.
73 Birds wallowed like a boat at highway speeds. Black on black on black was the big seller. Worked at a Ford dealership 72-73.
They were called Thunderboats for a reason. LOL. I liked the follow up LTD II based birds better. Smaller and weighed 400 pounds less than the 72-76 Torino based cars.
My favorite of the big birds. A nice price, and of course, halfway around the world from me.
Oh man, I wish this was closer to me. I can imagine listening to Don Williams on the 8 track cruising down a 2 lane blacktop with that big block lumping along. Sounds like a lot of fun for $6800.
Yea boy. That’s was Tulsa Time and the good old days.
I bought one new in 1973. Sticker price was $7,000. Great car but a bit of a gas guzzler.
Did any t-birds 1970 or later get sequential blinking taillites?
I would love to print out the color chart for this car & go to the Ford dealer &
tell them you want to special order 1 of the colors on the chart for a CURRENT model. & make sure the factory properly paints it – not a bodyshop over another color.
Today, u would be lucky to find more than 7 colors available – usually white, black, grey, silver, & JUST ONE shade of red or blue.
Incredibly, as late as 2007, the lowly Yaris was available in a lot more colors than it was less than a decade later with the price increasing 50%!
What poor color choices today! I can’t imagine how hard it is to find one’s vehicle in a big parking lot today among all the lookalikes painted in just a handful of “colors”.
Did you know the Thunderbird went out of production after the ’97 model year, briefly came back as a convertible from 2002 to 2005 and has stayed out of production since?
I meant any one of Ford’s(& everyone’s else’s) current ugly all look alike 4 door onlys, or even trying to order a current Mustang in a special color, like from that 1973 ford color chart. Not gonna happen in a million years. I think the factories today are too automated & the software just cant handle so many different colors, let alone more than 50 SEPARATELY orderable distinct options like back in the day when there was MUCH less automation & much more human installation.
& many times today you have to spend many thousands $’s extra in packages just to get red or blue(only 1 shade of each)! What a disgrace! & not just with Ford. Going to a GM dealer today with THIS below, requesting a different shade of blue, etc. will be to no avail as well …
http://www.firstgenmc.com/tech/72colors.jpg
If I had a penny for every one of one car I have seen courtesy of “the marti report” I would have fifty cent!
Great pictures and Description – kudos to the seller.
$6,900 with 4 and a half hours to go. Looks like someone might end up with a great deal on a nice car.
I had a Baby blue 76 Mercury Marquis brougham I really liked how nice that car ran and drove very smooth,I bet this Red T-bird runs and drives smooth just like my 76 Marquis ever since I owned the Marquis every time I see a Ford, Lincoln,or Mercury come up for sale of that era all I can think of is how smooth those cars drive and how you can bury the speedometer oh say 130 mph and you don’t realize you even driving that fast till you look down and see it.Caddys are smooth but Ford products of that area 10 times smoother than the best Cadillac.No other cars can compare to the 70’s land yachts,now your lucky th barely hit 70 MPH and if you’re giving any faster your just waisting fuel on an under powered engine.
Are you for real? You believe nowadays cars could barely hit 70mph. You’re driving the wrong cars.
Lincoln had the ride Chrysler had the power Cadillac had it all.
SOLD for $7,200.