Ain’t this shiny red T-Bird a beauty? It would certainly get lots of attention around town. The Thunderbird was a quick response to the Corvette, but as a personal luxury car rather than a sports car. It was built with off the shelf parts including a shortened Ford frame and Ford suspension. It did have some unique features, though, including a telescopic steering wheel and a tachometer. This example is listed here on craigslist in Littleton, Colorado. The $21,000 asking seems a little high, but you have to start somewhere. It had a nineteen-year nap and has had lots of mechanical attention to the brakes, ignition, and fuel systems since it was awakened. It runs and drives but will need a bit more attention to make it roadworthy. The hubcaps look original and hopefully will look better with a little attention.
The inside looks complete if a bit tatty. I don’t have any words to describe the carpet. Perhaps it was left over after carpeting the previous owner’s house. Replacing that carpet and upholstery would really make the interior nice. There’s no word on the state of the electrical systems. Many things including the electric seats and windows can be problematic and might need attention.
The hardtop appears to be in pretty good condition. They were standard equipment, but the convertible top was an option. Visibility was poor, but the porthole on later models was an improvement.
It looks mostly and complete and original under the hood. The electrical system is still 6 volt. It certainly isn’t as clean and shiny as the outside under the hood, so this Bird was not pampered. The ad says the “motor was gone through prior to storage”, but it doesn’t look like the engine has received any attention for much longer than 20 years.
It appears that a previous owner had begun to restoration with the bodywork and chrome. The paint and chrome look nice from here but you can’t tell how well the repaint was done and how much filler is under that shiny red paint. The thing is, the movie American Graffiti was a long time ago and these old T-Birds are not as popular as they once were. There are lots of them for sale in a variety of colors from projects to restored cars. For example, there are about 25 currently listed on eBay. Checking sold listings, one in similar or better condition sell for about $18,000, such as this one that sold recently on eBay. Everyone has their favorite model, but overall the 1955 T-Bird is the least popular because of improvements in later models, like better passenger ventilation, more trunk room and portholes in the hardtop for better visibility. So, if red is your favorite color and 1955 is your favorite year, this T Bird might be worth a look. If you can get a magnet to stick in all the right places and there’s no daylight showing through the floor and not too much rust underneath this old Bird might be a start for the right price. That’s a lot of “ifs”, but that’s what shopping is, right? If the craigslist listing is gone, you can find it on adsaver.
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