With the addition of a rear seat in 1958, squarish lines, and a formal roofline, the Ford Thunderbird moved away from the sportiness of the original two-seater into the luxury personal car field. Ford described their longer (and heavier) Thunderbird as having “a sports car personality combined with luxury-car roominess and comfort.” And, now being able to seat four passengers proved to be more practical and popular to the buying public. And the sales reflected that. Nearly 200,000 1958-60 Thunderbirds were sold, which more than quadrupled the total production of the 1955-57 Baby ‘Birds. Here is a beautiful example of a pampered ’59 Thunderbird Convertible that has been garaged all of its life. It is show-quality worthy and is in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Surprise, Arizona. It is listed for sale here on craigslist with an asking price of $39,500. T.J. spotted this gorgeous yellow ‘Bird and sent it our way.
As expected, changes to the second year Squarebird were mostly in the minor trim category , although beneath the sheet metal, improvements to the rear suspension made for a better driving experience. This particular convertible is wearing a classy color called Casino Cream. The paint looks shiny and perfect and seems to check all of the “Needs Nothing Boxes.” I can’t find any issues with the chrome, trim, glass, or lenses, and the seller claims those are factory wire wheels which look really sharp. It has a black power convertible tops that “works perfectly at the touch of a button.”
The Squarebirds had a much different interior look and feel from the two-seater Baby ‘Birds. It’s much more jet cockpit influenced and comfortable with contoured bucket front seats and a full-length console that housed controls for the heater, power windows, and, of course, included ash trays. The all-black interior appears to be in fine shape and the seller says the ‘Bird has power everything…steering, brakes, and windows.
Under that Casino Cream hood is a clean engine bay housing a 352-cubic-inch, 300-horsepower V8. The seller states that it is a strong engine with 120,000 miles on the odometer. It is paired with a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. You have to see one of these Squarebirds up close and personal to comprehend how low slung they are (especially the Convertible with the top down and neatly stored in the rear deck). This is one of the nicest we’ve ever featured here on Barn Finds. I’m betting this yellow ‘Bird will continue to be pampered and garaged and appreciated by its next owner.
And, a convetible from the ’50’s with factory A/C. My ’59 coupe has contrasting (white) seat inserts – two tone (door cards, too) I thought was a feature of all standard interiors, if one stepped up to leather they were monochromatic. Also, that air vent on the hood is chromed, never seen that before. Having said all that, I’d be proud to show up anywhere with this example – very tidy indeed. Hope it brings all the money.
When I see this beauty I imagine Paul Drake just pulling into Dino’s Lodge with Della Street to hit the bar for a cocktail before dinner and some cool jazz.
With Kookie parking the car, of course.