This 3,200-Mile 1976 Thunderbird Is A True Time Capsule

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Talk about a time capsule! This 1976 Thunderbird, here on Craigslist near Chicago, has only 3,200 miles on the odometer. It’s like buying a new car, except there’s a part-vinyl roof, acres of red plastic, and lots of highly evocative crushed velour. Or is that just plain cloth?

The owner doesn’t say much, but there’s actually not much to say. “This car is completely original except the battery. Has original tires and a can of wax that came with the car in 1976. The vehicle needs a good wax and a collector who would enjoy this low-mileage gem.” Actually, it would be nice to know if it’s running, but the new battery suggests it is. Certainly, someone has cleaned it recently.

A 3,200-mile odometer reading is no assurance of anything. Bad storage will do more damage than hundreds of thousands of road miles. But this car appears to have been very well-kept. Even the period half-vinyl roof survived. The pristine interior conjures up Ricardo Montalban, though that’s not Corinthian leather in there. Dig the fake wire wheels!

Cars of this era are starting to become collectible. In fact, it’s fair to say this Bird is on its way up, as the classic 1955 to 1957 sports models are on their way down. Some may find the mid-1970s styling a bit excessive, but to people born around 1960 this is what was new and hot while they were learning to drive. Maybe dad had one.

As it happens, I wrote the history of the Thunderbird for the New York Times in 2001. Here’s what I said about this particular generation: “Given the chance to redesign the Thunderbird completely, Lee A. Iacocca, Ford’s president, ignored the fading cries of purists and made the ’72 even bigger and more ostentatious. Now based on the Lincoln Continental Mark IV, the T-Bird weighed in at more than 4,500 pounds before options. The lapse in taste was rewarded with higher sales, though interest flagged quickly after the ‘73 model.”

The one-millionth T-Bird was from this era, an Anniversary Gold 1972, complete with a commemorative plaque. The attrition rate is high since they’ve been cheap for a long time. When I wrote that story, $2,500 bought a pretty nice one.

But how to value this mothballed Rip Van Winkle? It’s going to win “Best Unrestored Car” awards right off the bat. People will say, “We used to have one of those” or “I haven’t seen one in decades.”

We’re talking about the sixth-generation Thunderbird here. It debuted in 1971 as a ’72, with a 120.4-inch wheelbase, a length of 214 inches, and curb weight of 4,800 pounds if you got the 460-cubic-inch V-8. Standard through 1973 was the seven-liter 429, but after that, the 460 was the only engine. It’s a  big engine, but smog-choked. The car was also hugely heavy, so it was both thirsty (eight mpg around town, 11 on the highway) and fairly slow.

With the 460 and three-speed auto, the T-Bird produced 202 horsepower and 352 pound-feet of torque. Getting to 60 mph took a leisurely 11.9 seconds. The following year, 1977, the T-Bird was downsized.

As the new owner, you could let the car see daylight for almost the first time ever, and make it a daily driver. It won’t take much to get it back on the road. (Actually, was it ever on the road?) But the fuel bills would be fearsome, and then it wouldn’t be so freakishly low-mileage and original. A T-Bird collector who wants the full run might glom onto it. How about you?

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Comments

  1. Bob_in_TN Bob_in_TNMember

    Good write-up Jim. When we see very low-mileage collectible cars here on Barn Finds, the dilemma can be whether to drive them, as more mileage can quicky diminish value. Here is a case where it probably doesn’t matter much. Yes it does seem like 70’s luxo-barge two-door coupes have firmed in value, but they still aren’t particularly expensive, and I don’t see them getting too valuable.

    If this was mine, I don’t think I’d use it as a daily driver, rather as a weekend cruiser where it would excel. One or two thousand miles per year would be about right, I’d say. It would be fun to take to shows and for nice country drives, or even to float down the interstate in style for a run into the city, waving to folks as they give you the thumbs-up.

    Like 25
  2. Rex Kahrs Rex KahrsMember

    It’s a nice time capsule to be sure.

    My personal cutoff is 1971, after which American cars got cheap-feeling, with excessive amounts of plastic on the interiors. None of the interior chrome was made of metal, it was just silver paint. It just smacked of something made by Kenner, and ushered in the Malaise Era, which maybe never ended….

    Like 21
    • 370zpp 370zpp

      Rex; Well put.

      Like 2
    • jwzg

      Nailed it…I used to take silver paint markers and fix the “chrome” accents on the plastic panels. Wasn’t chrome, but the bald spots were faded anyway, so they matched pretty well.

      Article is spot on, Jim. I like your writing style.

      Like 3
    • Gunner

      I second the motion to Rex’s comment. Well put. It certainly made K-Tel proud.

      Like 2
    • Scott

      Well said Rex

      Like 1
    • Frank D

      Your correct my 65 and 69 Corvette was much nicer than my plastic 73 and 81 Corvette. They got cheaper as time when on.

      Like 0
      • JD

        Well it seems that not only is the plastic cheaper (and probably easier and quicker to manufacture) but it also results in weight savings. My ’65 Corvette has 1/4″ side glass, and my ’07 has 1/8″ side glass. I think that car manufacturers are always on the lookout to lighten the cars to increase mileage, minimal though it may be, as the Feds are on them to increase mileage. One way to do it is to make the cars crappy.

        Like 0
  3. normadesmond

    Such hard work for a seller to mention what the car is equipped with.

    Like 1
  4. bull

    WELL WORTH THE MONEY if this is the type car you are looking to purchase, show and enjoy!

    Like 2
  5. wayne wright

    The description is probably correct. Notice there is not any rust bubbling up under the rear roof seams, Normally where it first appears. Should have bought it with leather, I drove the Green Luxury and the Gold Luxury versions as demos when I was selling them.

    Like 2
  6. wayne wright

    I have yet to see a 71 Bird show up on this site. When selling and driving them . the favorite big bird of mine was the 71 Sports Roadster in the mustard yellow and brown alligator roof. Preferred the tutone hopsack material for the inside. Loved the pointed nose courtesy of the Pontiac Mtr Co. I still say this site needs some improvement. Very diff to manipulate. I in order to respond to an e-mail answer it takes you back to the original post. I am tooooooo old to offer a solution. Pi are sguared, ???. No pie’s are round. That’s the limit of my math education. Stay warm. 26 here in North TEXAS Ford Rules.

    Like 3
    • jeff

      Wayne Wright: Bowie Ballard Ford in my hometown of Ada, OK had a mustard yellow landau on the showroom floor where it sat for months. It had brown cloth interior. It is the only one that I have ever seen in that color. While in the USAF, I bought a used ’71 in dark blue with blue cloth. Those were good years for the 429 while it still had high compression and plenty of power. I was looking through a salvage yard in the 80s and there was that same mustard yellow 71 landau, although the odometer had turned over at least once and the front end was wrecked.

      Like 1
    • Brad460

      I feel your pain. -18 here this morning. That’s 44 degrees colder. With the brisk winds we were at -40 or so wind chills.

      Like 1
  7. Sam Shive

    Nice Ride , Nice Price. I’d like to drive it to the miles that it should be. Any one wanna buy this and trade me for my 19 F-150. This would cover your down payment. You get the truck and I get this …..Truck has 20 thousand on it, 5.0 Crew Cab XLT SPORT

    Like 1
  8. BoatmanMember

    I always got a chuckle out of the oil filter canister on the air cleaner.

    Like 0
  9. jeff

    So why would a 3200 mile car have a different upper radiator hose and clamp than came from the factory. Also the air cleaner nut is not factory. Someone would really have to look closely at this one to verify the mileage. Perhaps it is but hard to tell by these photos. I had a 73 Thunderbird and it was indeed gutless with the smogged up engine. Very comfy ride and good build quality though.

    Like 2
  10. Bruce

    Why oh why wouldn’t the owner take the time to detail and properly photograph the car? Some things I just don’t get.

    Like 2
    • JD

      Looks like the owner was simply quite limited in the garage space and for whatever reason, didn’t want to take it outside to photograph. Maybe battery was dead and couldn’t be bothered or had no jump assist.

      Like 0
  11. PRA4SNW

    If last week’s Mecum auction is any indication, the 55 – 57 ‘Birds are on their way back up.

    Then again, EVERYTHING is on it’s way up.

    Like 1
  12. Stan StanMember

    Opera windows 👍

    Like 2

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