Regular readers will be aware that I place a great store in the concept of long-term ownership of classic cars. That tends to indicate that the vehicle in question has been treated with respect over an extended period. That appears to be the case with this 1963 Ford Thunderbird. The seller is only this classic’s second owner, and it has been garage-kept its entire life. It presents beautifully, but the rebuilt V8 under the hood could seal the deal. I have to say a huge thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for spotting this stunning survivor for us. It is located in Independence, Oregon, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has raced beyond the reserve and currently sits at $9,100.
Don’t be fooled by the current location of this Thunderbird, because as its black plates indicate, it has spent most of its life in sunny California. That is always good news for potential buyers because it increases the chances that the car will be rust-free. That seems to be the case here because the underside photos reveal original undercoating but no evidence of corrosion or penetrating rust. Externally, one small spot has developed, but it is so tiny that you could almost drill it out and fill-weld it without the need for cutting or patches. The Thunderbird has been under the care of its current owner for more than three decades, and it was around twenty years ago that he treated it to a repaint in its original Silver Mink. It still presents exceptionally well, with a winning shine and only a few tiny defects. The panels appear straight, with no evidence of damage or previous accident repairs. The trim seems excellent, the tinted glass is flawless, and the whitewall tires add the perfect classy finishing touch to this exterior.
The first thing that most people will notice when they look at this Thunderbird’s interior is the mismatch of color between the front seats and the back. Most of the upholstery is original, although the owner recently replaced the front seat covers. These appear perfect, but some people will find the color inconsistency distracting. If so, a replacement rear cover will cost around $350 and improve the situation. The rest of the upholstery and trim is in good condition, as are the dash, pad, and console. The headliner has a seam separation that has been re-stitched, and it appears acceptable. If the next owner desires perfection, a replacement headliner will cost them around $300. The car comes nicely loaded with luxury touches. The owner has swapped out the original AM radio for a modern vintage-look unit, but factory features include power windows, power seats, and a swing-away wheel.
When it was shiny and new, this Thunderbird featured a 390ci V8 that produced 300hp, a three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. While Ford never intended the Thunderbird to be a sports car, it could still provide impressive performance in a 1963 context. Pointed at a ¼ mile, it would have galloped through in around 16.4 seconds. The owner says that the odometer shows a reading of 18,000 miles, but he is sure that it has rolled over. The car appears to be numbers-matching, and he has treated the original V8 to a rebuild. It has only clocked around 5,000 miles since he completed the work, which means that it should provide its next owner with plenty of enjoyable classic motoring. The car runs and drives perfectly and needs nothing.
There are times when gauging the desirability of a classic car can be difficult, but that doesn’t appear the case with this 1963 Thunderbird. Since the owner placed it on eBay, it has already attracted an impressive twenty-eight bids. There is plenty of time left on the listing, leaving scope for that number to grow substantially. I admit that if I were in a position to park another classic in my workshop, I would find this T-Bird mighty tempting. However, that isn’t a possibility at present, but it may be for you. If you make a play for this Thunderbird and are successful, you could be sure that I will envy you. I will also hope that it provides you with many years of classic motoring enjoyment.
Beautiful. Reasonable.
Seat color mismatch? Hand out sunglasses to your passengers and tell them to get over it.
It appears that the front seat covers were bought as a kit in blue, NOT the correct SILVER BLUE for a Silver Mink car. My guess is that the kits were not available in the correct (rarer) color, so they put on blue ones (much more common). They are not the same color, not just a mis-match, but the completely incorrect interior color. Some of the more unusual colors are NA for repro covers, and one needs to source original materials (from SMS) and have the covers made at a shop, not from a pre-sewn kit. This is true for a lot of cars, not just this Bird. Not every color is always made in kit form because the kit makers don’t have the right colors for all the vinyls.
Nice car! I don’t get the fuzzy dice though.These were not the kind
of car you would see them with.At least it doesn’t have a surfboard.
I had two English Ford Corsairs that look a lot like these,but only
had two headlights,& the same type of door handles that were incorporated
with the trim moulding.
Two different teams come up with similar designs in parallel? They had to be sharing some clues with someone who liked the trend
High school buddy of mine had a ’63 hand-me-down from his Dad when he graduated. His Dad had run the car into the ground and my friend decided to resurrect it from the near dead. New Mustang 428 with a C6 changed out the brakes to all disc and the rear end to a Ford 9″ w/ 3** gears don’t remember exactly. He still has it.
Beautiful and affordable.
What a great find, loose grille tooth and all!
My uncle was gonna buy a ’63 for my aunt. The salesman told him to wait for the ’64s. He was forever grateful.
I think all the companies that made “Gentlemens Cruisers”,( changed to “Personal Luxury” later) all tried to match the T-Bird. Came close, but nothing compares to these cars, and probably never will. Inspired by airplane travel, T-Bird was the king.
Shame,,30 years, got to have a couple memories, and $9g’s with almost 30 bids, tells me, people today don’t know what a nice car this is,some say the 3rd gen T-birds were the nicest cars Ford ever produced, I agree,and to pay double for a rusty GTX? Come on, even I know something isn’t right.
I agree with @Howard A. These were like production dream cars when they were new. They’re still amazing. I can’t figure the overall lack of interest in them today compared to the the enthusiasm for many cars of the same vintage which I find boring.
This thing is cool — and it’s in good enough shape to use and enjoy.
Here’s my Corsair – see the resemblence?
No.
angliagt: When I lived on the other side of the pond (Dun Laoghaire, Ireland), my mother had the exact same Ford Corsair! Same color, too. It was a very nice car as I recall that drove well and had plenty of room for her and her five kids. I don’t recall why she only kept it for a few years, and I always felt that the Austin 1300 she replaced it with was a downgrade. Thanks for the cool pic!
Yes angliagt, I do see the similarities, in smaller form of course. Especially the slab sides. I remember having a Corsair Matchbox car as a child. They had all kinds of English Fords, Zephyrs, Zodiac, Consuls, to name a few.
I think it’s a shame that Ford didn’t produce a cool shifter for that console! Although my preference is for the ’66 “Flairbird” this is a beauty!! GLWTA!! :-)
Exactly, Moparman. I always thought it would be much more classy to have the shifter in the console.
Is there a local shipper that could get the car to the east coast?
Beautiful and worth every penny!
“Jetport exhaust” taillights were always my favorite design feature of these Tbirds that quickly tells a “story” of this car being from the height of the dawn of the “jet age”.
Amazing design, in and out. Rare that you get both in a model. One of the “cool” features of these interiors is the AC unit, large chrome display that looks so proper in that wide dash face. With out it looks a little bare, plus, who would not want factory AC with the rest of those options.
Did I miss the ‘underhood’ pic!?
I really like this one!!
I personally feel someone is getting a GREAT DEAL on this TBird. It is stated the current bid is more than the reserve, the reserve was set too low. This is probably a 15K TBird. I have a 62 Landau needs about 2K worth a work to make it really a high 3 or low 2 condition. I would not let it go even now for less than 15K. This owner left thousands on the table.
They ordered the wrong color for the front seat replacements. they used blue metallic vinyl but should have ordered silver blue metallic vinyl. What a shame. Not that expensive a fix though if new owner can’t live with it.
I love those cars but I would not call a car that has been repainted a survivor.
Beautiful T-bird! Great affordable classic that’s ready to drive anywhere with recent engine rebuild and newer tires. It’s at $9600 with a day to go! Could wind up being the deal of the week.
Hi There,
Nice T-Bird by the way!
Would any of you gentlemen know where I could get my hands on a pair of 66 white Landau doer cards?
If yes, can you call Karl
(562) 256 5259