The attractive coupe looks to be a well-care-for example ready to enjoy
The Pick of the Day is a 1963 Ford Thunderbird 2-door coupe, a lovely mid-century classic in what appears to be immaculate condition.
Ford revised the styling of its personal luxury car for 1961, going from the “square bird” to the “bullet bird,” a design that continued through 1963. These were the best-looking model years for the T’birds, in my view, always a favorite.
As handsome as they are, Thunderbird came up hard against a new competitor in 1963, the Buick Riviera, which sucked away some attention from the well-financed target audience for this emerging class of luxury cars. Still, the Thunderbird remained a strong seller for Ford.
This Thunderbird looks to be a well-loved example that has been nicely refurbished to look like new, judging by the large gallery of photos with the advertisement on ClassicCars.com from a dealer in Boise, Idaho.
“Finished in a very nice tan-and-white two-tone paint combination, this Thunderbird is believed to be a 3-owner car and built to look as original as possible,” the dealer says in the ad.
“Outside, the body was painted in 1998 in the current colors, and still shows very nicely. With bright shining chrome and what appear to be the original wheels, this Thunderbird is ready to be shown. Inside, the interior was gone through in 2001 and still looks beautiful.
“All gauges appear to work as they should, aside from the clock which appears to be stuck. The radio kicks on immediately with the turn of the dial, has good sound, and the AC blows cold air.”
The Thunderbird has been mechanically refreshed, including a resealed engine – a 390cid V8 rated at 300 horsepower – and a new water pump, power-steering pump and AC compressor. The maintenance-and-repair work done on this car is well-documented, the seller says, “with a lot of receipts from previous owners and a very well-kept record book of his contributions to the restoration of the car.”
The asking price for this attractive Thunderbird, which the dealer advises is ready to drive and show, is $36,995.