1956 Ford Thunderbird

Gateway Classic Cars of San Antonio/Austin is proud to present this Colonial White 1956 Ford Thunderbird. Originally dubbed a a personal car of distinction by Ford this title was also used by the motoring press at the time as the slogan for the 1st generation of Thunderbirds. The car built upon the heritage of the custom-made roadsters of the 1930s yet was constructed of existing components marking the first step toward the evolution of the personal luxury car as a mass market segment in the United States. While light weight for its era and fitted with either the 292CID or the optional 312CID V8 engines the Thunderbird focused more on driver comfort than speed and was not a direct performance rival to either the Corvette or the European sports cars. The Thunderbird proved more suited to the American market than the Corvette with sales of 16155 versus 674 Corvettes in 1955. Engine-turned aluminum trim lines the dashboard face and door panels and equipment includes a floor-mounted shifter air conditioning manually operated windows lap belts floor mats and a vintage-look push-button AM/FM/Bluetooth radio. Fords 312CID V-8 engine pushed output 225hp and 324lb-ft of torque through a Ford-O-Matic 3 speed transmission. This 56 TBird is looking really good with the stunning 2-tone Tuxedo interior and is also fitted with a classy looking set of super-wide whitewalls framing the fat spoked steel rims & knockoff style center caps the iconic looking Continental Kit and also has the driver luxuries such as power brakes power steering and cold blowing air conditioning! The three-spoke steering wheel features a chrome horn ring and fronts a 140-mph speedometer a 5k-rpm tachometer an analog clock and gauges for fuel level and coolant temperature. With strong parts support and unmistakable late-50s styling the first-generation Ford Thunderbird is appealing as both a starting point for beginning collectors as well as a valuable addition to a classic car fans existing collection!