1963 Ford Thunderbird

1963 Ford Thunderbird Landau Hardtop Ford and Chevrolet with their respective Thunderbird and the Corvette have a long and sorted history, with both initially in the 50s competing for the same customer space. Eventually the Corvette went to racing, and the Thunderbird became the boulevard king. The ultimate getaway car from the kids, or with the kids as now there is a back seat, a 63 Thunderbird known colloquially as the Bullet bird became the it car for early 1960s suburbia. With design cues courtesy of the jet age, its bullet like front appearance, and jet engine tail lights were keying into the upwardly mobile middle class, and growing suburbia. Gimme a valium as Im growing ever more excited about this ultra cool bird consignment that shows 9,006 miles which are not verifiable as actual. NOTE: While the VIN on this vehicle denotes the model year as 1963, the title is showing 1962 for the model year. Please check with your country, state, provincial or local DMV for proper titling procedure Exterior This car arrives to us with an older complete restoration, but still maintaining its luster due to storage in a climate controlled garage. Bathed in factory matching Sandshell Beige paint, it nice and shiny, and only has one real visible fault that is on the drivers side edge of the hood with a small crack in the enamel. The nose emulates a bullet shape popular with jet fighters of the era, which features a shaver style grille and dual horizontal head lighting on either corner. A chromed bumper below keeps the curved side profile and remains wonderfully shiny creating an aerodynamic bat mobile look. For the long hood an equally long hood scoop has a nice chromed V edge trimming and runs back to the sloped windscreen framed above with a brown vinyl textured landau hardtop and some chromed landau bars on either B pillar. This feature gives it a touch of class, or a mink coat for father look! The remaining chrome and bright work are correct, and in fine shape. On the doors we have some faux venting and sport a canted ridge topped with chrome and forming the door pulls. Bringing up the rear is the spacious 2 bedroom NYC apartment sized trunk, flanked by twin turbine jet engine style tail lights which are encased into the rear bumper. These are topped by miniature fins, and on this car are utilized from front quarter to rear lights. Like new treaded thin white sidewall tires wrap original chrome turbine styled factory wheel coverings. Wheels up Yeager! Lets go to the interior. Interior A swing of the wide doors and we have brown textured leather uppers, a strip of wood veneer in the mid section which corresponds to the wrap around curved dash, and a beige leather lower accented with vertical chromed piping and chromed actuators. Here the seats are low back buckets in front, with some tuck and roll inserts, smooth beige leather bolsters, and chromed edging and hinge coverings. A wide sleek console with a large glovebox is in the center and features a beige leather lid and some more wood veneer for the front of the console panel. This rises to meet the curved wood veneer of the dash and has some temp sliders on the way. A futuristic dual eyebrow dash in padded brown vinyl hovers above the curved wood and houses the AM radio, and in front of the driver a trio of round deep bezeled inset instruments. Several mid century modern knobs and pulls in chrome are within the veneer of the central dash. A tilt away steering wheel allows for easy access and egress for the driver, and a hinge on the low backs opens up the rear passenger seating which emulates the beige leather of the front, and is a dual bucket bench, luxuriously padded. A perfect headliner hovers above also in beige, and lighter brown thick pile carpeting floods the floors, all very clean. Smiley Face, ( invented in 1963!). Drivetrain A pop of the hood reveals the showroom looking original 390ci V8. It is adorned with a gold painted air cleaner cover and gold valve coverings. Under the cleaner is a 4-barrel carburetor feeding this mill, and on back a Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic tranny. On the way back a Ford 9 inch 3.00 rear axle spins the wheels. Fly me to the moon..... Undercarriage Nicely buttoned up would be the buzz word for the undeside with plenty-O-rustproofing and certainly no rust. A like new dual exhaust at the engine, going into 1 pipe is like new, and the car cruises gently on front independent coil springs and rear leaf springs. Power drum brakes are certainly show stopping. Yes the car is the show kids! Drive-Ability The car starts and runs on starting fluid but due to a time lapse of lack of regular driving, gas has turned to lacquer and will need a good clean out. All functions save for the wipers are working swimmingly. Honey get the bandanna for your bouffant, slap on some of my fav red lip gloss, cat eye shades, and lets get away from the kids for a while. I can slip in and slide the wheel over and away we go! Pilot to co pilot....low and slow. 3Y87Z117052 3-1963 Y-Wixon, MI Assy Plant 87-Thunderbird Landau Z-390ci 4bbl 300hp V8 117052-Sequential Unit Number Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (thats more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.