"The Ford Thunderbird (‘T-Bird’) began life in February 1953 in direct response to Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette, which was publicly unveiled in prototype form just a month before. Under rapid development, the Thunderbird went from drawing board to prototype in about a year, being unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show on 20th February 1954. It was manufactured by Ford in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through to 2005. The second to fourth generation Thunderbird convertibles were similar in design to the Lincoln convertible of the time and borrowed from earlier Ford hardtop/convertible designs. While these Thunderbird models had a true convertible soft top, the top was lowered to stow in the boot area, considerably reducing available boot space when the top was down. The overall appearance was a sleek look with no trace of a convertible top at all.
This lovely and rare example is presented in gleaming red with red interior. It was imported into the UK in 2015 from the USA where it had spent many years on Long Island, New York. It is fully registered here in the UK and comes with a V5 logbook. This striking American classic comes with its original 312ci, 5113 cc V8 engine which is mated to a three-speed manual gearbox with the optional overdrive (currently working intermittently). This Thunderbird was the subject of a full body restoration including re-chromed bumpers, new soft top hood, new exhaust system, new springs and shock absorbers. Total expenditure for works carried out are in excess of £18,000. All receipts for the work carried out by the present vendor are in the history file and the car comes with its original handbook.  This car really does have to be seen to appreciate what a fabulous example it is! Open top touring at its best!
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