Looking at the photographs we took recently nothing much has changed. There are some photos of the underside on a lift, taken just before it left the USA in 2021. The seller says it makes it an enjoyable drive with low gearing for speedy acceleration and then a long-legged top gear for effortless cruising –sounds great! The engine bay is clean and tidy with new wiring and plenty of new and reproduction parts. Either way we can say that there is no shortage of power! This is all delivered through a rare 3 speed manual gearbox which has the even rarer switched overdrive option. The glass is equally good, with just a couple of small chips on the screen.Īlthough the V5 states that the engine size is 4,700cc we think this in fact incorrect as the Thunderbird it was ordered with the larger 312 cubic inch (5,054cc) 245hp option and there is no reason to suspect this has been changed. The large chrome front and rear bumpers are straight and have no dents or pitting. All the various trim parts and Thunderbird scripts are excellent with nothing that appears to be missing. The tyres are all Toyo Eclipse with thin white bands, none of which show any wear. The wheels all have undamaged full multi spoke hubcaps with FORD lettering, the rears being partly hidden behind wheel spats. We would say it’s as good as you could hope to find. There is very little in the way of paint damage the odd knick here and there but no chips or scratches. The paint has been well applied, with no peely areas or drips. We can tell from the Ford data plate that it has the code EE which means the car and the roof were both originally ordered in white. Thankfully it is still in its original colour of Colonial White, matching the removable hardtop. Here you will also find the controls for the optional power windows and the power seats which all worked beautifully when we visited.Įxamining the door jambs closely reveals that the Thunderbird has been repainted, probably some years ago. The door panels have also been refurbished, with the aluminium inserts sweeping round above the red armrests, and set in a white panel with embossed Thunderbird logos. They are in good condition with no tears or holes, but the top surfaces have some UV fading. The seats are again red vinyl, and look to have been replaced at some stage. The owner was intending to replace it completely, and there is a newly refurbished roof frame, still bubble wrapped, that will go with the car. Behind the seat is the original hood frame which at present doesn’t have any fabric attached. There is a set of red vinyl mats complete with Thunderbird logos in the boot (trunk?). The red carpets are clean, if a little baggy. Just below the dash to the right of the steering wheel are the controls for the Overdrive that works in all 3 forward gears. There are various other jet styled knobs for lights and wipers, an AM/FM push button radio and simple heater and fan controls. The gauges are quite simple a large speedometer and smaller gauges for fuel level, temperature, RPM and a clock. The instruments are set in an engineering turned aluminium panel that sweeps the entire width of the dash and half way along the doors. The steering wheel, with its chrome horn ring and centre boss is original and still in nice condition although it has faded a little. Ordered with Trim Code XH the Thunderbird was built with a Flame Red Vinyl interior which looks great.
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