Manufacturer: Carrosso Classic & Sportscars Eekstraat 2 8375HN OLDEMARKT, NL 0625351515 http://www.carrosso.com [email protected] below for information in English1955 Ford Thunderbird Overdrive- Sought-after 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive- Original turquoise color scheme - Very original condition- Extensive American documentation available- Well-known example thanks to appearances in several films and TV series, including Top Gear- HardtopHISTORY/DOCUMENTATIONAn iconic car: the first-generation Ford Thunderbird, produced from 1955 to 1957. This example was manufactured on March 21, 1955, and bears the chassis number P5FH197955, where the P stands for the engine code (312 4V V8), the 5 for the model year 1955, the F for the production location (Dearborn, Michigan), and the H for the model (Thunderbird). The remaining codes also correspond to the configuration, namely: 40A (Roadster), T (Thunderbird blue). What makes this example special is that it was originally equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive—a rare and highly sought-after feature! Another unique aspect is that the car comes with extensive documentation, making its history well-documented. There is even an old photo from the United States of this particular car, bearing the license plate “USU 501.” A stunning photo showing two women leaning over the car: quintessentially American. In the early 1970s, the owner at the time—even though the car was still in excellent condition—completely stripped it down and restored it to concours condition, reusing as many original parts as possible. The car was subsequently used extensively as a show car at automotive events, where it was praised for its outstanding condition. Documentation of this is available. In 1990, the “T-Bird” was shipped to the United Kingdom, where its originality and condition garnered significant media attention. The car appeared in films and TV series such as *Boon*, *Tomorrow’s World*, *The Ruth Rendell Mysteries*, and *Top Gear* (1991). In addition, it was used by K-Tell Records for promotional purposes and appeared on the cover of a parts catalog. This parts catalog is included with the car! Many other documents, such as maintenance invoices and export documentation, are also included with the car. In 2006, the car was imported to the Netherlands, where it has had only two owners. This is a unique opportunity to become the owner of an exceptionally beautiful and coveted Thunderbird with a wonderful history!EXTERIORIt was originally finished in the coveted turquoise color and came with a hardtop in the same color. This contrasts beautifully with the striking white interior and the white soft top. The soft top was originally electrically operated, but this system has been disconnected so that the roof can be easily opened by hand. The restoration was completed over 50 years ago, so the car is no longer in concours condition, but it is still in good shape with beautiful paintwork and fresh rubber components and lighting. The car’s design is iconic—just look at the exhaust pipes integrated into the rear bumper, for example. The car is in a very original condition.INTERIORAn extravagantly luxurious interior, certainly unique and ahead of its time for the 1950s. Consider, for example, an original 4-way power-adjustable bench seat, power windows, and power steering. The leather interior is finished in a striking turquoise and white color scheme. The interior is also equipped with a horizontal speedometer, a clock, a tachometer, heating, and a radio. Needless to say, it’s wonderfully comfortable to relax on the plush bench seat. The interior is in a very original condition.TECHNICALAlthough the Thunderbird shared some design features with other Fords of that era, such as round headlights and taillights and modest tail fins, it had a sleeker shape and featured a hood with an air intake and a speedometer calibrated up to 240 km/h, which was not available on other Fords. It utilized mechanical parts from Ford’s mass-production models. The Thunderbird’s frame, with a wheelbase of 2591 mm, was a shortened version also used in other Ford models, and the standard 4.8-liter Y-block V8 engine came from Ford’s Mercury division. Gear changes are made via the manual 3-speed transmission with overdrive. This overdrive is extremely rare and highly sought after. The car starts, drives, and shifts properly. GENERALThe Thunderbird, designed to challenge Chevrolet’s Corvette, was one of the first Fords to feature the new overhead-valve V8 engine. The Thunderbird was introduced as a two-seater “personal car” and was intended for image-conscious younger customers. Furthermore, it was not a pure sports car, but was primarily focused on comfort. Thanks to its superior V8 engine and greater refinement, it soundly defeated the Corvette in the sales war. Despite this success, the original concept was quickly abandoned, and in 1958 a larger—and slower—four-seater version was introduced, turning the early two-seaters into collector’s items almost overnight. The first-generation Thunderbird was built from 1955 through 1958. The Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year, outselling the Corvette by more than 23 to 1 in 1955, with 16,155 Thunderbirds sold compared to 700 Corvettes. No fewer than 11 generations of the Thunderbird were released over the years, up until 2005.1955 Ford Thunderbird- Coveted 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive- Original turquoise color scheme- Very original condition- Extensive American documentation available- Well-known model thanks to appearances in several films and TV series, including Top Gear- HardtopHISTORY/DOCUMENTATIONAn iconic car: the first-generation Ford Thunderbird, produced from 1955 to 1957. This example was produced on March 21, 1955, and bears the body number P5FH197955, where the P stands for the engine code (312 4V V8), the 5 for the year of manufacture 1955, the F for the production location (Dearborn, Michigan), and the H for the model (Thunderbird). The other codes also correspond to the model, namely: 40A (Roadster), T (Thunderbird blue). What makes this model special is that it was originally equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive, which is rare and highly sought after! Another special feature is that the car comes with extensive documentation, so its history is well documented. There is even an old photo from the United States of this car, bearing the license plate number “USU 501.” It’s a beautiful photo showing two women leaning over the car: quintessentially American. In the early 1970s, although the car was still in excellent condition, the owner at the time completely stripped it down and restored it to concours condition, reusing as many original parts as possible. The car was then used extensively as a show car at automotive events, where it was praised for its excellent condition. Documentation of this is available. In 1990, the “T-Bird” was shipped to the United Kingdom, where its originality and condition attracted a great deal of media attention. The car appeared in films and TV series such as *Boon*, *Tomorrow’s World*, *The Ruth Rendell Mysteries*, and *Top Gear* (1991). In addition, it was used by K-Tell Records for promotional purposes and appeared on the cover of a parts catalog. This parts catalog is included with the car! Many other documents, such as maintenance invoices and export documentation, are also included with the car. In 2006, the car was imported to the Netherlands, where it has had only two owners. This is a unique opportunity to become the owner of a particularly beautiful and coveted Thunderbird with a wonderful history!EXTERIORThe original color is the coveted turquoise, and it was delivered with a hardtop in the same color. This contrasts beautifully with the striking white interior and white soft top. This soft top was originally electrically operated, but the system has been disconnected so that the roof can be easily opened by hand. The restoration was carried out more than 50 years ago, so the car is no longer in concours condition, but it is in good condition with beautiful paintwork and fresh rubber components and lighting. The car’s design is iconic—just look at the exhausts integrated into the rear bumper, for example. The car is in a very original condition.INTERIORAn extravagantly luxurious interior, unique and progressive for the 1950s. Consider, for example, an original 4-way electrically adjustable bench seat, power windows, and power steering. The leather interior is finished in a striking turquoise and white color combination. The interior also features a horizontal speedometer, a clock, a tachometer, heating, and a radio. Needless to say, the comfortable bench seat is a delight to sit in. The interior is in very original condition.TECHNICALAlthough the Thunderbird shared some design features with other Fords of the time, such as single round headlights and taillights and modest tail fins, it had a sleeker shape and featured a hood with an air intake and a speedometer calibrated up to 240 km/h, which was not available on other Fords. It used mechanical parts from Ford’s mass-production models. The Thunderbird’s 2591 mm wheelbase frame was a shortened version also used in other Ford models, and the standard 4.8-liter Y-block V8 engine came from Ford’s Mercury division. Gear changes are made via the manual 3-speed transmission with overdrive. This overdrive is very rare and highly sought after. The car starts, drives, and shifts gears properly. GENERALThe Thunderbird, designed to challenge Chevrolet’s Corvette, was one of the first Fords to feature the new overhead valve V8 engine. The Thunderbird was introduced as a two-seater “personal car” and was aimed at image-conscious younger customers. In addition, it was not a pure sports car but also prioritized comfort. Thanks to its superior V8 engine and greater refinement, it easily outpaced the Corvette in the sales race. Despite this success, the original concept was quickly abandoned, and a larger—and slower—four-seater version was introduced in 1958, turning the early two-seaters into collector’s items almost overnight. The first-generation Thunderbird was produced from 1955 to 1958. The Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year, outselling the Corvette by more than 23 to 1 in 1955, with 16,155 Thunderbirds sold compared to 700 Corvettes. No fewer than 11 generations of the Thunderbird were released over the years, until 2005.
