1962 FORD THUNDERBIRD FACTORY SPORTS ROADSTER 15-YR PERFECTIONIST'S RESTORATION

. titledata { font-family: verdana. sans-serif; font-size:17px; color:#ffffff; font-weight : bold; } . description { font-family: verdana. sans-serif; color:#000000; background-color : #AFB8DF; } . link { font-family: verdana. sans-serif; font-size:12px; underline; } HR { color: #000000; } 1962 FORD THUNDERBIRD FACTORY SPORTS ROADSTER 15-YR PERFECTIONIST'S RESTORATION  

BACKGROUND:  THIS  HIGHLY DOCUMENTED 1962 THUNDERBIRD FACTORY SPORTS ROADSTER IS THE RESULT OF A PAINSTAKING 15-YEAR BOLT-BY-BOLT 100% RESTORATION…  EVERY part was either restored to New-like quality or replaced.   For all practical purposes. the car has been made as-new/better-than-new.

It is NOT for everyone…this is for only the most serious and discriminating collectors and enthusiasts.

It was restored by a well-known perfectionist member of the Vintage Thunderbird Club International.   The restorer's cars have won countless awards. and upon its completion last year. this car immediately won an International-level First Place Senior Award in its class in Charleston. South Carolina.

The restoration objective was to produce a concours-quality car. with modest safety and performance improvements to contribute to the car's enjoyment on modern highways.

PLEASE NOTE: To show the almost unbelievable restored quality of this Thunderbird Factory Sports Roadster. there are well over 100 images.   The first 30 images are intended to give an overall view of the extraordinary quality. documentation. and attention to detail that was lavished on the car.   The rest of the images are intended for serious prospective buyers…and show more detail than any other eBay automotive listings we have seen.   BUT. to see ALL of the images. you MUST place your cursor on an image - allow plenty of time for all images to download - and then scroll slowly ALL the way to the bottom.   CAUTION:  if you use the scroller to the FAR RIGHT of your screen or the "Click to view image album" feature. you will NOT see all the images.

2. 39 TRANSACTIONS WITH HAPPY PEOPLE!  As of the date of this listing. we've had 2. 39 transactions (both buying and selling) on eBay without a single complaint. One of the keys to our selling success is the use of LARGER and MORE images than you will likely see in ANY other eBay listing. so you can CLEARLY see what you are getting.

QUESTIONS?  Please call Jim Murphy at 706-429-7924 if you have any questions that this description or the pictures at right do not answer for you.

RARE FACTORY DOCUMENTATION SHOWS THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THUNDERBIRD SPORTS ROADSTERS PRODUCED:  In 1961. the dramatically new Thunderbird was capturing the imagination of enthusiasts the world over.   It was truly “Unique in All the World”.   But some people yearned for the 2-seater approach of the original 1955-1957 TBird.   Ford designers responded in late 1961 with the introduction of the Sports Roadster option…which incorporated a specially designed fiberglass tonneau cover/headrest that fit neatly over the back seat. a front passenger “grab bar”. and 4 Kelsey-Hayes Chromed Wire Wheels.   The FIRST Sports Roadster was produced 9-13-1961.   THIS Sports Roadster was first invoiced only 5 days later…on 9-18-1961.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE FIRST ROADSTERS PRODUCED IN 1961 AND EARLY 1962. in the beginning of Roadster production. Ford did NOT distinguish the Sports Roadster with its own Body code. it was 76A. just like the regular convertible.   This led to identification problems of course. so eventually the 76B Body code was designated for the Sports Roadsters.   The ONLY way to identify and authenticate the early Sport Roadsters. is to have original Ford production paperwork showing that the car was produced as a Sports Roadster.   This car has that. in the THREE (!) gate release/invoice documents generated by the cars fascinating diversion to Rotunda Drive for Ford's own "Training and Promotion" purposes. presumably at the Ford Rotunda.

LOIS EMINGER – To knowledgeable Thunderbird Sports Roadster historians. there is no more famous name than Lois Eminger.   Lois worked in the Patent Department of Ford and was personally responsible for the preservation of thousands of Thunderbird production records.   She became the authority on Sports Roadster authenticity. and acquired the invoice/gate releases on a great many Thunderbirds of the 1961-1966 era…and reportedly all the Sports Roadsters.   Her letter (see image strip at right) verifies that was a very special 1962 Thunderbird Roadster  purchased by Ford itself!  It has THREE invoice/gate release documents.   Two invoices show the car as being sold to Ford (one with Ford's Rotunda Drive shipping address. and another shipping to "Mathews Motor Sales") with the final (early 1962) invoice showing that the car was sold to "Lewis Motor Company".   The Rotunda Drive shipping point under Ford ownership was for special “training and promotion”.   It is believed that the car was featured in a show at the iconic Ford Rotunda…which was lost to fire just months later in 1962! 

In over 40 years of Thunderbird collecting. I have never known of another Thunderbird with THREE invoice/gate releases.

FEWER THAN 110 FACTORY SPORTS ROADSTERS AUTHENTICATED!  According to the Sports Roadster Society website. fewer than 110 Thunderbirds from the 1962 and 1963 models years have been authenticated as true Factory-produced Sports Roadsters!  Of course. people have been buying aftermarket tonneau covers. grab bars. and wire wheels for years to imitate the Factory Sports Roadster…but there are very few of the “real thing” that have been documented.

SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS…among a modest list of safety and performance improvements that were made in order that this Roadster be enjoyed with confidence on modern roads include:  Steel-belted radial tires. 4-wheel disc brakes with electric vacuum booster. performance cam. low restriction exhaust. and addition of the Tri-Power option with NEW limited production carbs.   The result is a car with considerably more merge and pass ability – and stopping power – than the car of 1962 originally had.   The minute the car is started. you realize that even though the “look” of the car is virtually 100% stock. the muscle-car-like sound suggests the higher performance that the car indeed has.

A specially made AM/FM Stereo radio with high-powered amplifier and upgraded in-dash stereo speakers (hidden neatly behind the original factory speaker grille) has been installed in the same form factor space as the original. with an external audio jack (as shown in image strip at right).

WIRE ROADSTER WHEELS ARE A NO-COST OPTION FOR THE BUYER…The wheels are solid cast aluminum because if anyone were to attempt to take full advantage of the additional power afforded by the engine. it would likely be too much torque-wise for Wire Roadster wheels.

However. if the buyer would prefer a set of new reproduction Thunderbird Roadster-style wire wheels and period correct whitewalls…they will be purchased and exchanged for the wheels/tires that are shown on the car.

NOTE: if wire wheels are opted for. Buyer is responsible for judicious use of the accelerator to prevent excess torque and wheel damage!

$200. 00 CLASS RESTORATION…in over 40 years of classic Thunderbird and Lincoln experience and club membership. I have only seen one other car that could match the quality of restoration that this Thunderbird received…it was a 1956 Continental Mark II owned by another perfectionist friend!  He spent $200. 00 to achieve the closest thing humanly possible to absolute perfection.   This Sports Roadster is in the same class…with perhaps even more time invested in the completed project.

Many restoration-in-progress photos are shown at right. to give you confidence that NOTHING short of time transport back to 1962 could get you closer to a NEW 1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster (fit for the modern road) than this car!  EVERY nut. bolt. wire. panel. etc. was replaced or made “as new”.

MOST BEAUTIFUL THUNDERBIRD EVER?  That of course. is a matter of opinion. but it can be persuasively argued that the Sports Roadster is the sleekest and raciest looking Thunderbird ever made.   To many Thunderbird collectors. an authentic Factory Sports Roadster is the epitome of the Personal Luxury and Sport Appeal “feel” that truly did make the Thunderbird Unique in All the World.

BEST ON EBAY. BEST IN U. S. ?  There are few opportunities in life to acquire “The absolute best”.   However. this opportunity presents itself right here and now.   For its intended purposes of Concours Quality. Virtually 100% stock appearance. and yet  Safety & Performance-equipped for today's roads…we would make the claim that this is most likely the Best 1962 Thunderbird Factory Sports Roadster in the world!

EVERYTHING WORKS. of course! 

EXTENSIVE OWNERSHIP DOCUMENTATION…for privacy purposes (to respect prior owners) we are not picturing it. but there are documentation copies/originals dating all the way back to the original purchaser which truly “tell the story” of this car all the way to the present owner.

INVESTMENT POTENTIAL:  For many years. the best classics of the 1930s – Duesenbergs for example – have brought well over $1 million dollars.   The best of the 1940s and 1950s have increased to dizzying heights.   Baby Boomers are particularly nostalgic about the 1950s and 1960s.   The Thunderbird Sports Roadster would be on most anyone's “10 Best” list for the 1960s and is poised for great appreciation in the coming years.

It would be extremely difficult – if not impossible – to commission a restoration of this quality and specification for an authentic Sports Roadster for less than $200. 00.

PAYMENT DETAILS:  Payment is due within 7 days of auction's end via Bank to Bank Wire Transfer. Vehicle will be released to the new owner immediately upon full clearance of payment to seller's Bank.

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS are welcome. but MUST adhere to the Payment Details above and also make all arrangements for pick-up and importation of the vehicle into the Buyer's country.   We will store the car free of charge for a reasonable period of time while transportation is arranged for the car.

ABOUT ME:  I am an avid car enthusiast.   After retiring from 30 years of sales and marketing in a Global 100 company. I formed Murphy Endeavors. LLC and began buying and selling classic cars as a collector and for friends and clients.   This truly fabulous Sports Roadster is owned – and was restored by – a close friend and fellow member of VTCI (Vintage Thunderbird Club International).  

Please note (as of 1-2-2014) that I have had 2. 39 eBay transactions with 100% Positive Feedback.   I have sold classic cars to happy eBay customers in Sweden. Switzerland. France. Australia. Russia. Canada. Japan. and throughout the United States.

IMPORTANT FINAL REMARKS & CONDITIONS OF SALE. the Buyer will receive a Notarized Bill of Sale and the Georgia-issued registration certificate.  The state of Georgia did not begin issuing titles for cars until 1963…therefore NO car produced before 1963 is ever issued a Georgia title.   However. Georgia requires that evidence of purchase/ownership be shown when registering any pre-1963 vehicle…and the resultant pre-1963 (“Non-Title”) registration document then serves as proof of ownership.

For all practical purposes. this car was made “new” via its 15-year restoration process.   The speedometer/odometer was NOT advanced or turned back for the restoration…it was simply installed in the position where it was…and that is the mileage figure reported in the listing.   However. the car has been driven less than 100 miles since the restoration was completed.

Finally. though every practical effort has been made to “renew” the car…it remains a 50+ year-old vehicle with 50+ year-old technology.   Therefore. the sale is strictly on an as-is basis with no warranty or liability expressed or implied.

QUESTIONS?  Please call Jim Murphy at 706-429-7924 if you have any questions that this description or the pictures at right do not answer for you.

 

 

Payment

I accept the following forms of payment: Please see description write-up for Payment Terms




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