1963 Ford Thunderbird Roadster

1963 Ford Thunderbird Roadster

The 1961 Ford Thunderbird design gave us the "bullet bird" with its rounded to a point front end to the twin turbine rear tail lights. We were firmly into the jet age, beehive hairdos, fedora wearing, pipe smoking suburban dads, and the white picket fence surrounding the New England style house. From the day it was built, these cars became a desirable collectible and dripped with suburbia success.

For consignment, a bit of "provance", (sic) we offer up a 1963 Thunderbird Convertible from the famed collector Jerry Capizzi's Cappy Collection. This is an extremely rare M code car, which designates it comes with the original 390ci, (6.4 Liter), V8 topped with 3-2 barrel Holley carbs and rated at 340hp. Only 200 units were sold between 1962 and 1963. For 1963 only 37 units were produced, and it is believed only 22 now exist!

ExteriorWith its bullet- like appearance this beautiful M code bird features the sports roadster package which shows with 48 spoke Kelsey Hayes designed wire wheels with spinner center caps and a fiberglass tonneau covering which covers the rear seat. This gives the appearance of the original two seat roadster of Thunderbird's early and humble beginnings. A horizontal styling line was added that ran from the point where the bumper and fender meet back through the door and angled down. Small diagonal chrome bars were added in this area on the door. All bathed in a Rangoon Red respray with a few faults in the paint when looking closely, but overall very nicely presenting. Under that enormous trunk is a pristine white convertible top that needs manual assistance for one step with moving down. All chrome and trimmings are in excellent condition, and this includes the "shaver styled" front grille with its horizontal dual headlights and pointed crafted bumper for the front, along with a hood scoop with a chromed intake covering, and of course the iconic rounded front quarters. Window surrounds are all excellent as are fender toppers badging plus mirrors and handles. On back the jet engine styled taillights framed with large smoothed over bezels and another shiny bumper below. One had to love the dual cowled tonneau which gives the entire package a futuristic Buck Rogers look.

InteriorTwo tone door panels await your entrance and have a mixture of red vinyl all padded and nice with an interaction of aluminum panels and some vertical chromed bars at the bottom. These doors and their ribbed center panel line up perfectly with the aluminum, which is on the dash front, swooping through the center of the otherwise red padded dash with dual eyebrow design. A swing away steering wheel allows for easy access for the driver and reveals a trio of round chrome bezeled gauges embedded inept the dash. We also see within the confines of the dash, controls for A/C, power windows and locks and an AM/FM radio within the sculpted dash top. Cascading downward from the futuristic dash is a center console which consists of more ribbed aluminum paneling and a snazzy red leather covered armrest/glovebox covering. On either side are overstuffed red leather bomber style buckets with chromed tubs to sit within. The tonneau sports red padded leather fronts that form headrests for the buckets when the tonnneau is on. When the tonneau is off, seating for an additional 2 is provided by the rear bench which has a nicely padded center giving the appearance of more buckets and emblazoned with the Thunderbird badge within the center of the backs. Near perfect red carpeting floods the floors, and power windows for the back are also installed and working just great!

DrivetrainThis is the "M" code 390ci V8 complete with its trio of 2 barrel Holley carbs. The engine looks fab with its chromed valve coverings, T-Bird badged oval air cleaner covering and a few other chromed accenting bolted on to this powerful engine, which is spec'ed to provide the driver to reach 132mph! Just a pristine environment for this engine and bay, with new insulation within the hood.

Undercarriage Appearing showroom, rust free black paint and shiny suspension and other bolted on components abound underneath. Rear drum power brakes with leaf springs are noted, and in front more power drum brakes with coil springs with power steering is bolted on. A shiny exhaust is sealing its way rearward, and if you purchase this car you will also need to purchase a large mirror to show off this beautifully restored undercarriage.

Drive-AbilityAll worked just perfectly for the test drive with nice smooth limitless acceleration for the trio of Holleys on top of the 390 cubes, bias free braking, and smooth effortless automatic shifting. We did need to assist the power top to go down through one step which may be a signal for upgraded motors in this car's future to make it self-sufficient. We also note that the brake lights do not illuminate.

A rare Bird of you will, with the original drivetrain including the M code engine, and "Sports Roadster" tonneau covering still allowing for rear passengers when it's removed. Kelsey Hayes wire wheels and the swing away front steering wheel, along with the modern space age styling... welcome back to the future!VIN DECODE3Y85M1095303-1963Y-Wixom, MI Assy Plant85-Thunderbird ConvertibleM-390ci V8 3x2bbl Carbs 340hp109530-Sequential Unit Number

WARRANTY TAGBODY 76A-Thunderbird ConvertibleCOLOR J-Rangoon RedTRIM 85-Red LeatherDATE 090K-October 9th BuildDSO 31-CincinnatiAXLE 2-Ford 9" 3.10 GearsTRANS 4-Cruise O Matic 3 Speed Automatic

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.