1957 Ford - Thunderbird (with Cloth & Hardtop + A/c) - 70 Photos .... Very Nice on 2040-cars

Through the following photos and descriptions (there are many as there is nothing to hide here), I’ll attempt to show what a well cared for vehicle this 1957 Ford Thunderbird is. Please view all the photos and read the descriptions ... then decide for yourself if this the vehicle for you.

Just 46,237 actual miles to date - ‘garage kept’ and all very well cared for since day one.

You’d be hard pressed to find a nicer, un-restored, ’57 T-Bird in this condition ... anywhere.

This may well be the best ’57 T-bird ‘driver’ money can buy.

With overly restored ‘trailer queen’ examples now commanding well north of $100,000 this T-Bird is simply a good investment. And, an investment you can have a ton of fun with.

That said, I’m not here for show-n-tell - I want to sell this T-Bird, this week.
There’s a new to me ‘Aston Martin DB9’ in the garage and the ‘57 Thunderbird sadly has to go.

If we’re anywhere close on price, let’s talk. I’m motivated and will work with you all I can.

Contact me and let’s see if we can make this work for the both of us. I think we can ...

Let’s start this out with a little perspective:

1957
* A gallon of gas cost 24 cents
* The average cost of a new house was $12,200
* Elvis Presley purchases a mansion in Memphis, Tennessee and calls it ‘Graceland’
* The Soviet Union launches ‘Sputnik’- the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth

First model T-Birds manufactured from 1955 - 1957.
The ’57 T-Bird is deemed the most desirable year of the lot by the purest.

With its upgraded features and optional ‘porthole’ hardtop, it’s the most comfortable and easiest to maintain of the three years of production. Many features of this year make it the best.

From any angle the body lines of the ‘57 T-Bird speaks good, stylish design.
An iconic car for an era of prosperity ... from the ‘land of milk and honey’.

The original interior shows the care that has been lavished on the vehicle.

Not 100% ‘showroom’ condition but very nice, indeed. It’s the way you want to find one.

Engine: V8 - 312 cu. in. (5,113 cc) - 4-barrel carburetor - 245 BHP @ 4500 RPM
Transmission: 3-Speed Automatic with Overdrive

Clean as a whistle throughout.

Tires - Matched set of 4 near new ‘Coker" classic wide whitewalls’
Size: P205/75R14 ... 95%+ tread remaining

Top-of-the line optional wire wheels ... all 4 in pristine condition.

Maintenance parts, upgrades, anything ... it’s all available nowadays with a simple web search.

There is a large support network for these early T-Birds - from clubs, web forums and parts suppliers.

Note: I have several boxes of new maintenance parts that I’m including with this sale.
I purchased these for the "Great Race" as I wanted to have them on hand but never needed them.

The spacious trunk will carry a weeks worth of suitcases for two - more room than any other 2-seater.

This photo shows the original and quite desirable Ford fender skirts - not mounted at the time of these photos as I wanted to show the wire wheels and ‘Coker’ classic whitewall tires.

Jack, jack stand, spare tire - the works.

These period ads can convey much more information that I could ever hope to offer here.

Exterior trim bits are all in excellent condition.

Some light pitting on the trunk mounted Thunderbird badging.
Replace if desired or keep it original as I have.

Exterior chrome, bumpers and the like are all in fine condition as shown.

Feels right at home on the highways of today as it did back then.

Glass, rubber trim - all in very nice condition.

The black and white embossed upholstery is durable vinyl and easy to care for.

A couple of very minor flaws and that’s about it for wear and tear for 56 years.

‘Engine turned’ brightwork trim throughout the interior ... a wonderful period touch.

Power windows ... hot stuff for the era.

Clean door jams, good check straps, no door sag ... just as you’d like to find it.

The cloth top was professionally replaced a couple of years ago.

The plastic window is crystal clear.

The optional ‘porthole’ hardtop is also included in this sale ... shown in later photos below.

A view of the folding metal fame for the cloth top ... as with most everything, it’s in excellent condition.

46,237 actual (825 miles per year on average / 56 years) I’ve put many of these on the odometer.

This T-Bird has been trouble free throughout my ownership and has never left me stranded.

The dash is well appointed with multiple gauges and engine turning.

Top of the line AM radio with ‘town and country’ settings.

A little bit more in keeping with today's times is an XM Satellite radio mounted beneath the dash.

A view of the XM Satellite radio ... I’ve learned to love this thing.

Also shown, a portion of the below dash mounted A/C unit ... a necessity here in sunny Florida.

The A/C blows nice-n-cold even on the hottest of days.

The power steering makes for effortless city driving.

‘Seventh heaven on wheels’ ... tall words but the T-Bird lived up to it in so many ways.

Headlights are quite bright and light up the gloom of night.

The car was painted a few years back with a quite expensive and meticulous for detail paint job ... I’m a bit embarrassed to say exactly how much it cost. I just wanted it ‘right’. It’s a good as it looks.

As shown in the next few photos, the chrome brightwork is all in excellent condition.

All lighting functions as it should.

Here’s four photos of the optional ‘porthole’ hardtop. We’ve mostly keep it stored in the garage as we’ve preferred the top down driving here in Florida with the soft top there for the occasional rain shower.

The hard top is also in excellent condition as it was rarely used.

No cracks whatsoever in the glass and it’s easily mounted with a pair of helping hands.
Just drop it in place and twist the locking mounts ... that’s it.

A rendering of the T-Bird with both the hardtop and fender skirts mounted.

The following 12 photos show various details of the 312 cu. in. engine and engine bay.

Not a ‘Pebble Beach show car’ but very well maintained and trouble free since day one.

A VIN decoder for these early Ford Thunderbirds.

The dream car of 1957 showrooms - many a man posed for a photo hoping to have one someday.

In wrapping up this eBay listing I’d thought I toss in a few photos of our summer adventure with the T-Bird.

We competed in the ‘Great Race’ ... a ton of fun with a little over 2,500 trouble free miles total.

- On June 22nd our #34 Great Race Team leaves St. Paul, Minnesota in our 1957 T-Bird on the 9-Day Time/Speed/Endurance Rally down the Mississippi to Mobile, Alabama. -

Event progress with the T-Bird loaded with sponsorship stickers.

Back in sunny Florida (with the sponsorship stickers removed). Great fun yet good to be back.

Full disclosure is what I'm after here .... I want you to know what your buying.

This 1957 Ford Thunderbird is not perfect in every way ... it's very close and as fine an example of the model that one could ever expect for a 56 year old un-restored vehicle. There are minor imperfections as one would well expect ... It's not ‘showroom new’ but it's very nice, indeed as these many photos well show.

If there is something I haven't covered please feel free to give a call at 410-310-3543 ... I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.