The seller says some restoration work has already been started, with obviously quite a bit more left to go, but the roof structure and rear area seem to be in decent shape structurally so I’m guessing when the body gets smoothed out and painted this one’s going to be a real head-turner. The story goes that the first car ended up in the hands of actor Dale Robertson, the Wells Fargo man, and then went to a T’Bird specialist in Hollywood who took a stock car and copied the details from the first vehicle, with one key difference being he incorporated a steel trunk and roof. The Thunderbird for sale here is car number two, which has a much different history and is probably somewhat less desirable. The original auto, pictured above, was restored and fetched $660,000 at a Barrett-Jackson auction back in 2008. The idea started as a plywood roof concept, then a clay model was sculpted, followed by a plaster from which the actual fiberglass top and deck lid were made. Numskal, thanks for the great tip here!Ĭomparing the #1 and 2 cars is sort of a gray area, as the first one was a true Ford project brought on by the Thunderbird design team toying around and studying what a Thunderbird would look like with a different roof. The car is located in San Diego, CA, and can be spotted here on Craigslist, and if I did my math correctly the owner is looking at somewhere around $73k to let it go.

The car is a project, but one the seller believes is well worth the effort, so if you’ve been looking for something in the Ford family that nobody else on your block has this should do nicely. What we’re seeing here is known as a 1963 Thunderbird Italien Fastback concept, with this one being the number 2 example made but it’s got a different history from the first. Maruska said he drove the car to a couple of local car shows and to various locations for photos after he finished the restoration in August, putting a grand total of 60 to 70 miles on it.ĭoes he think he'll miss it? No, he said, 'I bought it to sell it.If you’ve been in the market for a rare or unusual Ford Thunderbird to take on as a project, this one will satisfy both objectives as it’s only the second and final example ever produced. It was shown at the New York World's Fair's Cavalcade of Custom Cars as well as in Ford's Custom Car Caravan at auto shows nationwide.Īfter the World's Fair it was supposed to be scrapped, but instead was sold to actor Dale Robertson, who gave it to its gardener and then was bought by a California Ford collector before Maruska bought it for an undisclosed price two years ago. Ford took a 1962 Thunderbird convertible and gave it fastback body design. The car was shown at the 1964 World's Fair as a concept car. The News Tribune was unable to contact Williams on Sunday. , so it probably wasn't necessary, he added. But the car's history is fully laid out on his Web site, He didn't have any questions about it,' Maruska said.

'He sat in it, said how much he loved it. Maruska said he met Williams before the auction. Maruska identified the winner as Don Williams, who owns a car museum in a Las Vegas hotel and is president of the Blackhawk Museum, another car museum, in Danville, Calif.

1963 ford thunderbird italien