1964 T BIRD CONVERTIBLE DRIVER
1964 T BIRD CONVERTIBLE SKIN

And I am balancing that against some of the maintenance on other collectibles I have owned (let me tell you about replacing he leather diaphragm in the fuel injection of a ’54 Mercedes 300SL…). I am a little worried about the top freezing in place either going up or coming down but the owner of one car I just talked to said that only happened to him once, and when he replaced the motor it works perfectly. But you have to figure over 50 years has gone by, many have been wrecked, many rusted away, and to me they make a statement like no other American car. Alas the engine was already showing its age so if you wanted a fast bird you ordered the optional 428 V8, at 345 horsepower for an additional $64.30 (ah, those were the days of reasonable option prices…) The 428’s additional muscle could be felt.Īs far as rarity these are not like gullwing Mercedes, a car which only saw 1,400 built but are much more common. It was still slow compared to some of the competition but this was a cruiser car. In 1966 Ford gave it a bit of a boost, raising the 390 Special V-8 from 300 horsepower to 315 horsepower for 1966. But you need that number of cubic inches (390 at first) to get the power to drive a car 1,000 lbs. One trouble with this car is that it only came with a big block.

1964 T BIRD CONVERTIBLE DRIVER

The driver seat also which tilts the bottom cushion to the left, helping an occupant egress. Ford in those days didn’t often give individual designers much credit, the name John Najjar has been mentioned.Ī nice feature at the time was the Swing-Away steering wheel that swings 10 inches to the right, making it easy for the driver to get out. The interior is, in a word, a ‘60s prediction of the future. Wire wheels were an option, knock off was fake. Located in West Linn, Oregon, the Bird Nest has been operating for more than 40 years, providing parts and services to Thunderbird owners locally and internationally. The highlight of that model was in ’62 and ’63, the Sports Roadster, which made a four seater into a temporary two seater with the addition of a fiberglass tonneau bearing headrest fairings covering the rear seats. And then it got a little better styling wise with the 1961-1963 “Bullet Bird”, which had ever-so-tiny tailfins and sort of “rocket exhaust” taillights. Then they redesigned them (some say for the worse) to be a four seater 1958-’60 “Square Bird” which had only a modest sales boost because it was a four seater. Now originally all the ’55 through ’57 Thunderbirds were convertibles though they came with a lift off hardtop. And sometimes memories come back like the time a neighbor took me for a ride in a mint condition blue ’64 or ’65 Thunderbird convertible. Now one would think for a guy who can throw into conversation things like Zagato Carrozzeria and Thupp and Maberly that I am all about furrin’ cars and furrin’ cars only.īut down deep, I admit that my roots are in Detroit where I grew up. The proto-psychedelic light show draws quite a bit of electrical current, as confirmed by the pulsations of the ammeter needle.The Appeal of the Flat Deck ‘Bird Convertible.

This display of directional incandescence is joined by rear-facing 'gun sight' indicators on the front fenders, parking lights tucked away on the front bumper, and, of course, indicators on the dash.

When you indicate a turn, six bulbs per side blink in succession from innermost to outermost. The 1965 version is the first T-bird with front disc brakes, and we really love the '65's sequential rear taillights. Motorcar Classics is pleased to present this 1964 Ford Thunderbird Convertible featured in Brittany Blue Metallic with White interior and matching White. Power steering and brakes also were standard, as they had been in 1963.

1964 T BIRD CONVERTIBLE SKIN

Beauty beneath the skin included the same unitized structure introduced in 1958 and a 300-horsepower 390 V-8 backed by a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. Wilson is the third owner of this car, which his brother Ron found not far from the Ford dealership in Auburn, California, where it was first sold a half century ago. Yet another restyled body kicked off the Thunderbird’s fourth three-year run in 1964.

Wilson's '65 Thunderbird convertible, a nicely preserved car in Rose Beige.

Our quest for the ultimate parade car led us to Palm Springs, California, where we found A.J.

1964 t bird convertible