The story of the Ford Thunderbird starts when Chevrolet introduced the Corvette in 1953. I suspect that created some panic at Ford headquarters as Ford and Chevrolet have been intense competitors since Hector was a pup.
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I also suspect that the Corvette was a surprise to Ford, and the positive feedback the Corvette received was strong motivation for Ford to create the first Thunderbird in 1955. The surprising result was not a true Corvette competitor, but a new vehicle class for the U.S. market.
The first generation of Thunderbird was a two-seater built from 1955 to 1957. Unlike the Corvette it was more of a personal luxury car than a sports car. The second generation for Thunderbird from 1958 to 1960 was a four-seater hardtop and convertible sometimes referred to as the first of the Big Birds.
The third generation was from 1961 to 1963 and is our subject today. It is also a four-seater with sleeker styling, more curves and rounded side panels. With the new styling came some new features, most notably the “swing-away” steering wheel. When the transmission was in the park position, the steering wheel would swing away about 18 inches to the right to let the driver exit the vehicle easily. Adding to the excitement, it was the Indianapolis 500 pace car for 1961.
This was a luxury model, so it included or had available the equipment associated with pleasure vehicles of the time like power steering, power brakes, power windows, air conditioning, an AM-FM radio, fender skirts and whitewall tires.
This third generation of Thunderbird was the best seller by far, selling 214,375 units over the three-year model year period. A 390-cubic-inch V8 rated at 300 horsepower was its standard engine. Two transmissions were offered, a manual or three-speed automatic Cruise-o-Matic. The list price for a 1963 Thunderbird was $5,563 or about $56,780 today.
This issue’s featured vehicle is a third-generation 1963 Ford Thunderbird owned by Mike and Rita Press, of El Cerrito. The couple paid $3,000 for it in 1989, buying the car from a private party in Alameda.
“The original owner did a good job in terms of maintaining the car, but it wasn’t garaged. It was black-on-black with duct tape on the driver’s seat,” Mike said. “It was all there, but everything there needed work. When we first got the car, I did some of the minor stuff with the engine to make sure it was running properly.
“Then I started prepping the body for repaint. One side of the car and the rear had been hit. We took it to George Fichtner’s Auto Perfectionists in Fairfield, who had painted a previous car for us. He finished the bodywork on it.
“Because of the damage, he took off the factory-side moldings, filled in the holes where the trim was, and body-puttied over them. He painted the car inside and out for $4,000.”
That’s not the end of the story, though. Mike related what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“About two years ago in the middle of the night, we heard a bang like someone shot a large-caliber pistol. The battery had exploded. It blew acid all over the engine compartment, both outside fenders, the grill, the hood and the bumper.”
Because of the age of the paint on this 1963 Thunderbird and the laws involving paint in California, it was impossible for Fichtner (or anyone else) to match the car’s finish. The Hagerty Insurance Co., which specializes in classic car insurance, agreed that the paint could not be matched and paid $27,000 for the whole car to be repainted again.
So now Mike and Rita Press, who have only invested about $7,000 out-of-pocket since buying this 61-year-old car, own an award-winning classic 1963 Thunderbird with a $27,000 paint job.
During the pandemic getting the materials necessary to repair the Thunderbird was very difficult. Getting the car repaired, repainted and back on the road took almost two years. The Presses love their 66,000-mile T-bird, and it’s won most every car show it’s entered since completion. The car’s estimated value is currently about $35,000, but the couple has no plan to sell it — the love affair is too strong.
Have an interesting vehicle? Email Dave at MOBopoly@yahoo.com. To read more of his columns or see more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.