1961 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

The vendor’s father bought this wonderful 1961 Ford Thunderbird in August 1999. A long-time classic car enthusiast, he’d worked his way up through the usual MGBs, eventually running Jaguars and Rovers. And yet, fine cars though they are, he couldn’t help setting his sights to the west.

A Pontiac Firebird started his obsession with American cars, which led to a Buick - and then this Thunderbird. At first, it seemed that it was just another old T-Bird, albeit one that had had a magazine article written about it.

It was only during some routine correspondence that his friends in America started to get excited and further digging revealed that this is one of the original 32 festival cars, one of only eight cars to have been traced and documented so far.

One of the eight was the reserve pace car, which was given to the racing driver A.J. Foyt as part of his winnings. Another is known to have been destroyed in a fire.

This leaves six known examples, of which this is one. Now repainted black and fitted with a with a black roof and a red and black interior, its provenance has been verified by the technical director of the Vintage Thunderbird Club International (please see attached email) – and traces of the original gold paint still exist.

Black is a great colour – as long as the underlying metalwork is good. If it isn’t, it’ll highlight any imperfections ruthlessly; no colour is more flattering, or more unforgiving.

So, when a car looks this good, you know it’s a good ‘un. It looks good as you walk up to it, and even better when you get close. Straight panels and a wonderful shine show every single inch to perfection.

Subtle rear fins are joined by rear lights that look like the exhaust ports of a fighter jet, the whole lot linked by a vast expanse of chrome that’s underpinned by twin exhausts. It’s utterly glorious – but then this is a convertible sportscar that you’ll always glance back at as you walk away…

Of course, few things look better on a black car than plenty of chrome and this car, like so many American cars of the period, isn’t short of the shiny stuff.

That’s all in great shape too, with a convincing shine that’s backed up by chromed spoked wheels and a full set of whitewall tyres.

The power roof works well, opening and closing as it should and sealing nicely. It’s in great shape too, with no holes or other damage we can see.

It’s the same story with the light lenses, window glass, and badges; all are excellent. Clearly a much-loved member of the family, the vendor remembers his father pampering the car, always happy to get problems sorted out as they arose or to get a bit of trim re-chromed if it was looking a bit shabby.

And it shows because the only flaw we can see is a small mark on the edge of the driver’s door (#167).

The more fastidious among you will have noticed some swirl marks too, but these should polish out fairly easily.

If the coachwork is a study in understated menace, the interior is a riot sixties Americana at its best. Vibrant red leather and yet more chrome set the scene, with high notes comprising a white steering wheel and a bonded rear-view mirror that might be commonplace now but was a first back then.

Like the bodywork, it might not be in its original colour but there’s no denying it looks fabulous, either in execution or condition.

The leather on the seats is excellent, being almost untroubled by age or use. The seller’s father didn’t use the car much, exercising it only gently for days out at car shows, where he sometimes came home with a prize.

The seats are plump and supportive still, and while the rear seats might not be overburdened with legroom, there’s still plenty of space to take a couple of friends along for the ride.

Easter eggs abound, like the brake pedal that’s marked ‘POWER BRAKE’. And the wonderfully ornate switches for the electrically operated windows. And the cleverly integrated digital radio. A set of Thunderbird protective mats, too.

Perhaps most interesting of all is the tonneau cover, which not only hides the furled roof but also covers the rear seat area. It’s a neat design that also gives the driver and front seat passenger additional head restraints. We can’t be certain but it may well be the rare factory option; if you know for sure, we’d love to hear from you.

Apart from some light scratches to some of the chrome surfaces and one tiny hole in the leather (#321), we can’t see anything inside that would trouble us but if you think we might be being overly sympathetic, why not make an appointment to pop along and take a look for yourself?

The engine bay is lovely. Nicely detailed without being overly prissy, it’s clean and a credit to those who’ve been looking after it.

As you can see, the 6.4-litre V8 fires up straightaway and settles into a good tickover. It also revs nicely and makes a helluva noise, but then that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

The underside of the car appears to be solid and is well protected by a neatly applied coat of underseal.

If you’re looking for something to do then the wiring for the flamethrower coil isn’t the tidiest we’ve ever seen but that’s very much a nice-to-do job rather than anything more urgent.

The 1961 Indy 500 festival cars can be identified in the following way:

· Serial numbers within the range of 1Y73Z 137925 to 1Y73Z 137976.

· The space where the colour code would be stamped is blank, as the colour was not a standard one.

· The trim code will be 56, 84, or 86 (or even possibly 54, details are sketchy).

· The date code will be 21C.

· "PAO 8479" will be stamped on the chassis plate near bottom. (This is the pre-approved order number for the Indy 500 cars.)

· Additional aluminium tags have been found located under the radiator supports and windshield washer bags on Indy 500 cars being restored. One bears the serial number in the upper left corner, with the notation "J 56949" near the bottom. Another list: "PAO 8479 SPECIAL PAINT RINSHEDMASON J 56949". These numbers identify the pre-approved order (PAO 8479) as well as the paint manufacturer's code for the special gold paint used on these cars.

(Thanks to Swifty’s Garage for this information.)

The Thunderbird comes with emails regarding its provenance, the owner’s handbook, the instruction manual for the radio, and a workshop manual in addition to other interesting paperwork including magazines, one of which features it.

The Thunderbird doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clean.

This isn’t just another very clean and exquisitely restored Thunderbird. Oh no, it’s something much more interesting and because of that, it could be taken in one of two directions.

You could leave it as it is, in which case you’d have a beautifully painted and trimmed example of one of the best-looking cars of the period.

Or, you could return it to its original specification, in which case you’d have an extraordinarily rare and important example of one of the best-looking cars of the period.

In either case, we think you’ll have to stump up somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000, which doesn’t seem like a lot to us considering how much you’ll be getting for your money and the history you’ll have sitting in your garage.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.