Sold!

1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Older Restoration, Show or Tour

Winning Bid: $31,100

Harry's Thoughts

The Thunderbirds of the early to mid-sixties were fabulous designs. A tribute to the space age but with a reliable and robust drivetrain. I love them.

THE ESSENTIALS

Complete photos, videos, and inspection report available at www.ClassicPromenade.com.  It’s free to bid and only takes minutes to register. 

This is a fully restored 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible in its original beautiful shade of Arcadian Blue (Paint Code F).  This was part of a 40 car collection in El Paso, TX and has been owned by our client for the past 10 years.

This T-Bird was built new in the Wixom, MI Ford plant and it spent much of its life in California and by 2000 it was acquired by Frank Armendarez who was the owner of a well regarded restoration facility near El Paso.  At the time he acquired it, the T-Bird was a very nice original car with no rust or accident history.  He set out to perform a “frame up” restoration of the T-Bird, including rebuilding all the systems, suspension, engine, etc.  By 2004, Frank sold the T-Bird to Al Johnson and on July 23rd, 2010 our client acquired this T-Bird as part of his collection.

Though now it is now about a 15-year old restoration, this car still shows beautifully and runs very nicely.  The Arcadian Blue paint (Paint Code F) has wonderful shine and luster, but is not without some fine scratches as shown in the inspection report.  The depth of the paint is rather amazing.  The small imperfections are from the limited use over the years, along the edges of the doors, hood and trunk.  Today the T-Bird would perform well at local and regional car shows and touring events.   Kelsey-Hayes chrome wire wheels really pop out next to the dark blue paint and compliment the look of the T-Bird.  The twin white hand painted coach stripes also accentuate the lines of the car, the white convertible top and compliment the interior coloration.

The interior has been redone in a very attractive cream vinyl with Arcadian Blue accents and dark blue carpeting and is complete with power operated front seats.  The interior is in very nice condition today.  The white vinyl power convertible top is also newer with the more modern electronic relays replacing the more problematic original mechanical systems.   It also features an Arcadian Blue tonneau cover with the cream vinyl contours, giving it the sleek look of a two seater roadster.  The tonneau cover easily removes in a minute.  There is very fine pitting on the interior chrome, which we’ve seen on all T-Birds of the era.

The engine compartment is detailed for show and is rather stunning.  The 390 CID four-barrel carbureted V8 produces 300 hp, which provides for a smooth and effortless driving experience.  These T-Birds are wonderful to drive and are smooth and powerful.  With power steering, power brakes, power seats, windows and top, this T-Bird is nicely equipped.  Fortunately, they are also mechanically very reliable.  This T-Bird runs and drives well.  It has been started every other week and has accumulated only 2,500 miles in the past 10 years.  We love the functionality of the horizontal red bar for the speedometer!

The chassis shows that it was cleaned and painted during the restoration.  It is in nice condition today for touring and general use.  It is still fairly clean and in overall nice condition. This T-Bird also features an aftermarket AM/FM cassette stereo that is branded Thunderbird.  The T-Bird is available for viewing in our Phoenix showroom.

The passenger side convertible top header has an odd small corrosion area that is evident, but does not impact its functionality.  This T-Bird also features power windows which all work, though the window switch gear can be finicky (which we’ve found on most of the T-Birds of the era). We also noticed the radio does not work.

Overall this is a solid driving, good quality car in need of some minor work to make it really excellent. For full details on the condition of this T-Bird, please see the attached Inspection Report.

The Hagerty Price Guide reflects a No. 3 value of $26,070 and a No. 2 value of $42,790.  We believe this to be in 2- condition.

For details and information, please call, email or text Harry Clark at +1.602.245.7200 or sales@classicpromenade.com.

1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Winning Bid: $31,100

PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER NAME
LOCATION USA
VIEWS 8321
1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Winning Bid: $31,100

VIN 6Y85Z127811
BODY STYLE Convertible
FUEL Gas
MILES 82,257
GEARBOX Automatic
INT COLOR Cream Vinyl
EXT COLOR Arcadian Blue
YEAR 1966
LOCATION Phoenix, AZ
PRIVATE SALE STATUS
SELLER
VIEWS 8321

Ford Thunderbird

Interesting Fact: The Ford Thunderbird is an upscale vehicle that featured eleven unique generations. This vehicle sparked the expansion of the market segment for personal luxury vehicles that feature a higher emphasis on driving comfort, rather than high-speed performance. Production on the Ford Thunderbird occurred from 1955 to 1997 and then again from 2002 to…
Interesting Fact: The Ford Thunderbird is an upscale vehicle that featured eleven unique generations. This vehicle sparked the expansion of the market segment for personal luxury vehicles that feature a higher emphasis on driving comfort, rather than high-speed performance. Production on the Ford Thunderbird occurred from 1955 to 1997 and then again from 2002 to 2005. By the end of 2005, Ford had managed to produce over 4.4 million Thunderbirds. The car was originally designed as a sporty two-seat convertible but was not marketed as such. Within a few years, a second row was added, and the Ford Thunderbird is known for getting larger and large in size until the late 1970s. Many V8 engines have been used in the Ford Thunderbird over the years. As the size of the model increased, a larger engine was also required to support the vehicle. This resulted in later models having poor fuel efficiency. While they weren’t advertised for speed, Ford used the Thunderbird body in their NASCAR races, with many hitting an average speed of about 200 miles per hour. The final Thunderbird was manufactured in July of 2005, but the vehicle still holds up as one of the most comfortable and high-performing cars to date!

Videos: 1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Comments


sherril508@verizon.net
February 6, 2021

$31,100 Bid placed by sherril508@verizon.net

Atthebeach
February 6, 2021

$29,100 Bid placed by Atthebeach

Jim Larson
February 6, 2021

$27,500 Bid placed by Jim Larson

Atthebeach
February 6, 2021

$26,500 Bid placed by Atthebeach

sherril508@verizon.net
February 6, 2021

$25,500 Bid placed by sherril508@verizon.net

Atthebeach
February 6, 2021

$25,000 Bid placed by Atthebeach

Jim Larson
February 6, 2021

$24,000 Bid placed by Jim Larson

Atthebeach
February 6, 2021

$23,000 Bid placed by Atthebeach

MarkM
February 6, 2021

$22,500 Bid placed by MarkM

JBFisch
February 6, 2021

$22,000 Bid placed by JBFisch

sherril508@verizon.net
February 6, 2021

$21,500 Bid placed by sherril508@verizon.net

Atthebeach
February 6, 2021

$21,000 Bid placed by Atthebeach

MikeFord4
February 6, 2021

Are those wheel covers or real wire wheels? Thx

Jassim
February 6, 2021

$20,500 Bid placed by Jassim

Atthebeach
February 5, 2021

$20,000 Bid placed by Atthebeach

Jassim
February 5, 2021

$18,000 Bid placed by Jassim

sherril508@verizon.net
February 4, 2021

$17,500 Bid placed by sherril508@verizon.net

Jassim
February 4, 2021

$17,000 Bid placed by Jassim

ToryWeigle
February 2, 2021

I’ve always admired the early & mid-60s Tbird convertibles, but never understood the appeal of the tonneau cover. I assume you can just put it in a corner and forget it, and the car still has its distinctive flat deck when the top is down, just as if it never had a tonneau. Would you please confirm that understanding is correct.

Classic Promenade
February 4, 2021

It literally is two little screws that you undo and two people to lift it off. It takes no more than one minute to remove. Unlike a hardtop, it is made of fiberglass and it is very lightweight. It serves no purpose other than to give it a two-seat roadster look.

sherril508@verizon.net
February 1, 2021

$15,500 Bid placed by sherril508@verizon.net

Scott
January 28, 2021

$15,000 Bid placed by Scott

Friendly44
January 28, 2021

$11,500 Bid placed by Friendly44

NHJim
January 24, 2021

$11,000 Bid placed by NHJim

Friendly44
January 24, 2021

$8,500 Bid placed by Friendly44

AlbertC
January 24, 2021

$8,000 Bid placed by AlbertC

NHJim
January 22, 2021

$6,000 Bid placed by NHJim

tonym
January 22, 2021

$5,000 Bid placed by tonym

 

SHARE TO WORLD

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Email
Print

Please Follow & Like Us

Private Message to Dealer

Classic Promenade
Logo
Enable registration in settings - general

Get the Daily Email

Get the latest auctions and market info delivered right to your inbox, plus a heads up on exclusive content from Harry.