Bronze Beauty: 1957 Ford Thunderbird 3-Speed Overdrive
March 1, 2023 Update – The high bid did not meet the seller’s reserve price, so we’ve moved this vehicle to our “Rides Still Available Page.” Click the blue button above or below to navigate to this ride’s bid page, where you can either select the green “Buy Now” button or place a realistic counteroffer in the “Bid” box.
GuysWithRides is pleased to offer Lot 184, an all-Bronze 1957 Ford Thunderbird featuring three tops, a 245 horsepower “D”-Code V8, and a three-speed manual with an under-dashboard-controlled overdrive. The private seller and owner of this Baby Bird for the past twenty-five years has asked us to offer his Thunderbird in an online, reserve-price style auction.
Bidding opened Wednesday, February 15, 2023, and continues for fourteen (14) consecutive days ending at 4:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
This Thunderbird Bronze T-Bird resides in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, approximately two hours north of Philadelphia International Airport.
(NOTE: Click on the picture to stop the slide show and expand the pictures. Scroll down to see all photographs)
The Deets
Current Offer: $16,500
Ford launched its Thunderbird for the 1955 model year as a personal luxury two-seat convertible. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette launched two model years earlier, Ford did not market the Thunderbird as a sports car. Instead, Ford positioned the Thunderbird as an upscale model and created the personal luxury car segment with it.
Ford revised Thunderbird for 1957 with a reshaped front bumper, a larger grille and tailfins, and larger tail lamps. The instrument panel was heavily restyled with round gauges in a single pod, and the car’s rear was lengthened, allowing the spare tire to be positioned back in the trunk. The 312 cubic inch V8 became the Thunderbird’s standard engine and was now rated at 245 horsepower. Though Ford was pleased to see sales of the Thunderbird rise to a record-breaking 21,380 units for 1957, company executives felt the car could do even better, leading to a substantial redesign of the car for 1958 that included a back seat.
Development delays for the upcoming 1958 Thunderbird forced Ford to extend the 1957 model year’s production through December 13, 1957. We’re excited to report the 1957 Thunderbird featured here was, in fact, built on December 13, 1957, making it one of the last Baby Birds produced. The car’s trim tag also confirms this example left the factory as a Bronze over Bronze vinyl example. In addition to the porthole-equipped fiberglass removable hardtop and white convertible top, this Thunderbird features a tonneau cover in the matching bronze vinyl. While this Thunderbird features a non-working Town and Country radio, the car is not equipped with either power brakes or power steering.
The current owner purchased their 1957 Thunderbird locally approximately twenty-five years ago. He does not have any history on the car other than he believes it received a repaint at some point. The Thunderbird Bronze paint presents as shiny, driver quality with some bubbles and crazing shown in the pictures provided. The underside confirms this Thunderbird is a solid example that shows no signs of rust or previous repairs that we could tell.
What impressed us most is how well this Thunderbird runs and drives. The engine has plenty of power, provided with a subtle V8 rumble. The car tracked and braked straight during our short test drive. This 1957 Thunderbird is the perfect car for an enthusiast looking for a driver-quality example they can enjoy while they make upgrades as their time and budget permit.
In addition to photographing and videotaping this Thunderbird, Rudy completed a thorough Pre-Purchase Inspection. To review the Pre-Purchase Inspection, please click on the picture below. When finished, click on your browser’s back button to return to this listing:
To help you make informed bids, we’re providing access to Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the Classic Car market, that provides an interactive graph of recent comparable sales year-to-date. By clicking on the green dots, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you make an educated bid on the car we are featuring for auction here:
Exterior Gallery
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Interior Gallery
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Underhood And Undercarriage Gallery
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Tires And Wheels Gallery
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Windows & Mirror Gallery
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Documentation Gallery
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If you have any questions about this 1957 Ford Thunderbird, please leave a comment below or feel free to call Rudy directly at 877-468-6497. Thank you for looking, and happy bidding!
Where is the car located and what reserve do you have on it.
I happen to have sellers remorse, sold my 57 a year ago and still not very happy.
Hi Norman, it’s located in Hazelton, PA, about one hour north of Allentown. As the auctioneer, we cannot divulge the reserve price. However, when you go to the bidding page, an unlabeled graph changes from Blue to Green as the high bid increases. You can use that to gauge the reserve price. The seller agreed to what we believe is a very fair, market and condition-correct reserve.
I can’t understand why there haven’t been more bids on this ‘bird. If I had the cash, the space, and an understanding wife, I’d be bidding!
Steve, candidly, that makes two of us! We’re just floored no one from the Baby Bird groups we targeted have not bid on this car.