This 1957 Ford Thunderbird is said to be one of approximately 200 equipped at the factory with an F-code 312ci V8 with a Paxton/McCulloch supercharger. The vehicle was acquired by its current owner in June 2004, and shipped from Utah to Tennessee. The seller tells us that the car was subsequently disassembled for a multi-year cosmetic and mechanical refurbishment, which was completed circa 2016. The car is finished in Starmist Blue over Dresden and Starmist vinyl, and it has a three-speed manual transmission, a removable porthole hardtop, and a Town & Country AM radio. This Thunderbird is offered with a copy of an initial Ford invoice and a clean Tennessee title in the owner’s name.
Styling cues of the 1957 Thunderbird include a wider front grille, a longer trunk with an interior spare, and canted tailfins over larger taillights. This one is refinished in Starmist Blue, which extends to its porthole removable hardtop. Upon disassembly, the body was sent to Mark Stacey of Stacey’s Concours Restorations in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The frame was media-blasted and powder-coated in 2005, with work on the body completed sometime in 2006, and the seller tells us that the car’s repaint circa 2019 exceeded $60k.
Trimmed with turbine covers, the wheels on the Thunderbird were reduced from 15″ to 14″ for 1957, as well. Steering and the drum brakes on this example are unassisted.
The bench is upholstered in Dresden and Starmist vinyl with pleated inserts, and the cabin has manual windows, a floor-mounted shifter, and a Town & Country AM radio. The seller notes that the interior refurbishment work was done in 2014.
A color-keyed steering wheel fronts the engine-turned instrument panel, which houses a 140-mph speedometer. The five-digit odometer shows 58 miles, approximately 50 of which are said to have been driven since the refurbishment was completed. Total mileage is unknown.
The F-code 312ci Y-block V8 was equipped at the factory with a Paxton/McCulloch VR57 supercharger and a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and it was rated when new at 300 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. The engine was rebuilt and dyno-tested in late 2008 by Performance Automotive of Greenville, Tennessee. The associated invoice is shown in the gallery along with block castings, head castings, and a photo of a VIN stamp on the frame.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual transmission without overdrive.
A copy of the initial Ford invoice is displayed above, and photos showing the car upon delivery to Tennessee in 2004 are located at the end of the gallery.