![]() ![]() “So, it got out of the family and I kind of forgot about it, but I have always been fond of that car. My dad lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw that. I called my dad and asked if I could have the first right of refusal? He said, ‘Do you have $28,000?’ I said ‘no.’ The story goes that a guy came to my dad’s office carrying a briefcase with $28,000 in $100 bills. In the mid-1980s, my brother called me from Oshkosh to tell me that our dad was selling the T-Bird. “Dad bought it new in 1957, and then in the 1980s he had it restored. One of the rarest Thunderbirds in existence (1 of 17 known to exist) has been put up for auction This impressive 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Bird isnt your. He selected the no-porthole option for the top, which Leyhe has since learned was not a good economic decision. It’s a V8 with Ford-o-Matic transmission, but no power steering or brakes. His father bought it new for $4,485, or about $41,760 in today’s dollars from a Ford dealer in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Piedmont resident Ted Leyhe says his family has owned this issue’s beautiful black 1957 Ford Thunderbird twice. Performance packages were offered and a clever “Dial-o-Matic” four-way power seat that moved the seat backward when the ignition was turned off for easier exit and entry was an option. The spare tire was moved back into the trunk. The grille was larger, with the front bumper altered. This model had a longer deck and tasteful tail fins. For the 1957 model, there were some noticeable but minor styling changes, and it was the best sales year, selling 21,380 Thunderbirds. Sales were good, but not quite as good as in 1955. Not many changes were made for the 1956 model, except for more trunk space due to the use of a “Continental Kit” for the spare tire and a “port hole” side window in the fiberglass top. Ford planned on selling 10,000 Thunderbirds that first year, but the car was a hot seller and 16,155 customers visited their local Ford dealer for the car of their dreams. It was a metal car with a removable fiberglass top as standard and a fabric top as a popular option. It used Ford’s existing 292-cubic-inch V8 engine with either Ford-o-Matic automatic transmission or manual overdrive transmissions. Ford didn’t copy the European sports car design or style but instead built “a personal car of distinction.” The first public showing was at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1954 as a 1955 model that went on sale the following October. The 1957 Ford Thunderbird allegedly has 58,000 original miles on it. For 1956, the Thunderbird sold 16,631 units, and in 1957, some 21,380 units. 1957 Ford Thunderbird 2dr Convertible Courtesy of Hyman Ltd. ![]() Naturally, Ford wasn’t going to let Chevrolet have this new market segment to themselves, so they came up with the Thunderbird two years later. 1957 Ford Thunderbird 2dr Convertible Courtesy of Hyman Ltd. Me & My Car: ’57 Chevy 150 could easily become a show model ![]()
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