1965 Ford Thunderbird

Description

The Thunderbirds were never really marketed as "sports cars" even though the original version came pretty close. They did, however, successfully create a completely new segment of car, the Personal Luxury Car. More luxurious than a sports car with more room inside, but not too big, and still with plenty of power to make it fun to drive. This 1965 T-Bird is a shining example of that focus. Check it out.

Presented in a beautiful shade of blue with a black vinyl roof, this car looks great! From the side, you will see a crisp, clean body line that runs from front to rear along the top edge of the front fender and door, flowing up and over the door handle and tapering back down smoothly to the back bumper. It is mirrored by a complementary line on the bottom edge that cuts across the rear wheel spats on its way back. A slash of chrome dresses out the center of the side from behind the front wheel wells on back. From the front you will see a hood scoop reminiscent of the original T-Bird with a Thunderbird on the leading edge of the hood. Quad headlights are underlined by a chrome grill surrounded by a substantial bumper. Out back, another substantial bumper surrounds taillights that blink sequentially for turns with another Thunderbird between them.

Open the door and you will find a sharp looking interior that is Blue with nice wood grained highlights trimmed out in chrome. The door panel itself sets the tone with a Thunderbird at the top set in wood underlined by a bold chrome band separating the wood from the blue vinyl. The power operated bucket seats are comfortable in blue vinyl trimmed in chrome with a nice center console and armrest between them. The big two-spoke steering wheel is unique with its tilt-away feature that provides lots of space for easy entry and exit. The dash board is completely stock with a horizontal speedometer and engine gauges mounted in their own individual pods underneath it. Wiper, washer and ventilation controls at the top center look a bit like throttles in a big jet. Wood tone surrounds the driver starting from the front of the dash, curving around and down to the center console that contains the original radio and more unique ventilation controls as well as the power window switches.

Open the hood and you will find an all original engine bay with a 390 cubic inch engine nestled down inside. A gold air cleaner assembly as well as gold valve covers dress up the looks a little bit and there are signs of good regular maintenance with the belts, hoses and ignition components all in great shape. Underneath, the dual exhaust system has had the mufflers and tailpipes replaced fairly recently. The power that 390 makes flows back through a 3-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels mounted on leaf springs. Up front, coil springs on control arms with a beefy sway bar work with the power steering to provide good handling, and front disc brakes assure good stopping power. The rubber meets the road through 22575R15 white wall tires mounted on steel wheels with polished Thunderbird hub caps.

Come on down and check out this great looking personal luxury car from 1965. You may decide to make it your personal luxury car.