1960 FLAME BIRD

THIS MILD CUSTOM THUNDERBIRD MADE ITS WAY TO CENTRAL VICTORIA FROM CALIFORNIA...

- AL O'TOOLE

“Purschased new by a Californian couple to use their Town Car”, this 1960 Ford Thunderbird served its first owners well before being sold to a custom car enthusiast who rebuilt this classic Square Bird with mild custom touches. This two-door hardtop coupe is one of 92,843 Thunderbirds that were produced in 1960. Of those just over 2,500 cars were equipped with a sliding sunroof and there were 11,860 convertibles built, but only 377 1960 T-Birds came equipped with the 430 cubic inch V8 that was originally offered in Lincolns from 1958. The rest used Ford’s 300 horsepower 352 cubic inch FE motor.

From the VIN we can discern that this flamed Square Bird was originally built using the 5.8 litre 352 cube FE donk coupled to a three speed Cruise-o-Matic transmission to spin a 3.10:1 ratio diff and featured black and white vinyl interior trim and Corinthian White paint. It rolled out of the Wixom Assembly Plant in Michigan on August 23, 1959.