1958 was an unusual year for the Thunderbird. First and foremost, the production was started later than originally planned, with the first cars rolling off the assembly lines in late December 1957.
As a result, Ford built more units of the 1957 Thunderbird to keep the production lines rolling, with everybody anticipating very slow sales for the model year 1958.
The changes the American company introduced, including the two extra seats, were rather controversial, and it’s not a secret that diehard fans of the two-seat configuration received the new idea with much criticism.
But despite all these roadblocks, the 1958 Thunderbird ended up becoming quite a hit. Ford sold close to 38,000 units, which is more than double versus the 1957 model, helping the total sales of the second generation exceed 198,000 units.
This Thunderbird right here is one of the models that are still around these days, and as it turns out, it continues to sport a rather solid overall condition.
eBay seller deerdropper says the car was restored at some point during the ‘80s, but it received only light work. Furthermore, the car has never returned to the road, and while it was running approximately one decade ago, it spent most of its time sitting.
It’s not hard to figure out the Thunderbird requires quite a lot of work, but the first thing it needs is a thorough wash to remove the genuine barn dust on the body. There’s also the typical rust, especially on the floors, but this isn’t necessarily surprising given the car has been sitting for so long.
The engine that’s currently under the hood is a 390 (6.4-liter), which means the original unit may no longer be there. The 1958 Thunderbird was offered with a 352 (3.8-liter) with 300 horsepower, whereas a 430 (7.0-liter) option with 345 horsepower was added in 1959.
The bidding for this 1958 gem starts at $3,500, with the auction scheduled to come to an end in 7 days.