1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Fully Restored and Factory Correct One of actor Burt Reynolds’ off-screen romances had nothing to do with the starlets he met along the way to fame and fortune. The truth is Burt was a classic car collector. and acquired several notable vehicles. including this first generation 1957 Ford Thunderbird at the height of his career. In fact. according to a copy of the DMV registration from 1979. Burt Reynolds Productions purchased this 312 cubic-inch luxury two-seater from El Monte Motor Company near Hollywood. Consider this the perfect way to celebrate Thunderbird's 50th Anniversary. Although Burt became fabulously famous for his roles as the mustached leading man behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Countach in Cannonball Run and in the hot-rodded Pontiac Trans-Am of Smoky and the Bandit. underneath the glitter. Burt was a car guy. And judging by the recent $450. 00 sale of his personal Trans-Am at auction. Burt’s fans are still ravenous for anything connected to him. A cruise in Burt’s former ’57 Thunderbird down the palm tree lined coast highway in Southern California supported its long list of features and flawless craftsmanship. In fact. under acceleration. the ride was extremely solid. an obvious nod to the $45. 00 spent in the restoration. There were no squeaks. odd noises. or troublesome rattles one might encounter in a lesser classic. Rather. the drive from inside its spacious Flame Red interior was purely nostalgic. a memorable salute to an era of bigger than life cars made in America. Even the ironclad sounds of the doors closing offered a clue as to the extent of original craftsmanship bestowed on the ’57 Thunderbird. With only 63. 00 original miles on it. the car could not have been in any better shape inside and out on our test run. Under acceleration. the Thunderbird responded with sure-footed authority as the dual exhaust roared to life. Indeed. Ford’s early Thunderbirds were always playful as a tiger. whenever the need arose. It was not intimidating to drive though. still heads did turn. people stared. pointed. gawked and generally ate it up. as the automatic ran through the gears with the precision of a fine Swiss watch. When a charge up a steep grade called for the lowest gear. Burt’s Bird. as it is known in Concourse circles. responded with endless seat-of-the-pants torque. displayed on a factory fresh tachometer within eye level of the driver. Cornering and handling was confident too. with no sense of wandering. At 181 inches in length. the turning radius was tight. and its power braking performance notably confident. Engine temperatures remained neutral throughout the cruise. It’s one of the finest examples of performance cars from the Fifties. but wasn’t marketed against the two-seat Corvette. Rather. the first generation Thunderbirds inspired the phrase “personal luxury. and they lived up to the standard. The celebrity status and overall drivability of this Thunderbird certainly adds to the collectability in this case. but that’s only half the story. Decoding VIN D7FH352873 and all accompanying documentation (like a copy of a Burt Reynolds’ signed DMV registration form). confirms the car went on display at Cars of the Stars museum after Burt owned it. As mentioned. the car underwent an incredible restoration to bring it back to its full glory. Everything on this car now operates flawlessly. even the clock ticks away on the instrument cluster. The sheet metal appears impeccably straight. body seams are factory precise and rust free. All rubber seals and gaskets are factory fresh. Add to that. both matching tops are included in sale: the new convertible and the restored original porthole hardtop. Most importantly. the 312 cubic-inch V8 with 4BBL carb was lovingly rebuilt and glistens in a pristine engine bay. It idles effortlessly. The dealer installed air conditioning unit also got a top-notch conditioning to ensure a long life. The new carpeting is correct to the original pattern. the door panels are also correct and the stock chrome and soft trim throughout are in immaculate condition. The undercarriage is clean and free of damage. Details such as the signal seeking AM radio (which worked). wire wheels. and wide white wall tires are true to form. As a garage kept classic. it has been pampered and regularly serviced. Early Thunderbird aficionados will appreciate the ‘57’s long tail and extra truck space. a design change from ’56 that deleted the weighty Continental kit (spare tire) off the rear bumper area. Handling improved in ’57. some say because of this single design change. It’s one amazing ride. that can never be duplicated. '57 T-Bird Quick Look• Refinished in factory White • Interior restored to new in Flame Red• Everything works including the clock• 100 percent laser straight • Rust free metal• New convertible soft top and restored porthole hardtop• Pristine chrome and soft trim throughout• Rebuilt original 312 cubic-inch V8 with 4BBL carb• Rebuilt automatic transmission• Power steering and brakes• New dual exhaust• Factory signal seeking AM radio and 6 disc CD player• Pristine wire wheels and new wide white radial tires (5)• 3. 00 miles since restoration Decoded 1957 ThunderbirdVIN D7FH352873D -- 312 cubic inch. 4V. 245 horsepower V87 – Model Year 1957F – Assembled in Dearborn MichiganH -- 1955-1957 Thunderbird (no body style name used). 352873 – Consecutive Unit NumberFor additional information call BlueChip Motorcars at (949) 496-3000. Or. log onto www. BlueChipMotorcars. com. or visit BlueChip Motorcars in San Juan Capistrano. California. TERMS & CONDITIONS The car is for sale locally and we reserve the right to cancel this auction at any time before the end of the auction. We do not have a Buy It Now Price listed. The car will be made available for inspection by serious bidders throughout the auction. Please email us if you would like to see the car in person. If you prefer. we can arrange to have a qualified. independent. professional mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection for you (at your expense). It is the buyer’s responsibility to verify that all of the seller’s information and claims about the car are true and correct prior to the sale of the vehicle. Winning bidder must contact us within 24 hours of auction end. and make arrangements for payment at that time. A $1. 00. 00 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is due within 24 hours of end of auction. The deposit can be made by cash (please do not mail cash!). bank check. cashier's check. PayPal or bank transfer (preferred). The remainder is due within 5 days of Auction end. The remaining balance must be made in the form of a bank transfer (preferred) Cashier's Check. or bank check (all forms of payment subject to verification). PayPal WILL NOT be accepted as a form of payment for the final payment. If no contact is made within 24 hours we reserve the right to re-list the vehicle. sell it to the next high bidder. or sell it otherwise. Please arrange financing prior to bidding. we can help with this. Once the final balance has been paid. title transfer paperwork will be initiated. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping of this vehicle. If you wish to have it shipped using a service. we will gladly cooperate. You can locate shippers by doing a search for “auto shippers”. We have relationships with both domestic and International shippers should you need assistance. AS IS - NO WARRANTY This vehicle is being sold as is with no warranty. expressed written or implied. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description. authenticity. genuineness. or defects herein. and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness. imperfection. defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to purchase based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer's request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. The winning bidder should have the car insured from the time the final payment is made to us. Once final payment is made. we will exercise a generally accepted standard of care. but the buyer assumes all liability and risk once the final payment is made. Before delivery of the vehicle. the winning bidder must provide a photocopy of a valid driver’s license. sign the Buyer’s Guide and in CA; sign an Agreement to furnish Insurance. Delivery is defined as the time at which physical possession of the car is transferred from us. the seller. to the buyer or the buyers’ agent or chosen Transport Company. If you are not sure about something. Please ask us. Do not assume anything not listed is included. We reserve the right to cancel bids for excessive negative feedback. We reserve the right to end the listing if the vehicle is no longer available for sale. Please do not bid on this auction unless you are serious about owning this vehicle. About Factory Correct Cars offered by BlueChip Motorcars BlueChip Motorcars periodically offers classic cars that may be listed as Factory Correct. or Numbers Matching. Because there are many opinions about the term(s) used to describe these types of listings. allow us to explain how BlueChip Motorcars comes to that assessment. As you may know. depending on the source. the term “matching numbers. or factory correct. may mean many things to many people. Purists might define it as a car with every possible window crank. dash knob or even every nut and bolt is original to the car from the time it left the production line. Although some classic cars do exist in that rare condition. most do not. The majority of classic cars on the market were at some point in their ownership. restored or repaired with NOS parts (new old stock) or licensed reproduction parts. Whenever the information is available to us about the use of these parts. BlueChip Motorcars will gladly pass it along to the potential buyer. BlueChip Motorcars uses the term Factory Correct or Numbers Matching only to distinguish a vehicle where the engine casting code corresponds with the VIN and Cowl Tag code. If these codes tell the same story about the car in question. BlueChip Motorcars then considers it to be a Factory Correct or Numbers Matching vehicle. However. unless otherwise stated. the transmission. rear end. and transmission may or may not be original to the car. BlueChip Motorcars welcomes all potential buyers to verify all the information with a qualified expert. We would be happy to email you all the numbers that are obtainable on any vehicle where the term Factory Correct or Matching Numbers is used.