1962 Ford Thunderbird, “Bullet Bird” in Gorgeous Condition, Estate Sale

1962 Ford Thunderbird, "Bullet Bird" in Gorgeous Condition, Estate Sale

Note: Photos are obviously taken at two different locations. One shows the car with indoor lighting and one is natural outdoor lighting. All of these pictures were taken within two weeks of this posting.

This 1962 Ford Thunderbird was recently pulled from storage in Greensboro, Georgia upon the passing of the long term owner who had resided in Reynold's Plantation at Lake Oconee and kept the car in dry storage nearby. There were 3 other additional cars in the collection. Two have been sold and one will be ready to sell soon. My name is Ron Wynn and I am an Atlanta local. I was hired by the estate to prepare the car and manage the sale. My instructions were not to go overboard with any extensive refurbishment work, but rather to clean her up, perform any deferred maintenance and post the car for sale.

All I have done to the car is clean the carburetor, replace the battery, install a new fuel pump, flush out the fuel system, install a new fuel filter, install a new AC compressor with new receiver/dryer and clean the car. Everything else is just as I found her, stored under a cover in a warehouse in Greensboro, Georgia.

The mileage on the car is slightly over 72,000 as it appears on the 5 digit odometer. Based on condition, this could be original mileage. The car was completely restored at some point, so true mileage is difficult to ascertain. What is clear, through inspection, is that this car must have been a very solid example at the start of the restoration. The car is very original and the restoration work was very well executed. It is a highly optioned car from the factory and features power windows, power seats, power steering and air conditioning and is a great example of an older restoration that has been well cared for.

History - Known history begins with the previous owner (name withheld for privacy), a Greensboro, Georgia resident, who sold the car 10 years ago (to the most recent owner) but was kind enough to share his recollection. He had purchased this car from a Milledgeville Georgia based collector no later than November 2004. At that time, the car was already restored when he acquired it. The collector that he bought it from was a long-time owner of the car. This previous owner was in his 60s when he bought the car and purchased it as a hobby to take to local shows and drive-ins. Under his care it had always been garage kept and covered and was driven very little. I do have a few receipts from the previous owner, dating back to 2004.

The most recent owner (recently deceased) bought the car in September of 2010 to add to his collection of low mileage classics. I have several receipts for minor work he had performed over the years. I can determine with certainty, from the paperwork, that the car has been driven only about 600 miles in the past 8 years. Judging by the variety of plaques, flyers and show materials found neatly organized in the trunk, it is easy to conclude that he also primarily drove the car to local cruise-ins and shows.

Data Plate and VIN Analysis - The data plate indicates that the car was built on February 21, 1962. The rear axle is 3.00:1. The transmission is a 3 speed automatic. The original paint was code "G”, which is Silver Mist metallic (the restoration obviously included a color change). The interior is code "55”, which is red vinyl. The VIN indicates that the motor is a 390 ci V8 with 4 bbl carburetor producing 300 HP. The car was built in Michigan as a Hardtop and the production sequence was 146,151. Except for the paint, all information is consistent with how the car sits today.

Mechanical condition - In a word, excellent. It's a carbureted car and it starts quickly and easily after just a few turns of the starter. The engine runs very smoothly, sounds great with a deep burbling idle and delivers big power. The sound from the dual exhaust is incredible. It does not smoke or leak. The engine bay is tidy, original looking and not overly detailed. The insulation under the hood looks like new. The car is surefooted and drives straight and true. The brakes are very good. The suspension and power steering feel very good and the car is quite comfortable to drive. The three speed automatic transmission feels very good and shifts smoothly.

Functional - All four power windows work great. Power seats work great. All gauges, including the gas and temperature gauge, speedometer and odometer, work as they should. The dash warning lights (generator and oil) work as they should. The windshield wipers work great. The radio is original but does not work. The air conditioning works great and is the original set-up (not "vintage air”) with a new, original spec, York compressor that has been converted to R-134A. The clock does not work. The interior hood release lever and the parking brake both work as intended. All lights work, including headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals. The horn and the turn signal indicators work.

Body - First, this car is simply gorgeous and you can look at it for hours without getting bored. The body panels are outstanding. The paint is exceptional and looks like it could have been the factory paint job. It is obvious that the car was disassembled when they performed the restoration. There is a small nick in the paint finish at the edge around the trunk lid that has been touched up. There is a very small area (couple of inches) at the rear facing surface of the trunk lid where the paint finish appears thin, as if it has been polished too much.

The amazing chrome bumpers, grill and enormous tail light surrounds are in very good condition. The rubber bumper-to-body seals at all four corners, which are typically worn out on other examples, are perfect, soft and look like new. The remaining bright work is extensive, all present and in overall very good condition with the larger and longer pieces being in excellent condition and some of the medium to smaller pieces having light to moderate pitting.

Glass is excellent. Rubber trim around the windshield and rear window glass is in good condition and serviceable, with no leaks, but there are a few cracks visible in the rubber. The Thunderbird emblems are all present, have great color in the "wing" area and are overall excellent for their age.

Tires and Wheels - The wire spoke wheels are in outstanding condition, sparkle like jewelry and include all center caps with the deep red logo. The tires are Dayton Thorobred Steel whitewall tires and are date stamped July 2001. They are in excellent condition and under close inspection I can find no evidence of dry rot. I'm sure they have no more than a couple of thousand miles on them.

Undercarriage - The underside of the car is solid, clean, dry and rust free. There is no grease or oil build up. The exhaust system is in excellent condition and looks almost new. The gas tank looks new and was probably installed during the restoration.

Interior - Fabulous is the word that comes to mind. One of the coolest designs ever for a car interior. The dashboard is excellent. The front seat upholstery is excellent. The rear seat upholstery is excellent except for a 2 inch seam separation at one spot in the bottom cushion. The ribbed aluminum panels that grace the dash fascia, door panels and center console, are beautiful, original and in excellent condition, with some minor scratching. The carpet is in very good condition. Door panels are very good except there is some discoloration on the lower vinyl panels and some of the chrome has rubbed off of the vertical plastic accent strips at the bottom. The headliner is in excellent condition. The steering wheel plastic looks good but does have some cracking. The interior chrome is extensive, all present and in overall very good condition with the larger pieces in excellent condition and some of the medium to smaller pieces having light to moderate pitting. The sun visors look like new. The vinyl armrest pad over the center console storage bin looks good but does have a couple of cracks. The seat belts are all present, complete, functional and original. This interior is 100% complete with nothing missing.

Trunk - The trunk area is complete and in excellent original condition. All tools are present, with the jack mounted in its original location behind the hidden panel in the driver's side rear fender and the spare tire with cover mounted as it was intended toward the front of the trunk.

Documentation - Maintenance receipts dating back 14 years will come with the car. A variety of plaques, flyers and cruise-in materials from past car shows will be included as well.

Other - One notable feature is the "swing away" steering wheel which works great. The steering column is on a hinge and has the ability to swing away towards the center of the cockpit to make entering and exiting easier. It is a very unique feature.

One set of keys is included. A nice black car cover is included.

I have tried my best to represent this car in a balanced and honest way. I have many additional pictures that I have loaded into a Google web photo album and I can send you an invitation to look at the album if you send your email address. I can also provide additional pictures of specific areas upon request. For serious out-of-town parties, I can provide a Facetime "walk around" session to look at the car live and answer questions as we go.

Car will be sold on a Bill of Sale (original title not found and not required). Acceptable forms of payment include a certified or cashier's check drawn at your bank in my presence, cash withdrawn at your bank in my presence or wire transfers.

Shipping is the responsibility of the Buyer but I will cooperate with your shipper to determine a mutually agreeable pick-up time and location.

Offered at $22,900. Please contact me, Ron Wynn at Driven Car Selling Solutions at 770-616-3300 to inquire about the car. I am not a dealer, I am representing the estate. The estate owns the car and has all documents ready to transfer to the new owner. Thank you for your interest!