1965 FORD THUNDERBIRD TBIRD CONVERTIBLE VTCI TWO-TIME "BEST OF SHOW" WINNER!

VTCI 2-TIME "BEST OF SHOW" WINNER!

GUIDED TOUR OF CAR WITH OVER 150 IMAGES

HIGHLIGHTS...

• Scored 292 on 300-point scale in 2017 VTCI International Meet

• Beautiful Thunderbird "Samoan Coral" ('64 Code: L)

• NEW High-end Cloth Top

• NEW Convertible Top Relays - for far improved reliability

• NEW Solid-State Relay for famed Sequential Rear Turn-signals

• NEW Modernized AM-FM Radio - w/Power Antenna & Factory Rear Speaker

• REBUILT Engine

• NEW Holley Carburetor for improved Reliability & Performance

• Excellent Factory Front Disc Brakes

• Famed "Swing-Away" Steering Wheel

• Famed "Disappearing" Top with Full-Width Rear Seat

• Many NEW parts, fasteners, rubber seals, etc. installed during the extensive restoration (see images).

HISTORIC BACKGROUND: The 1964 Thunderbird kicked-off the 3-year "Flair-bird" series with a bang...Motor Trend's Car of the Year Award! In fact, Ford's entire new line was so impressive, Motor Trend gave its coveted award for the whole Ford line...with an extensive article on the new Thunderbird. Though all Thunderbirds have something special to offer, it is the 1955-1966 Thunderbirds that are most highly sought, and are considered the most classic of the series.

Two substantial improvements were made for 1965 over the prior introductory year for this series: Standard Front Disc Brakes (which are truly excellent), and the famed Sequential Rear Turn-Signals. The 1-2-3 illumination of the three rear turn-signal segments are so cool and iconic that Ford has them on its hot-selling new Mustangs!

VTCI "BEST OF SHOW" - VTCIis the abbreviation for Vintage Thunderbird Club International. Though there are some other fine Thunderbird Clubs, VTCI is considered to be the most prominent, and has distinguished itself with rigorous 300-point Concours judging standards.

The very best tribute to this car's restoration quality, is the 292-points (97.3% of 300 possible) that it earned at the 2017 VTCI International Convention held in Atlanta, GA. It is a 2-time "Best of Show" (Driven-class) VTCI car...at BOTH Regional and International levels.

This car is well-known in the Atlanta-area VTCI community. Many club members have offered their advice and skills to make this one of the nicest 1965 Thunderbird Convertibles extant.

NADA VALUATION - over the years, collectors vote with their wallets to determine the most coveted classic cars. Now, with over 50 years for 1965 cars to "mature" in the marketplace, it is clear that the 3rd generation (1964-1966) Thunderbirds are the most highly valued of all 4-seater Thunderbirds. Here are the current NADA values for the best examples (i.e. "High Retail”) of the Convertible versions of these T'Birds...

1959 - $51,700

1962 - $69,700

1965 - $77,900

These are among the highest valued of ALL 1960s era cars. No doubt, today's collectors have determined - just as new car buyers in 1965 did - that the Thunderbird's Lincoln-plant build-quality, Space-Age interior, Swing-Away Steering Wheel, Sequential Rear Turn-Signals, advanced Standard Front Disc Brakes, Coved Rear Seating, and incredible disappearing top ALL made the car truly Unique in All the World - just as Ford's advertising for the car touted!

SEE THE VIDEO - Just search "1965 Ford Thunderbird in Samoan Coral" on YouTube and see a video demonstration of the car in action: Top Operation, Sequential Turn-Signals, and being driven away!

#5Y85Z169273 VIN DECODING:5(1965 Model Year)Y(Wixom Lincoln/Thunderbird Assembly Plant) 85 (Thunderbird Convertible) Z (390 cid V8 w/4BBL) 169273(Production Sequence Number)

DOCUMENTED SOUTHERN CAR: collectors are always on the lookout for "Southern" and "California" cars due to the car-friendly weather conditions of these locales. As the Data Plate decoding below will show, this was a "21-Atlanta" DSO (District Sales Office) car. Also, all the VTCI ownership history that we have for the car is Atlanta-based.

DATA PLATE DECODING: 76A (Thunderbird Convertible) M (Wimbledon White Exterior) 26 (Black Interior) 03F (June 3 Production Date) 21 (Atlanta District Sales Office) 1 (3.00 Axle) 4 (3-Speed Dual-Range Automatic Transmission)

OPERATIONAL REPORT...the car is a joy to drive. The Power Steering, Power Brakes (front disc), and Dual-Range 3-Speed Automatic all combine to make this car a joy to drive on the boulevard, in traffic, and on the highway. It has been reliably driven to many shows...as far away as Texas.

Tested & Working at time of listing: Power top up/down cycle, All exterior lighting (including sequential turn-signals), Horn, Wipers, Clock (though time is not likely too accurate), and All Gauges (Note: when gas tank is full, the gauge will only register half-full...quite common on these cars).

Like most 50+ year-old classic cars, there are a few known "quirks" and minor operational items: like many of the club's 1964-66 T'Birds - the transmission may hesitate slightly from a stop and/or take an extended time to shift - after warm-up these symptoms often subside, horn works - but with only one of the two horn lever/buttons, heater core has been replaced - but there is no fan motor, "Fasten Seat Belt" light does not illuminate, and dash indicator for "brights" does not illuminate (bulb is infamously difficult to replace - need to remove much of dash!). Windshield washer motor works - but was not tested with washer fluid.

LOCATION:Atlanta Metro Area (Suwanee, GA...approx. 35 miles North of Atlanta, GA)

THE FIRST 12 PICTURESwill give you a general overview of this handsome 1965 Thunderbird, but if you are seriously interested...we suggest that you look at ALL 150+ images because we want you to see EVERYTHING. Simply "scroll down" to see the pictures.

Over 3,000 TRANSACTIONS WITH HAPPY PEOPLE!As of the date of this listing, we've had over 3,000 transactions (both BuyingandSelling) on eBay without a single complaint. One of the keys to our success is to showlargerandmoreimages than almost any other eBay listing...so you canclearlysee what you are getting. We also give a very detailed description of the car...not just a few sentences like many listings.
ODOMETER NOTE...the odometer currently reads 08848. Due to the design limitations of odometers of this era, accurate mileage since new cannot be known with certainty.

PAYMENT DETAILS...Payment is due within 3-business days of auction's end via Bank to Bank wire transfer.

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERSare welcome, but MUST adhere to the SAME Payment Terms detailed above and also make all arrangements for the pick-up.

ABOUT ME...I am an avid Classic Car enthusiast. After retiring from 30 years of Sales & Marketing in a Global 100 company, I began buying and selling Classic Cars and Collectibles as a collector and for friends and clients. This classic belongs to a friend and fellow VTCI club member.

Please Note: as of this date, we have had over 3,000 eBay transactions with 100% Positive Feedback...this includes the sale of many Classic Cars to Buyers all over the world, including Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Australia, Russia, Canada, Japan and throughout the United States.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENT & CONDITION OF SALE REMARKS:Bill of Sale and Vehicle Registration documents will be provided to the Buyer.

NOTE: The state of Georgia does not require titles for pre-1986 vehicles. Instead of a title, "Non-Title" appears in the title field of the Vehicle Registration. Since Georgia requires proof of ownership before Vehicle Registration documents can be issued, the current Vehicle Registration becomes the government-issued document of ownership. ALL states must respect the DMV laws of all other states...so the car can be registered, insured, and driven in ANY state. Whether your state also issues a title or not, is entirely dependent upon your state's DMV laws.

VIN NOTE: as this car was listed, we discovered an error on the Vehicle Registration VIN, the "Z" in the VIN is incorrectly printed as a "7”. This was an easy-to-make mistake when the VIN was read during the car's original registration - likely many many years ago. Georgia has a very straightforward way to correct this - and we are working on getting a corrected Vehicle Registration. Every effort will be made to have this done before the car is sold...but depending upon DMV speed of processing, there may be a (hopefully slight) delay.

This Vehicle is sold strictly as-shown and on a final as-is basis without any warranties expressed or implied due to age. Even the very best and most valuable classics will require additional maintenance and service - often without warning. Therefore, please expect to continue -as the new owner and caretaker of this classic- to perform additional maintenance and repairs. We hope that you are able to enjoy the car without the need for an immediate repair - but understand that this indeed could be found necessary. As seasoned collectors know, every time you start (or attempt to start) a classic car is a new experience...it could be a wonderful ride, or a new repair to undertake. That is the nature of the hobby, and this car (or any classic car) should not be purchased if you are not prepared for this reality. We have presented the car accurately to the best of our ability, but oversights are possible. Therefore -beforethe auction's end - bidders are welcome to examine the vehicle in person. All sales are final.

Though this car has been driven long distances to shows, this is not done often or regularly, therefore (due to age) we recommend that it be transported to its new locale.

We remind you to be sure to review ALL the images and ALL the captions for this classicbecause - in addition to this description - they relate important information too!

QUESTIONS?...after reviewing ALL the images and reading the entire description, please call Jim Murphy if you have any questions: 706-429-7924

FINAL NOTE...IMPERFECTIONS- The car is very nice, most certainly one of the nicest of this year/make/model extant.But because there is no such thing as a perfect car, please expect some imperfections.Because we endeavor to place the camera everywhere that you can look, you will notice most imperfections yourself. However, in the last set of images, we show several close-ups of imperfections of the type you should expect.

• Please see description write-up for Payment Terms