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 SORRY, SHE SOLD IMMEDIATELY TO PALM BEACH GARDENS !

1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD 'RESTO-MOD' ROADSTER

THIS YEAR IN HISTORY WAS NOT ONLY THE LAST YEAR FOR THE VINTAGE "T- BIRD" BUT, IT IS ALSO THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER AND DESIRED OF ALL THE "BABY BIRDS". THIS PARTICULAR CAR WAS DISCOVERED IN RUST-FREE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND PURCHASED FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. IT WAS THEN SHIPPED TO OHIO WHERE IT UNDERWENT A COMPREHENSIVE BOLT-FOR-BOLT, FRAME-OFF RESTORATION BY ONE OF THE NATIONS TOP RESTORERS 'MARVIN HILL RESTORATIONS'. BUT, THE STORY GETS BETTER: IT WAS THEN COMPLETELY UPGRADED TO RESTO-MOD  STANDARDS USING A MODERN SUSPENSION AND A LATE FORD 5.0 LITRE MOTOR WITH THE LATEST FORD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION & OVERDRIVE. THE RESULTS ARE ONE OF THE BEST DRIVING CLASSIC CARS MONEY COULD BUY.  AIR CONDITIOING WAS INSTALLED IN-DASH,  ORIGINAL TELESCOPIC WHEEL DISCARDED REPLACED BY A CHROME TILT STEERING COLUMN, MODERN GAUGE PACKAGE, 4- WHL. DISC BRAKES, LEISURE POWER STEERING, FENDER SKIRTS W/ CHROME GUARDS. YPDATED RADIO UPGRADED W/ CD CHANGER & OPTIONAL TRUNK-MOUNT ATTENNA, POWER WINDOWS, DUAL SIDE REAR MIRRORS, AND MORE. ALL WORK WAS TO THE HIGHEST PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. TO TOP IT OFF, IT IS FITTED WITH BOTH HARD AND SOFT TOPS AND A SET OF  WIDE WHITEWALL RADIAL TIRES MOUNTED ON FIVE CHROME WIRES WHEELS.  THIS CAR STOPS TRAFFIC EVERYWHERE IT GOES!  FORD BUILT 21,380 '57 THUNDERBIRDS BUT, WE ARE WILLING TO BET YOU WON'T FIND MORE THAN 2-3 GROUND-UP RESTO-MOD' 57 BIRD'S LIKE THIS OUT THERE.  IT COST $150,000 TO BUILD IN 2006. BUY IT NOW, 4,023 MILES LATER, STILL IN MINT CONDITION FOR $125,000.  SORRY, SOLD IMMEDIATELY!

 THE STORY:

IF YOU REMEMBER 'THE MOUSEKETEERS', JANE MANSFIELD AND ELVIS PRESLEY YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO 1957. ALLEN GINSBERG WROTE "THE BEST MINDS IN THE BUSINESS ARE DESTROYED BY MADNESS"  IN AN EPIC POEM WHICH SERVED AS THE PRE-CURSOR TO THE 'PRE-HIPPIE' , "BEAT" GENERATION ("CALLED BEATNIKS"). RCA RECORDS SIGNED 'ELVIS'  WHO IMMEDIATELY RELEASED "HEARTBREAK HOTEL" IN MARCH. BY THE END OF THAT YEAR HE WOULD SCORE TEN OTHER #1 HITS INCLUDING "DON'T BE CRUEL"," HOUND DOG", LOVE ME TENDER: AND "I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU". OTHER TOP TUNES WERE GUY MITCHELL'S 'SINGING THE BLUES" AND KAY STARR "THE ROCK AND ROLL WALTZ". TOP TELEVISION SHOWS (ON BLACK AND WHITE TV) WERE "THE $64,000 QUESTION", "I LOVE LUCY", "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW", "DISNEYLAND" AND "THE JACK BENNY SHOW". ROCK AND ROLL  TOOK THE NATION BY STORM LEAVING NO PRISONERS. YOU COULDN'T TURN ON YOUR AM RADIO WITHOUT HEARING SONGS BY 'LITTLE RICHARD', 'GENE VINCENT', 'CARL PERKINS', 'ELVIS', 'ANDY WILLIAMS', 'THE PLATTERS', 'PAT BOONE' OR 'BUDDY HOLLY'.   DICK CLARK'S "AMERICAN BANDSTAND" BECAME A MAINSTAY ON AFTER-SCHOOL TV.  IF YOU WENT OUT ON A DATE- YOU "NECKED" (MADE OUT) ON AIR FORCE BEACH OR SEWELL'S POINT, DESPITE THE HOURLY WAGE WAS ONLY $1 PER HOUR, YOU  WENT TO THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE OR DRIVE-IN DINERS WEEKLY. KIDS COLLECTED ANTS IN A DEVICE INVENTED BY MILTON LEVINE CALLED "THE ANT FARM". ....."A LIVING TV SCREEN" FOR ONLY $1.98 (AND $5 IN PEST CONTROL WHEN YOU KNOCKED THE PLASTIC CASE OFF YOUR BEDROOM DRESSER). BEST FILM ACTOR WOULD BE YUL BRYNER IN "THE KING AND I",  WHILE INGRID BERGMAN GOT ACCOLADES AS BEST ACTRESS IN "ANASTATIA". JANE MANSFILED CAUSED SENSORY OVERLOAD WITH HER, MORE THAN AMPLE, ATTRIBUTES IN THE MOVIE "THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT",  WHILE, ELVIS SCORED BIG WITH HIS FIRST MOVIE "LOVE ME TENDER". AMERICA'S RURAL POPULATION DECLINED AS MORE AND MORE FAMILIES SOLD THEIR FARMS AND RANCHES AND MOVED INTO HOUSING TRACTS NEAR THE BIG CITIES. YOU COULD BUY A BEAUTIFUL "RANCH-STYLE" BUNGALOW HOUSE FOR ONLY $11,000.

SIX MILLION CARS AND ONE MILLION TRUCKS WERE SOLD IN 1957, WITH ONE OUT OF EVERY 8, BEING A STATION WAGON.. FORD WOULD BE THE FIRST TO OFFER AN OPTIONAL "SAFETY PACKAGE" INCLUDING A PADDED DASH, SUN VISORS, DEEP DISH STEERING WHEEL, SAFETY DOOR LATCHES.... HOWEVER, IT TURNS OUT AMERICANS WEREN'T INTERESTED  AS VERY FEW WERE ORDERED AND THE PACKAGE WAS WITHDRAWN THE VERY NEXT YEAR.

FORD ALSO OFFERED 'THE RETRACTABLE HARDTOP' ON IT'S FULL-SIZE CAR LINE FOR THE FIRST TIME, CHRYSLER THE "HI WAY HI FI"   16 1/2 RPM UNDERDASH RECORD PLAYER AND 'CONTINENTAL KITS' (ENCLOSED SPARE TIRE MOUNTED OVER BACK BUMPER) WERE THE RAGE. FURTHER T-BIRD HISTORY: MOST FOLKS DO NOT REALIZE THAT THE 1957 MODEL WAS ACTUALLY 4 INCHES SHORTER THAN THE 1956 WHILE,  FORD USED A STRADDLE-MOUNTED PINION THIS YEAR ONLY FOR GREATER DURABILITY.  THE ORIGINAL 'TOWN AND COUNTRY' RADIO FEATURED AN AUTOMATIC RADIO VOLUME THAT INCREASED WITH SPEED. THE DASH GOT A 140 MPH SPEEDO BUT, LOST THE 'GLASS GREENHOUSE' (DOME) FROM THE '56. 

THIS CAR WAS SO POPULAR FORD CONTINUED TO BUILD THEM 3 MORE MONTHS INTO 1958 FORD PRODUCTION ( UP UNTIL DEC. 13 1957). NEW, THESE WERE PRICED AT $3162 BASE STICKER BUT, COULD EASILY RUN $3860 OPTIONED OUT W/ TRANSPORT CHARGES. LOOKING BACK: NO ONE CAN SAY FOR SURE WHETHER IT WAS SUZZANNE SUMMERS RETRO-MOVIE APPEARANCE IN "AMERICAN GRAFITTI" DRIVING A WHITE '57 T-BIRD OR, THE FACT THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR AND HAS APPEARED SMALL AND SEXY  (ACTUALLY IT'S THE SAME EXACT SIZE AS A MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE) BUT, THE 1957 T-BIRD IS AN AMERICAN ICON FIT FOR A PEDESTAL.  WHAT BETTER CAR TO RE-CREATE AND RE-BUILD EVEN BETTER.... RATCHETED UP TO NEW, HIGHER, STANDARDS. THIS CLASSIC HAS BEEN  HAND-BUILT TO A HIGHER PLANE.

1957 T-BIRDS ARE STILL ONE OF THE TOP PROVEN COLLECTOR ITEMS.  TOTAL 'BABY BIRD' PRODUCTION FOR 1955-1957 TOPPED 53,166 CARS SOLD. ..YET, DESPITE THE GENEROUS NUMBERS THEY ARE SUPER HARD TO FIND IN TOP NOTCH CONDITION. MANY HAVE DOOR SAG, BONDO-ED SIDES AND WEAK FRAMES. LIKE THE 1967 CORVETTE, THE 'LAST ISSUE' 1957 THUINDERBIRD EARNED A PERMENANT SPOT IN THE COLLECTOR CAR HALL OF FAME. WE THINK THIS CAR ONE-UP'S  THE WHOLE GAME.