No Sunlight Since 1985: 1958 Ford Thunderbird
When Ford replaced the two-passenger Thunderbird with a much more conventional coupe, purists were justifiably outraged. While the original Thunderbird was one of the most gorgeous designs in automotive history, its successor was dubbed somewhat derisively “Squarebird.” Decades later, collectors are developing a minor appreciation for this uniquely styled personal luxury car. If you have a hankering for one of these Squarebirds, but you want to build it to suit your particular tastes, then super reader T.J. has found for you one that has not seen the light of day since it was hidden away in 1985. This 1958 Ford Thunderbird for sale on Craigslist in Hallsville, Texas is ready to be re-assembled and restored to its former glory. Is $7,000 too much to pay for a rust-free example of Ford’s second-generation Thunderbird, particularly if it is in pieces?
A lot of folks still lament the loss of the two-seat Ford Thunderbird after its 1955 through 1957 production run. While it far outsold its Chevrolet Corvette rival, sales numbers just weren’t where bean counters at Ford thought they needed to be. This is a familiar refrain across automotive history. The public clamors for some beautiful, somewhat impractical car to be produced. The company makes the investment and starts punching them out, only to find lots full of them after the initial demand has been met. While we all want a cool vehicle; we tend to spend our transportation money where we have to rather than where we want to.
In this case, the bean counters were right. Particularly, Robert McNamara who spearheaded this decision and a lot of other profit-focused decisions down the road with questionable results. Adding more seating to a Thunderbird and making it more of a personal luxury vehicle than a sports (sporty) car greatly added to the company’s bottom line. In fact, the Squarebird (as it came to be called) sold four times better than the original Thunderbird when you compare the production runs of both. In the court of public opinion, few pine over Squarebirds, but the two-seat cars are still a part of our culture as Americans.
You could count me among the later car’s detractors until I saw this video of a 1959 Squarebird doing battle in the St. Mary’s Trophy race at Goodwood. The driver, a gentleman by the name of Tom Kristensen carves through the pack masterfully, throwing the American behemoth around sideways in the corners with aplomb. While I know he could probably drive a riding lawnmower as well, his performance in this heavy beast blew my mind. I never imagined a Squarebird as a competent race car, despite my knowledge of their use in NASCAR. From that moment on, I wanted to build up a car similar to the beast he manhandled at Goodwood.
While I am too low on finds and garage space to seriously consider purchasing this 1958 Thunderbird (as usual…), this would be the perfect car for one of you who has similar ill-intent for the traffic laws of this great nation. We are told by the seller that this Thunderbird has been hidden away in the back of an old shop since 1985 when it was last tagged. Supposedly it was in another shop for ten years before that. By the looks of the pictures, it was partially disassembled for some major work that never happened.
Over that time, the car has been out of the elements and is rust-free and described as “straight as an arrow.” It comes with all the parts you need to reassemble it, and a few extra pieces are thrown in for good measure. We are further told that all of the glass and chrome is there, and that the car has a clear Texas title. The mileage on the 352 cubic inch V-8 is unknown, however.
So, if the video deeply changed your opinion about Squarebirds in the same manner that it did for me, you might want to give the seller a call. Finding a rust-free Thunderbird of this era is tough. They have also kindly stripped it down to the point you can build it to your liking. While I still feel that the two-seat Thunderbird should have lived on in more than name only, the second-generation Thunderbirds aren’t that bad. Especially when one is drifting through a corner laying waste to lesser European sedans.
What would you do with this 1958 Thunderbird? Please share your plans if you had the means and intent to carry them out in the comments.
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Comments
This was the only square bird with coil springs out back. Can’t remember if Ford was playing with air and decided that’s not working as intended, so coil springs were installed this one year. Then after 58 they were leaf springs again.
Very poor design the coil springs.
Piles of parts. Gotta love it. Bet you can find a complete running car for a lot less than it’s going to cost put all the parts in one pile again.
So then you would agree with me here and just let it sleep for another thirty years or so…?
In agreement 100 percent.
Yes but you’d get the privilege of paying for a restoration and an expedition!
Bob, grab those bolts over there, for the door….I think there on top of the manifold.
I’m a big fan of the Squarebird, having once owned a beautiful, all original, unrestored black 59. I never considered the term Squarebird derogatory either, but instead I always thought of it as just a term that described them based on their shape, in comparison to the earlier two seater.
The Squarebird was really a departure from anything sold before it. While Lincoln’s Continental Mark II was likely the first “personal luxury car”, the Squarebird was the first mass produced one. If it weren’t for the Squarebird we may never seen the Riviera, Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Charger, etc. It created the market segment for sporty, stylish, powerful, bucket seat, full console, 2 door, 4 passenger cars.
Squarebirds have a pretty good following and if you care to look at the prices they’re going for, you’ll find that they can bring some pretty good money. While the average price for a Squarebird hardtop is in the $20K-$25K range, prime convertible examples easily command $50-$65K. This is the same territory pricewise that the better 55-57 2 seaters occupy.
The squarebirds were a good looking car, it’s not fair to compare them to the 57
No way !! just a pile of parts to sift through. No thanks!!!I would be on social security by then…hahahah
I would sell it or scrap it, if I’m not the one who took it apart I don’t want to figure out someone’s failed puzzle
The seller is choosing the former.
I’m glad he did!
This is the kind of puzzle I like, or would if a) I had an empty barn, and b) weren’t well past social security age. TBH I think this would be fun to put back together. It’s hardly rocket science on a vehicle of this vintage.
I agree, and would enjoy putting it together. If I had the room it would be in my shop
The price is much too high for something that needs to be assembled…ah, restored. Many deep holes will be revealed once you organize the various pieces of metal into piles of similar type.
The 20 to 25K for a put together car is a better investment…get this for 3K and maybe the numbers make more dollars and sense.
The only thing this is good for is a parts/body shell donor.
About $3500 to much for this jigsaw puzzle.
Franklin Hershey designed the 3 year 2 seat original bird. I was personal friends with Frank, & took care of him the last few years of life in Hemet, Ca. He absolutely hated the ‘58 T Birds on, designed while he was in England. He was quite a man.
I had a white ’60 with a red interior back in college in the early Seventies. Beautiful car. Another one I drove up and down the East Coast.Those were the days. See a car you wanted, less than a thousand bucks would buy it…when a thousand bucks was the mental equivalent of ten grand today but much more attainable.
For the life of me I cant imagine why the seller thinks someone will pay seven grand for a pile of T bird parts. Oh yeah. The Internet.
“Comes with all the parts,…”
One can hope.
I had a yellow 60 with the 430 as my first car back in 72. Hung on to it till we moved to CO in 87. I just looked at a 58 with a fresh 352, LOTS of spare/new parts and a “rust free” body (had a lil bit of rust thru on the trailing edge of the trunk). Interior was serviceable but will need replacement. New tires on American Racing Torque Trust wheels – $2,000 – and I didn’t bring it home. So yeah…I think $7k is a wee bit high
Very enjoyable watching a T bird pass a Jaguar.
That was a very cool video, thanks.
Just too many of these around to be saved….
I’d rather see what looks like a 59 or 60 Cadillac sitting next to it. Of course, you can’t see much to be sure.