At $23,500, Is This 1956 Ford Thunderbird A Classic Steal?

If you want to get into the classic car scene but want a car that's likely never going to be worth any more or less than what you paid for it, Ford's two-seat T-Birds are a great choice. Today's Nice Price or No Dice '56 comes with both tops and rare power accessories. Let's see if this heavily-optioned car fits the bill.

It's lost to time whether poet Robert Frost ever advocated "stopping to smell the roses" as a metaphor for maintaining mental health. He did, however, hint at such a restorative action in his narrative poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In that poem, a lone rider stops next to a stand of dark woods for what is implied to be the mere act of internalized contemplation. It closes with the lines, "I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."

That closing feels an apt description of the 1992 Honda Accord LX we looked at on Thursday. Clean and carrying the brand's reputation for build quality on its shoulders, the Accord's only demerit was its high mileage (200K-plus). According to the majority of you, the $4,999 asking price countered that sufficiently. Although many argued in the comments that a lower price would be a slam dunk, the Accord still earned a solid 56% 'Nice Price' win.

When it was new, yesterday's Honda would have been a sensible choice for getting around with a modicum of comfort. When today's 1956 Ford Thunderbird hit the showrooms, however, sensibleness was not one of the factors driving its appeal.

Legendarily considered Ford's answer to Chevy's Corvette, the two-seater Thunderbird was actually positioned as a sporty cruiser rather than a European-style road racer. That's surprising, as the model's inspiration is said to have come from a specially outfitted 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchetta that Enzo Ferrari gifted to Henry Ford II when the two auto company execs were still on speaking terms.

Although based on existing componentry from the Ford and Mercury parts bin, the T-Bird was a radical departure from the rest of Ford's lineup at the time, offering lower, sleeker styling and an optional removable fiberglass hardtop. Unlike Chevy's Corvette, which initially could only be bought with a six-cylinder engine, Ford fitted the T-Bird exclusively with V8 motors from the outset. Not only that, but Ford leveraged the brand-new Y-Block motors that debuted in 1955, offering a 292 CID displacement motor as standard equipment. An optional 312 CID engine was added for the 1956 model year.

This T-Bird has the 312, which, when new, was factory-rated at 225 (gross) horsepower. That's mated to a three-speed Ford-O-Matic transmission with a sporty floor shift. In fact, this car is decked out with all kinds of desirable options. Those include electrically operated window and seat controls, power steering and brakes, and, based on the big box under the dashboard, air conditioning. Given that the latter is not mentioned in the ad, it may be non-functional.

Craigslist

Other pluses here include the car having both tops and, as it is a '56, the iconic portholes in the hardtop. Mileage is reported to be 55,853, which is remarkably low until one considers just how long this T-Bird has been ranked as a classic, and thus relegated to secondary driving duty.

According to the seller, who juxtaposes the car in the photos against an unfortunate workshop parking lot background, "this Baby Bird is a great driver that has been well maintained; it has No Rust, a clean CA title, and is ready to cruise."

Aesthetically, it looks to be in very good condition, albeit not the most exciting color scheme. The Colonial White with black top paint would, comically, not appear any different in color or on black-and-white film.

Distinctive features of the 1956 model include the aforementioned portholes in the hardtop, opening fresh-air vents for the cabin in the front fenders, and the Continental kit in the back, a one-year-only solution to free up more space in the trunk. That had the unfortunate side effect of negatively impacting handling due to its pendulum effect. 

According to an old friend of mine who worked on these cars, they also suffer from a frame so flexible that, once raised on a two-post lift, they bend so much that the doors can't be opened. That's simply the price one sometimes has to pay for style. And these two-seat T-Birds are all about style. That stylishness proved a hit when new, as the Ford outsold Chevy's Corvette by a wide margin in its first year. When the T-Bird was given a larger body and a back seat for 1958, sales more than quadrupled. Those big birds lack the compactness and class of these cars, though.

In fact, for a car with such appeal and lengthy status as a classic, it's surprising that the '55 through '57 Thunderbirds don't command higher prices in the market. More surprising, perhaps, is that the cars seem to have been stuck in the same $25K to $35K price range for, oh, gosh, the last two decades? The cars, much like the MGB, seem to be acknowledged, but not adored, by the collector car market.

That doesn't mean we have to follow suit. Instead, we should look at this T-Bird as a collector opportunity, and, as such, will now need to contemplate its $23,500 asking price. That's a well-optioned classic car in decent, if not show-car quality condition, for the price of a couple-year-old Corolla. Who says there aren't any bargains anymore?

Well, we'll have to see about that. What's your take on this T-Bird and that $23,500 price tag? Is that actually a deal to get into the classic car scene? Or, even at that price, would you flip this Ford the bird?

You decide!

Santa Barbara, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Hat tip to Don R. for the hookup!

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