Suddenly, you wonder why you stress about social media, the news, or other people’s opinions. You start to become sedated by the car’s boulevard cruiser attitude. Instead, it was now entirely devoted to being an elegant personal luxury coupe. It drives like you’re walking through knee-deep water – it’s heavy, smooth, and forces you to slow down physically, but also emotionally.īy 1963, the Thunderbird had long given up trying to be a Corvette counterpart. The car’s nature is as mellow as an afternoon nap during a three-day weekend. None of the instant demands of modern life as it cruises down the line. It’s a two-door coupe that weighs over two tons, a factory slab, and somehow it feels light as a feather. Once on the road, you are suddenly under the spell of the car’s confidence. Instead, it was now entirely devoted to being an elegant personal luxury coupe with one-finger light steering, effortless throttle control, and a ride as smooth as the surface of an infinity pool.Įven with 300-hp on tap, the three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission is in no hurry to get from point A to point B. By 1963, the Thunderbird had long given up trying to be a Corvette counterpart. Turn the key, and the massive 6.4-liter 390ci V8 awakes with a confident but subtle growl before purring itself warm. You move the steering wheel, and it clicks into place in the center. The function of this feature is to make it easier for the driver to enter and exit the vehicle. When in park, pushing the automatic column up allows the driver to move the steering wheel to the right like an empty plate on a table to make room for dessert. You notice the steering wheel is far to your right because it is a swing-away steering column. You drop down into the soft, springy rose-colored bucket seats. The door feels light even though it’s longer than most subcompact cars. You walk up to the pink Thunderbird and reach for the door handle embedded into the car’s chrome trim. What It’s Like to Drive an Original 1963 Ford Thunderbird Modern vehicles need more color in their interiors, and this should be the benchmark. The near-perfect interior of the car provokes a soothing feeling of tranquility similar to biting down on a deliciously sweet pastry. According to Ryan, this Thunderbird was ordered by the original owner Francis Roseberry in Sahara Rose with a rose-colored interior. It’s a stunning shade that can vanish into white under direct sunlight. The Sahara Rose color on this Thunderbird pre-dates Mary Kay and pink gold iPhones. You get the impression that if someone stood the car up onto its tail fins, it would blast off into the stratosphere. Matched with a relatively low ride height, the Thunderbird looks like it glides over the road. It starts at the pointed front and forms an almost teardrop when it reaches the taillights. The body lines flow like a trajectory to look like an airplane’s fuselage with whitewall tires instead of wings. The whole car’s design is inspired by the optimism and paranoia of the Cold War and beating the Russkis to the moon. It’s commandingly known as the “bullet-bird” for its rocker-booster taillights that symbolize America’s neck-and-neck space race against the former Soviet Union – Russia. This model was the last production year of the third-generation Ford Thunderbird (1961-1963). Today, parking lots are overrun with SUVs sporting 50 shades of gunmetal grey with singing bass grilles and arched, angry headlights. There is no mistaking this for a Chrysler, Chevrolet, Buick, or Lincoln. That is not the case with this 1963 Ford Thunderbird. Remove the brand name, and people would have difficulty picking out their vehicle from the herd. Space Race DesignĪmerican cars from the late 1950s and early 1960s offer more details in their design than an art gallery. Thanks to Ryan, I had a chance to reflect on the year 1963 behind the wheel of this light pink Ford Thunderbird. More than listening to a live album on vinyl or wearing parachute pants to an 80’s party, driving an unrestored, original classic vehicle engulfs the driver with the period’s smells, sounds, and sensations. Until last year, the Thunderbird had spent its whole life in Colorado before car-rescuer Ryan Richards bought it and drove it, sight unseen, back to Texas.ĭriving a survivor car like this is one of the easiest ways to experience history firsthand. The car’s condition is as pristine as anything rolling across the auction block at Barrett Jackson or Mecum without the stigma of being a “trailer queen”. This Sahara Rose 1963 Ford Thunderbird coupe is knocking on 60 years on this earth without needing to be restored, repainted, or repaired.
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