GLCC Proudly Presents This Gorgeous

1959 Ford Thunderbird

Convertible

Attention Collectors and T-Bird Fans!

Beautifully appointed 1959 “Tall Fin” Thunderbird.

Vin# H9YJ120310

‘H’ CODE 352ci 4V 300HP V8

CRUISE-O-MATIC TRANSMISSION

POWER STEERING

POWER RETRACTABLE TOP

ORIGINAL DRIVELINE

RESTORED QUITE SOME TIME AGO

AND FINISHED IN BEAUTIFUL
COLONIAL WHITE

UNDER A BLACK CONVERTIBLE TOP.

THE TWO-TONE BLACK AND WHITE

ORIGINAL LEATHER INTERIOR

COMPLIMENTS THIS BIRD NICELY.

THE LEATHER INTERIOR IS ORIGINAL

AND SHOWS MINIMAL WEAR
CONSIDERING AGE

BODY IS STRAIGHT AND GLOSSY

WITH ONLY A FEW CHIPS

AND SMALL SCRATCHES

EXCELLENT CHROME BUMPERS

AND STAINLESS TRIM

PERIOD WIDE WHITE WALL TIRES

KEEPS THE BIRD GROUNDED

IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO DRIVE THIS CAR, TOP UP OR DOWN.

THE 352ci ENGINE IS RESPONSIVE

AND TAKES YOU DOWN THE ROAD
WITHOUT HESITATION.

CRUISE-O-MATIC TRANSMISSION

SHIFTS AND FEELS CRISP AT ANY SPEED.

ALL THE ELECTRICAL WORKS. 
DASH LIGHTS, COUTESY LIGHTS, AS WELL

AS EXTERNAL LIGHTS, AND BINKERS.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND THESE CARS

AS SOLID AND STRAIGHT AS THIS.

THE BODY IS SOLID WITH IDENTIFIABLE

FACTORY SEAMS ON HOOD,
DOORS, AND TRUNK (NO ROT)

FLOORS WERE REPAIRED

AND UNDERCOATED FOR MANY YEARS OF
CONTINUED ENJOYMENT.

BODY LINES WERE MAINTAINED

AND KEPT STRAIGHT DURING
RESTORATION MAKING THIS SOUGHT AFTER CONVERTIBLE STAND OUT IN ANY CROWD.

THE 1959 MODEL YEAR CONSISTED OF

67,456 TOTAL THUNDERBIRDS BUILT

WITH ONLY 10,261 CONVERTIBLES… 

THERE AREN’T AS MANY LEFT TODAY!

THIS PARTICULAR BIRD

WAS AN EARLY PRODUCTION CAR

SHARING 1958 TOP OPERATING COMPONENTS BEFORE FORD WENT TO

“FULL POWER” RETRACTABLE. 

THE TOP ITSELF IS FULL POWER,

HOWEVER THE
REAR DECK LID RELEASE

IS A “BUTTON POP” FROM THE DASH,

THEN DECK LID IS MANUALLY RAISED
WHILE YOU WORK THE HYDRAULICS FROM ANOTHER LEVER SWITCH INSIDE THE TRUNK TO RETRACT THE CONVERTIBLE SOFT TOP.

DEFINITELY PREFERRED OVER

THE HIGHLY COMPLICATED AND
UNRELIABLE FULL HYDRAULIC

REAR DECK CONFIGURATION.

WE HAVE AN AFINITY FOR THESE

EARLY RARE BIRDS

AS MANY COLLECTORS DO.

BY OWNING THIS THUNDERBIRD

WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL TOO.

Here’s some Thunderbird History for your reading pleasure.

Ford promoted their 1959 Thunderbird
as 'the car everyone would love to own.'
The second-generation T-Bird, introduced in 1958, was available in coupe or
convertible form. The Convertible featured a power-operated soft top that
disappeared into the trunk area, with no boot to mar the ultra-sleek top-down profile.

The Ford Thunderbird is an American automotive icon first introduced in 1955. During the early 1950's, military men were returning from fighting in World War II. In Europe, the style of vehicle was very different from the Detroit American car. The graceful but sporty MG, Triumphs, and Jaguar's, to name a few, had found their way into the hearts of many of these serviceman. The American automobile manufacturers noticed this
trend and felt there was a strong market to support a small sportscar.

The Chevrolet was one of the first, if not the famous, of the Detroit auto-manufacturers to test the market with the introduction of their Corvette. Not wanting to be left behind, Ford entered with their Thunderbird.

Lewis D. Crusoe, Frank Hershey, and George Walker are considered the creators of the Thunderbird. Crusoe was a retired GM executive; Hershey was a designer for Ford; and Walker was the chief stylist for Ford. While Crusoe and Walker were in Paris, they saw a sports car and were instantly
inspired. They convinced Hershey to create designs and the result was an open car with room for two passengers. As with all cars, deciding upon a suitable name is difficult. There were well over 5000 suggestions, with the one submitted by Alden Giberson behind selected. The name Whizzer had been seriously considered but was dropped for Gibersons suggestion, the Thunderbird.

The major complaint of many of the owners of the 'Classic' or 'Little Bird' Thunderbirds had been due to its size, mainly because there was no back seat and limited trunk space.

The next version of the Thunderbird addressed both of these issues.

The second series of the Thunderbird was produced from 1958 through 1960 and are commonly referred to as the 'Squarebirds' due to their design. The designs of the Corvette and the Thunderbird went in different directions with the Thunderbird continue to further evolve into the luxury car segment. Robert McNamara, the CEO of Ford at the time, made the final decision to morph the 2-door Thunderbird into a four-door. The decision was made in an attempt to increase sales.

The square and angular design quickly made its way to the rest of the Ford model line. It was primarily the work of Joe Oros who would later aid in the designing of the Ford Mustang. The design proposed by Elwood Engel was declined but later influenced the 1961 Lincoln Continental.

The Thunderbird was now built with a unitized body replacing the traditional body on frame construction. The interior had bucket
seats and a center console. The console and bucket seats were the result of an engineering problem. The Thunderbird sat very low, lower than most automobiles at the time. The powertrain needed to be revised in order to fit under the car without dragging on the ground. The result was to burrow it higher in the car
and offer a center console. The center console was a welcomed amenity, allowing buttons, switches and ashtrays to be built into it. The Thunderbird was offered as a hardtop or a convertible. A retractable top was considered but after less-than favorable experiences with the Skyliner, the idea was scrapped.
Lincoln and the Thunderbird were both built on the same assembly line at a newly created plant located in Wixom Michigan specifically for the development of these upscale vehicles.

Under the hood was a 352 cubic-inch V8 that produced an impressive 300 horsepower. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with overdrive or Cruise-O-Matic being offered as optional equipment. The vehicle was suspended in place with a front independent suspension and a live rear axle both with with coil springs. The combination of luxury and power seemed to be a
suitable decision for Ford, as sales skyrocketed to almost 38000. The hardtop option was by far the popular choice with almost 36000 units constructed. A little over 2000 examples of the convertible option were chosen.

The NASCAR racing circuit saw the square bird racing around the track during 1959 and 1960. The vehicle was not only popular with
consumers it also captured the coveted Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1958.

For 1959 Ford began offering leather seats in the Thunderbird. Ornaments could now be found on the exterior of the vehicle.
Though little was changed in regards to aesthetics, there were many new mechanical components. The coil springs in the rear were replaced with a Hotchkiss drive unit and parallel leaf springs. An optional Lincoln 430 cubic-inch V8 boosted power to 350 horsepower, while the 352 was still the base engine. Part way through the year a change to the convertibles mechanism made them full automatic. Sales continued to be strong, with over 67000 examples
being produced. The hardtop was still the more popular with just over 57000 examples created. The convertible had respectable sales with 10,261 examples being produced.

If you have any questions about this

or any of our other auctions

please feel free to contact us via

e-mail sales@glclassiccars.com or you can call us at (800) 510-3797.

Thank you for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you.

WE ALWAYS DO OUR BEST TO DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT WE SEE AND KNOW ABOUT THE ITEM YOU'RE BIDDING ON..."IF YOU DON'T KNOW OR ARE NOT SURE PLEASE CALL..." Please don't hesitate to contact us.

tel: 800-510-3797

e-mail: glclassics@yahoo.com ,

We will be more than happy to speak to you. Thank you