Ford created a segment called the ‘Personal Luxury Car’ in 1955, which was aimed at the luxury car seeker who wanted something more intimate than a typical luxury sedan. In fact, this was America’s interpretation of the continental Grand Tourer. Ford would go on to create another segment in 1964, the Pony Car with the Mustang but that’s a story for another day. Their contender for Personal Luxury Car was called the Thunderbird, and this model ran for ten generations between 1955 and 1997, with a retro-modern eleventh generation in 2002 that ran for three years. What we have on sale here is a 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible from the second generation that hails from Iowa with 50,000 reportedly original miles on the clock.

Exterior and Interior

The third generation Thunderbird ran from 1961 to 1963 and featured a significant restyling over the second generation. This 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible proudly showcases all those features in its bright red paint job. It rolls on some lovely wire wheels with new white-wall tires. Those rear lamp clusters were designed to evoke memories of jet engines, remember that this was the jet-set era where manufacturers were trying to sneak aircraft design cues into road-going automobiles. The white convertible top is powered, and a new convertible top motor has been installed for added reliability. The two-tone interior is a red and white affair with seating for four occupants. Interior features for the third generation included the ‘floating’ rearview mirror and Swing-Away steering wheel whereby the steering wheel could be slid to the right-hand side with the transmission in Park, allowing easier entry and exit for the driver. This stunning example also features air conditioning that’s been converted to use the more common R134A refrigerant. There’s also a retro-modern style radio cassette that plays through Pioneer speakers.

Engine

Grand Tourers, or Personal Luxury Cars had to have a sizable engine that would offer effortless cruising with minimal fuss or straining. This is taken care of in this 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible by the 390ci (6.4L) Ford FE V8 engine that’s fed through a new Holley 4-barrel carburetor and has received a replacement fuel pump too. The output is reported to be 300hp, which is more than adequate for this car, and drive is to the rear wheels via a 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic MX automatic transmission, which has reportedly been rebuilt on this example. The car has also received new shock absorbers to restore its plush ride quality.