This version of the "Wild Bird" was painted silver flake over a white base. The first version of the "Wild Bird", was completed in 1966 and shown along with some construction photos in Start & Speed No.2-1966. Bo got help from several other customĬar builders like Matti Johansson and Bo Kjellner. The air intakes on the hood were given the same treatment as the front fenders. The taillights were moved down into the air intakes. The front fenders that used to house the taillights were modified and fit with directional lights. The front end was heavily restyled and fit with two large air intakes. The rearview mirror was installed between the dual plexi windshields. A 13 inch Covico steering wheel was installed to give more room for the driver. The original console and all the pieces around the dashboard were chromed. A flying console was installed between the front seats. Fiberglass GT chairs were placed low and further back then original. The old taillight housings on the flipped trunk lid were used to attach the headrests. An additional trunk lid from a 1959 Ford Thunderbird was flipped around and welded on to the body over the back seats. He saved and chopped the part of the roof above the rear window. The Wild Bird build was based on a Thunderbird coupe that Gamen cut the roof off. After building a customized 1959 Ford Thunderbird named the " Surfin Bird", Bo started building a more radical Thunderbird custom called the "Wild Bird" in 1965. Right now, its just a two-ton paperwork.1959 Ford Thunderbird owned and restyled by Bo "Gamen" Sandberg of Yankee Customs in Älvsjö, Stockholm, Sweden. A personal assessment of the overall condition of this ’59 would be needed before saying whether the seller’s asking price is a good deal. $35,000 is top-dollar for a top car, with $6,000 being the peg for fair condition. The second generation of T-Birds don’t command the same prices as its predecessors. We assume this is numbers-matching, but there is no reference as such. The seller confirms it’s a 352 cubic inch V-8 with 4-barrel carburetor that was rated at 300 hp. We assume the engine doesn’t run, but hopefully nothing more than inactivity rather than a mechanical issue. Or a push-button operation like the first Edsel’s, which were still in production when this car was made, although Ford couldn’t give them away. I was surprised to see a column-shift for the Ford-O-Matic since the car has a console and I thought it would be a floor shifter. Before ordering a full-interior kit, a good cleaning will tell you just how far you have to go. Interior-wise, the car looks to be original and dirty, too, but without too much damage other than a tear here and there in the seats. The photos we’re treated to show a good body with no dents and no evidence of rust, although it could be hiding in the nether regions. Certainly not to air up the tires and roll it outside for a bath and some glamour shots. The car is said to have 82,000 miles on it and – given the amount of dust it has accumulated – it’s doubtful the car has moved in recent history. It looks far better than a parts car, so it’s a restoration candidate waiting for Daddy Warbucks to arrive. This white 1959 Thunderbird, which saw sales of 68,000 units, is described as a project car by the seller. So it’s hard to argue with numbers like those. Fast forward to 1960 and 198,000 of the first four-seaters had been delivered to customers since 1958. For the purists, Ford sold 53,000 of the first two-seaters (and they outsold the similar Chevy Corvette), but that wasn’t enough for the pencil-pushers. Regardless of the body style (which would also include a four-door at one point), Ford built more than 4.4 million T-Birds over the duration. For only seven of those 47 years, it would be built on a two-seat platform. First, a 43-year stint between 19 and then again in 2002-05. The Ford Thunderbird (aka T-Bird) would be one of Ford’s longest running nameplates. It can be found in Owenton, Kentucky (kind of mid-way between Louisville and Cincinnati) and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,000. That would include this 1959 that appears to have been hidden away in a garage for many years. The second generation (1958-60) outsold the first by nearly four to one. In hindsight, Ford’s decision to shift from two to four seats in 1958 was a good business decision. While a lot of folks think of it as a sports car, in reality it was one of the first personal luxury cars. To many, “the real Thunderbird” was the original two-seater that Ford built between 1955-57.
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