I would definitely recommend doing due diligence on this one. The seller says, “the car runs smooth…trans works just fine…I guess the engine bay could stand a detailing but, to be honest, it shows just how unmolested the car is.” So what do you think? The seller says it’s the real deal, not a clone, and not priced at $75k and up. It’s mated to the Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission and the mileage is listed at 15,543, although their’s nothing stated about documentation if that’s the actual mileage. There’s only one photo of the engine bay that show’s the ‘Bird’s 390-cubic inch V8 which generated 300 horses when new. It’s kinda funny that Ford’s advertising team used a selling feature of “having more room for luggage and storage in the back seats with the tonneau cover in place.” Ah, those Don Draper’s of the 1960’s ad world. Here’s a view of the distinctive fiberglass tonneau which covered the area behind the front bucket seats. I’d love looking at that cockpit every time I drove it. And that ultra cool space-age dash is probably my favorite design of all the classic Thunderbirds. If so, it is in remarkable condition for a 60-year-old car, especially the black leather bucket seats and rear seat. I’m no Bullet Bird expert, so I’m not sure if everything in this ‘Bird’s interior is how it left the factory. The seller confesses that he “thinks” everything else is original except for the one repaint, which I find a bit odd. The black interior also appears to be in very good condition and I’m not seeing any glaring flaws.
The chrome, trim, glass, Sports Roadster badging, and factory Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels all look very good as does the black convertible top. The seller says “everything else is original as far as I can tell.” The ‘Bird’s current Corinthian White paint looks shiny and presentable and the body looks very good overall (the seller says the body has a few blemishes but doesn’t give details). It’s described as a VIN-matching “real deal” – not a clone -driver-quality Sports Roadster that’s had one repaint. Zero history or background of this Rare Bird is provided. for his fine bird watching abilities and for sending this tip to Barn Finds.
It’s located in the Kalispell, Montana area and is for sale here on craigslist for $47,500. This definitely puts a Sports Roadster in the “Rare Bird” and collectability categories and here’s one of the surviving 455 units produced in 1963 for your consideration. But, between the cost (Sports Roadsters were $651 more than a Convertible and $1,118 more than the Hardtop) and the buying public not buying the “illusion” that a two-ton luxury coupe was a roadster, the limited-edition Sports Roadster only sold 1,427 units in 1962, and a mere 455 were sold in 1963. It was supposed to give the illusion of a somewhat sporty two-seater, and beautiful Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels were also added to bolster the sporty illusion. It featured a removable fiberglass tonneau cover that was positioned across the back seats. So, for the 1962 model year, Ford added the Sports Roadster to the Thunderbird lineup. In 1961, somebody within the walls of the Ford Motor Company had the idea of recapturing some of the “roadster” mojo of the original two-seater Thunderbird without shortening the car (which was 30 inches longer and over 1,000 pounds heavier than the first generation T-Bird ).