1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Bird Convertible Duo

It’s not often that we see even one classic 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Bird Convertible offered for sale let alone two in one week. But this week breaks the mold.  We’ve had two E-Birds advertised for sale on our site, both with rare color schemes. An E-Bird is an original 312 ci V8 Thunderbird with 2X4-barrel carburetors which came on E Code Thunderbirds engines in 1957. How rare are they? Of the 21,300 Thunderbirds produced in 1957 only 1,363 were E-Birds. They are considered very rare and desirable among T-Bird collectors and hardly ever do you see them offered for less than $100,000.

The 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Bird Convertible with air from Fastlane Classic Cars of St Charles, Missouri comes in the rare Thunderbird Bronze paint which they say is the original color of this car from the factory. Fastlane tells us it has been extensively restored with softtop and removable auxiliary hardtop. They say it is a real factory E-Bird with the E Code dual Holley 4-barrel, 270 hp, and Ford-O-Matic transmission, 9-inch rear with 3.00:1 rear gears. It also has power steering, 14″ chrome wire wheels, wide whitewall radials, fender skirts, and detailed engine bay and undercarriage. The dual exhaust exit through the rear bumper, plus it has an in-dash tach and clock, and wind wings.

The other 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Bird Convertible is being advertised by Universal Auto Sales in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Not only does it have the rare factory Dusk Rose color so iconically identified with the ’57 T-Bird, but this car is also loaded with practically every available option offered by Ford that year.  Talk about a collectible treasure! According to the guys at Universal Auto Sales, this particular E-Bird underwent an extensive, no money spared, frame-off restoration, and is in their word “exquisite.” They say it has all new or re-done chrome, trim, glass, and weather stripping. The colonial white interior is also completely new including a rebuilt dash and gauge cluster. It is loaded with creature comforts that were hard to find in 1957 Thunderbirds, let alone original E-birds.  These features include, power seats, power windows, and dealer installed air conditioning. They say the original 312/270 hp E Code V8 engine runs flawlessly, and is also backed by a Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission and original rear-end. Other rare options include, power steering, power brakes, Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, wide white wall tires, continental kit, a new Haartz soft top and it’s original ”port hole” hard top. The car shows 89,000 original miles but looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor in 1957.

When looking for classic ’50s Cars it just doesn’t get any better than this.

The 1955 Ford Thunderbird came out in response to Chevrolet’s Corvette, and the Thunderbird not only had more horsepower, it had more sex appeal to boot. It even had a more comfortable ride. But when sales dropped in 1956, Ford designers and engineers were determined to step it up even further. The 1957 Ford Thunderbird was the most stunning of the early Birds. Improved cooling, revised spring rates, larger brakes, stiffer chassis cross members and a 12-volt system were the most visible improvements.

To “one-up” the Corvette, Ford put the E Code 312 ci V8 engine in some of the T-Birds in ’57. The E Code 312 came with the dual air cleaners, aluminum intake manifold, modified heads and cam, and a heavy-duty Ford-O-Matic transmission.

Major styling modifcations came on the ’57 T-Bird. The front bumper was reshaped, the grille was larger, the tailfins were canted as the rear deck was longer, and it wore larger tail-lights.