This 1956 Ford Thunderbird is powered by a 292ci V8 linked to a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive, and the car is finished in yellow over black and white vinyl upholstery. Equipment includes a white removable hardtop, wire-style wheel covers, whitewall tires, a Continental kit, fender skirts, engine-turned interior trim, a tachometer, and an AM radio. A 1985 Senior National First Prize plaque from the Antique Automobile Club of America is affixed to the grille. The current owner purchased the car in 2014, and in early 2024 the battery, spark plugs, and fuel filter were replaced. This Thunderbird is now offered in New York on dealer consignment with an owner’s manual and a clean New Jersey title in the name of an LLC.
The car is finished in yellow, and features include a white removable hardtop, a Thunderbird nose emblem, a hood scoop, auxiliary parking lights, front-fender vents, a fixed antenna, dual side mirrors, rear-fender skirts, tail fins, and chrome bumpers and trim. Badges from Classic Thunderbird International and the Antique Automobile Club of America are attached to the grille.
Body-color 14″ steel wheels wear bright-finished wire-style covers and are mounted with 6.70-15 BFGoodrich Silvertown whitewall tires. A body-color Continental spare-tire carrier is accented with chrome and attached to the rear bumper. Braking is supplied by drums at each corner.
The bench seat is upholstered in black vinyl with white inserts and is accompanied by color-coordinated door panels. Equipment includes engine-turned bright trim, a Town and Country AM radio, a heater, a clock, a floor-mounted shifter, and a locking glovebox.
The three-spoke steering wheel features a chrome horn ring and frames an Astra Dial instrument cluster housing a sweeping 150-mph speedometer, a 5k-rpm tachometer, and auxiliary gauges for fuel level and coolant temperature. The five-digit odometer indicates 58k miles, approximately 150 of which were added under current ownership.
The M-code 292ci Y-block V8 is equipped with a four-barrel carburetor and was factory rated at 202 horsepower. Service performed in May 2024 is said to have involved changing the engine oil and filter as well as replacing the spark plugs, the battery, and the inline fuel filter.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive.
Decoding the above data plate reveals the following production information:
- M – 292ci V8 w/four-barrel carburetor
- 6 – 1956 model year
- F – Dearborn, Michigan assembly plant
- H – Thunderbird body style
- 287864 – Consecutive unit number
- Body 40A – Thunderbird body type
- Color ME – Goldenglow Yellow paint and Colonial White hardtop
- Trim XA – Black and white vinyl upholstery
- Production Code 9EP1209 – 9th day of May scheduled production date; scheduled production number