Thunderbird Z-code Sports Roadster

1962 Ford Thunderbird Z-code Sports Roadster

One of the "Bullet Birds" in 1962, Ford's Thunderbird was credited with opening an entirely new automotive segment in 1958, when it grew from a two-seater to a four-seater the personal luxury car.

This example was made in Ford's Wixom, Michigan (VIN code Y) factory on August 3, 1961. Dressed in Chalfonte Blue exterior, this Thunderbird droptop's paint and trim are in overall very good order and has benefitted from a respray at one time. However, the power top is currently inoperative with no soft top and there are no windshield wipers. The bodywork is straight and solid while the engine bay is extremely tidy and the chrome bumpers fit tightly to the body.

This car rolls on Neptune white stripe radials, size 205/75R14 at all four corners. Each tire is mounted on a Kelsey-Hayes wire wheel. The wheels and tires are all in very good condition.

Under the hood is a 390 CID V-8 engine (code Z). Backing up this motor is a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission (code 4) and a 3.00:1 rear end (code 1). Driver convenience features include power steering, power brakes, power windows and power locks. The power window switch master does not work on left front and rear and needs attention. The speedo/odo and horn are inop.

Inside is a Turquoise vinyl interior (code 57) that's in overall very good order. The front buckets look great, as does the three-spoke steering wheel, which frames the jet-age dash with and gauges. The dashboard and inner door panels look great, as does the center console and the column-mounted gear shifter. A factory AM radio rounds out the inside.

Nineteen sixty-two saw strong sales figures of 78,011 units (including 9,884 convertibles) and the introduction of the Thunderbird Sports Roadster. The Sports Roadster was a limited production version of the convertible which added 48 spoke Kelsey-Hayes designed wire wheels, special badges to the front fenders and a passenger side grab bar to the front dashboard. The most striking addition to the Sports Roadster was a fiberglass tonneau cover which covered the back seat of the car and created a two-seater appearance. One thousand four-hundred and twenty-seven Sports Roadsters were produced in 1962. Early models suffered from problems related to their specially-designed wire wheels. The problem was quickly corrected when Elvis Presley was involved in an accident in which one of the Kelsey-Hayes wheels collapsed during hard turning.

Convertible competition to this Ford in 1962 included Buick's Invicta, Dodge's Custom 880, Ford's own Galaxie, Oldsmobile's Dynamic 88 and Pontiac's Bonneville.

VIN: 2Y85Z133398

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 55,878 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title.

Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.

• Make: Ford
• Model: Thunderbird Z-code Sports Roadster
• Type: Convertible
• Doors: 2
• Year: 1962
• Mileage: 55878
• VIN: 2Y85Z133398
• Color: Other
• Engine size: 390 CID V-8 engine (code Z)
• Transmission: Automatic
• Interior color: Other
• Vehicle Title: Clean
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