Vintage Danbury Mint Die Cast 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible 1/24 Scale

Vintage Collectibles : Toys

 

You are looking at a STUNNING 1/24th Scale, Die Cast, REPLICA of a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird two-seat convertible with aux. hard top and Continental Kit. This is another one of Ford’s popular models during the fifties and sixties.

The doors and hood all open. It has both interior and exterior rear view mirrors, front wheels that steer, rubber, “Mobster” white wall tires that turn and an undercarriage that is detailed right down to dual exhaust system. Everything about this car will remind you of the real thing.

The car is in MINT CONDITION and still in its original box; it has never been displayed. I purchased it at auction from the estate of a Danbury Mint automotive model collector, and I only removed it from its box long enough to take the pictures.

1956 Ford Thunderbird History: by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

"You still see two-seat 1956 Ford Thunderbirds on the boulevards of Beverly Hills, which is only fitting. Ford might have been inspired by European sports cars, but the Thunderbird ended up an all-American boulevardier convertible designed for comfort and smooth, powerful straightline performance. That the "Little Birds" were also uncommonly handsome only hastened their climb to "instant classic" status, one reason so many survive today.

The 1956 Ford Thunderbird was an instant classic, and remains so to this day. A sturdy steel body and amenities like roll-up windows were other appealing T-Bird virtues. As proof, the debut '55 outpolled Chevrolet's fiberglass Corvette by 23 to 1 at 16,155 units. The '56 slipped to 15,631, but that was hardly bad for a specialty car in a "fall-back" sales year.

The 1956 Ford Thunderbird offered up to 225 horsepower with its V-8 engine.

The '56 T-Bird was much like the '55, but a standard "continental" spare tire opened up needed trunk space, front-fender ventilator doors enhanced cockpit comfort, and the available lift-off hardtop gained distinctive "porthole" windows that helped visibility. Typical of the time, the '56 also offered more power, courtesy of a new 312-cubic-inch V-8 packing 215 horsepower with optional stick-overdrive or 225 with self-shift Fordomatic. The previous year's 292 continued with the standard three-speed manual, but was upped to 202 bhp. Handling took a step backward, as springs and shocks were softened, but buyers loved the resulting smoother ride.

The 1956 Ford Thunderbird's sleek styling has kept it popular even to this day. A deft restyle and even more power lifted sales to 21,380 for 1957, but any two-seat T-Bird is a car for the ages. Just ask those happy owners in Beverly Hills."

Item ID: Lxv-124