D7FH141785 - Thunderbird Registry Number 9627
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Intact
9627
D7FH141785
1957
40 - JE - XM - 13L - 127P
Convertible
312 V-8 - 1/4V
Dearborn
Charles Stuart
Charles Stuart says: This Bird was exported new out of New York to Caracas, Venezuela. The first owner apparently did all he could to destroy the car and then sold it to one of his employees who nearly completed the task. It was a virtual wreck sitting on a street in Caracas when I spotted it. I bought it in 1978 from the second owner who said he drove it to work everyday. Right! I also bought '57 parts car from a local junk yard. Since someone had placed a Fairlane differential in the Bird, the parts car came in handy to correct that problem as well as several others. A fairly decent restoration was accomplished in Venezuela by 1979 when I was transferred to Bogota, Colombia. I decided to drive the Bird to my new post and was confident since the roads in Venezuela are generally excellent. They were the same in Colombia - for the first mile, then turned to dirt and rock. By the time I arrived in Bogota, the restoration was pretty much undone. I enjoyed the Bird for a year but then had to take it out of country since V-8 engines were not allowed because of gas woes. I drove the Bird up the ramp of a Colombian Air Force C-130 and we flew it to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. From there I drove it to Hunstville, Alabama where a friend stored it until 1985, when I drove it to my new home in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1996, I began a frame off restoration, finishing in 1998. My original $1,200 investment has resulted in a junk car being brought back to #1 condition. - - - - - - - - UPDATE In December 2015 it was offered for sale on ebay and was located in Jacksonville, FL. It is Willow Green with a white hardtop, a soft top (not shown) and a medium green/light green interior. It is equipped with a Fordomatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power seat, engine dress up kit, fender skirts, and rear deck antenna. (picture updated) + + + + + UPDATE May 2021, it is now for sale by Gateway Classic Cars in O'Fallon, Illinois and has 2,945 miles on its odometer. + + + + + UPDATE September 2024, it is for sale at Gateway Classic Cars in Houston, Texas.
9/14/2024
7/21/2003
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