1962 Ford Thunderbird | Bullet Bird

Take a step back in time with this beautifully preserved 1962 Ford Thunderbird, one of the most iconic personal luxury cars ever built. In this episode of Center Lane, we take an in-depth look at this stunning survivor, exploring its distinctive “Bullet Bird” styling, luxurious interior, powerful V8 engine, and the innovative features that made the Thunderbird one of Ford’s most celebrated automobiles. We’ll uncover what makes the 1962 model so special and hear the story behind this remarkable example. Whether you’re a lifelong Thunderbird enthusiast, a classic car collector, or simply appreciate timeless automotive design, this is a car you won’t want to miss.

Transcript:

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Presenting Thunderbird 1962. Now in four new models, four passenger hardtop convertible. The distinguished new Landau with leather grain vinyl top. This is Thunderbird 1962.

[music] Hi folks and welcome to Center Lane. I'm Bruce Hitchen. Today we're with Grant MacKay and we're looking at his beautiful 1962 Ford Thunderbird Landau. This is an unrestored classic and it's in remarkable condition. Grant actually got this car when he was serving overseas. Now, if you like this content, please subscribe to my channel. Now, let's talk to Grant.

I've had it since 1986. Um, and how I obtained it was, uh, I was peacekeeping over in the Golan Heights in the Middle East. And I was sending money home every month and I told dad I wanted a new car. Um, and I want something from the '60s. And he started looking for for cars. And he found a 1962 um, Thunderbird convertible. It was red and it was uh the gentleman that wanted it wanted$7,000 for it. And so my dad offered him $5,000. He wouldn't take it. He wanted the seven. So the negotiations died. So then he found this one that I have now, the 62 Ford Thunderbird Landau. And he um had it checked out. It was all good. I said, "Okay, yeah, let's let's go and get it." Of course, I'm communicating from the Middle East on the telephone. And this is back in '86, long before the internet. um be able to search engine, find things, things like that. So, I had no idea what this car looked like when I bought it. Um while I was there, I had three weeks leave and I always wanted to go to Britain. So, I went to Britain for 3 weeks and the only place to be able to find stuff, information was libraries. So, I went to almost every library in every city I went to trying to find a photograph of a 62 Thunderbird. Couldn't find one. So, I had no idea what it looked like when I got home. Loved it when I got home. I was very happy with it. I mean, the lines of it, um, being a early '60s uh, car, it still has a lot of lines from the ' 50s, so it's it's there's a lot of curves where the later model from 64 onward, it gets a lot more sharp. I really like the u the tail lights cuz they look like a jet engine after burners. Um, the front end, the way it dips down. Um, yeah, it's it's it's a very it's got very good lines, I think. So, got insurance. Um, and then I had to go out to CFB Chilliwack to pick up what's called a barrack box. It's basically a large box that the military allows you to send stuff home from overseas uh tours. And uh so I brought a good friend of mine, Rob, Rob, and um we're on a long straightaway of the highway one heading out to Chilliwack. And I said to Rob, I said, "I'd like to see what this what this baby can do." So I pushed the pedal all the way down to the floor. it it raced forward, but then after about four seconds, um it kind of picked up and took off like a rocket because this has a uh V8 390 cubic inch uh engine uh with a four barrel carburetor. And uh so when it actually got up to top speed, I had it up to about 117 miles per hour, which is about just over 185 clicks. I was up there for about maybe five or seven seconds because the car started floating and I didn't feel safe and it has no seat belts. So, I backed off and got it back down to a decent cruising speed. So, when I got it, it was basically what you see now. The interior was a needed a little bit of work. So, I've had some uh patch job on the on the interior. Um, so I went to a place on Commercial Drive and had I had to pick a vinyl that was close. So I've had that done. Um, I've actually had the engine rebuilt twice. Um, the first time it was done and then the second time uh because I was driving downtown at one point heading down to my naval reserve unit and uh I looked in the rearview mir mirror and I saw plumes of white smoke coming out of the tailpipe which means coolant is getting into the engine. So, I got it home and then I had it totally rebuilt again.

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It's a little sporty. I don't really classified as a sports car, but they sold it as a sports car. But it's it's a lot it's very classy. It's got especially with the Landau, which is the vinyl top with the S-curve on the on the side of the roof and things like that so.

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I collect railway things uh from silverware to signage to uh furniture. Uh older stuff also is the quality is there right and it lasts.

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I really enjoy driving it. It's a...It cruises really well. Um I get lots of looks from other people. Um I enjoy going to car shows and the camaraderie between other car owners and then looks that come by and look and talking about it, asking questions, what I've done, what's unique about it, all that sort of stuff. It's it's just a community of guys or gals that that like old automobiles and it's it's just, it's just really enjoyable.

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