Alternative Reality 1963 Thunderbird Racer For Sale on eBay
Culture
Builders
Classics
American
This is how the show card for the “Twilight Zone" 1963 Thunderbird explains the unique model for sale now on eBay:
What if, in a parallel universe, Ford had decided in 1963 to use the Thunderbird instead of the Cobra for International Endurance Racing?
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Its evocative design starts with a white and blue livery borrowed from Carroll Shelby's Cobra playbook. The silhouette whispers Speed Racer’s Mach 5 - opens in new window or tab.. You soak it in for a bit before asking, “What the heck is that?”
A 1963 Thunderbird Transformed
The Twilight Zone Thunderbird first appeared in the May 2013 edition of Street Rodder magazine as a brilliant sketch drawn by Brian Stupski of Problem Child Kustoms - opens in new window or tab..
The builder, Bob Hancock, put countless hours into the project between 2013 and 2016. The build is faithful to the original sketch. The parts and labor tally a multiple of the Buy-It-Now price of $35,000.
It's an impressive effort, from start to finish:
- Much of the car was scratch-built, and the parts list is top shelf. The car rides on an Art Morrison GT tub chassis.
- The 408 cubic-inch V-8 sports Dart CNC Heads - opens in new window or tab. and a FAST Electronic Fuel Injection system - opens in new window or tab..
- The 600-horsepower Ford Racing block is mated to a LenTech Automatic and a nine-inch rear. That's plenty of go-power for a 3,000-pound road racer.
Hancock followed Colin Chapman’s mantra - opens in new window or tab., “Simplify, then add lightness.”
The alternative-reality '63 T-Bird was put on an extensive diet to slim it down from its original weight of 3953 pounds.
This crazy bird isn't a show pony. It's not a trailer queen. It's a street-able beast built to go fast—not just in a straight line, but around corners.
The Collector’s Dilemma
Enthusiast Jon Winfield purchased the Twilight Zone Thunderbird at Russo and Steele's - opens in new window or tab. January 2018 Scottsdale Auction. He added a passenger seat to match the existing Kirkey Racing driver’s seat - opens in new window or tab. and reworked the throttle linkage for better wide-open performance.
While he states that it’s the easiest of all his high-performance cars to drive, it does have peculiarities. “You have to 'Dukes of Hazard' to get over the passenger door, but my wife loves driving this car.”
Winfield is reluctantly selling the 1963 Thunderbird to make room in his collection for a Pantera. (Related: “De Tomaso Pantera Price: What It Costs and Why - opens in new window or tab..“)
Winfield said:
This car is amazing and is one of my favorite cars I have owned. It brings all the attention everywhere it goes.“I truly wish I had more space. I would keep this car and add a Pantera to the collection. I am also selling a Daytona Coupe, and if it goes first, I will probably keep the Thunderbird.
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