Rare T-Bird Expected to Net Mega-Bucks at Auction
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ford's first production Thunderbird to hit B-J block Saturday
Back in November, we brought you early word on an early 'Bird that would hit the auction block at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car auction in Scottsdale this month. Now the auction is just days away and AZCentral.com has more about this amazing automobile:
They may be apocryphal but tales of classic automobiles rescued from dusty barns and body shops have always fueled the imagination of car collectors.
Such is the case of Ford's first production Thunderbird, which with its back story and solid credentials is likely to create a buzz on the auction block Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale.
"It had the sports car look and pizzazz that made it a competitor of the Corvette, but with the ride and feel of a luxury car," said Allen Johncox in explaining the T-bird's appeal in mid-century America.
Johncox, representing a California couple that inherited the car, has a suitable, well-buffed story of this original Thunderbird rising from the ashes to a well-documented restoration.
As he tells it, the first 1955 T-bird might have been long forgotten if not for California car buff George Watts, who discovered the battered black 'Bird in a Santa Ana body shop in 1965.
Watts paid the body shop owner $500 for it, unaware of the car's special place in automotive history, Johncox said.
Three years and $3,900 later, Watts completed the No. 1 T-bird's first restoration and got Ford to verify that the car was indeed the first one offered for sale.
Ford's designers created the Thunderbird in response to Chevrolet's 1953 debut of the Corvette in a styling duel that created enduring legacies for both carmakers.
The first 'Bird's black and gold California license plate reads "001 BRD."
The original owners, Peter and Sandy Burroughs of Newport Beach, Calif., had connections within Ford and were able to purchase the first T-bird that came off the Dearborn, Mich., assembly line Sept. 9, 1954, Johncox said.
Thunderbirds for the 1955 model year had a base price of close to $2,700.
"Mrs. Burroughs fell in love with the car and called it her 'Little Birdy,' " Johncox said.
Years later, she gave it to her daughter and son-in-law. That eventually led to the T-bird showing up in the body shop, Johncox said, much to chagrin of Sandy Burroughs.
After collector Watts rescued the Thunderbird, he developed a close relationship with Ford executives, who borrowed the car for their shows. The famous 'Bird, featured in a 1954 Sports Illustrated article, was even shown at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984.
Watts, an insurance executive, drove it often in Southern California, Johncox said.
He passed away in 2003, leaving the car to his daughter and son-in-law, Leslie and Rob Paino of Villa Park, Calif. Rather than let it sit in their garage, the Painos decided to sell it to an appreciative collector, Johncox said.
He thinks the car could be bid up to seven figures. Some observers doubt the price will get that high since there were more than 16,000 T-birds built that year.
McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance, which insures collector cars, said 1950s Cadillacs and Chevy Bel Airs command higher prices than Thunderbirds.
The best of the early T-birds sell for up to $200,000, Hagerty said, adding that the original model would add a premium that might push the price as high as $500,000.
Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. chairman, would not estimate the car's value but pointed out the dynamics of the auction block.
"It just takes two people lining up against each other" who both want the rare Thunderbird, he said.
(Pictured: The '55 T-Bird that will be gaveled Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson collector car event. David Wallace/Arizona Republic)

They may be apocryphal but tales of classic automobiles rescued from dusty barns and body shops have always fueled the imagination of car collectors.
Such is the case of Ford's first production Thunderbird, which with its back story and solid credentials is likely to create a buzz on the auction block Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale.
"It had the sports car look and pizzazz that made it a competitor of the Corvette, but with the ride and feel of a luxury car," said Allen Johncox in explaining the T-bird's appeal in mid-century America.
Johncox, representing a California couple that inherited the car, has a suitable, well-buffed story of this original Thunderbird rising from the ashes to a well-documented restoration.
As he tells it, the first 1955 T-bird might have been long forgotten if not for California car buff George Watts, who discovered the battered black 'Bird in a Santa Ana body shop in 1965.
Watts paid the body shop owner $500 for it, unaware of the car's special place in automotive history, Johncox said.
Three years and $3,900 later, Watts completed the No. 1 T-bird's first restoration and got Ford to verify that the car was indeed the first one offered for sale.
Ford's designers created the Thunderbird in response to Chevrolet's 1953 debut of the Corvette in a styling duel that created enduring legacies for both carmakers.
The first 'Bird's black and gold California license plate reads "001 BRD."
The original owners, Peter and Sandy Burroughs of Newport Beach, Calif., had connections within Ford and were able to purchase the first T-bird that came off the Dearborn, Mich., assembly line Sept. 9, 1954, Johncox said.
Thunderbirds for the 1955 model year had a base price of close to $2,700.
"Mrs. Burroughs fell in love with the car and called it her 'Little Birdy,' " Johncox said.
Years later, she gave it to her daughter and son-in-law. That eventually led to the T-bird showing up in the body shop, Johncox said, much to chagrin of Sandy Burroughs.
After collector Watts rescued the Thunderbird, he developed a close relationship with Ford executives, who borrowed the car for their shows. The famous 'Bird, featured in a 1954 Sports Illustrated article, was even shown at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984.
Watts, an insurance executive, drove it often in Southern California, Johncox said.
He passed away in 2003, leaving the car to his daughter and son-in-law, Leslie and Rob Paino of Villa Park, Calif. Rather than let it sit in their garage, the Painos decided to sell it to an appreciative collector, Johncox said.
He thinks the car could be bid up to seven figures. Some observers doubt the price will get that high since there were more than 16,000 T-birds built that year.
McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance, which insures collector cars, said 1950s Cadillacs and Chevy Bel Airs command higher prices than Thunderbirds.
The best of the early T-birds sell for up to $200,000, Hagerty said, adding that the original model would add a premium that might push the price as high as $500,000.
Craig Jackson, Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. chairman, would not estimate the car's value but pointed out the dynamics of the auction block.
"It just takes two people lining up against each other" who both want the rare Thunderbird, he said.
(Pictured: The '55 T-Bird that will be gaveled Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson collector car event. David Wallace/Arizona Republic)
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