They may not be Plymouths, but they are definitely super birds.
Three very special 1957 Ford Thunderbirds will be offered for sale at the Mecum Auctions event in Kissimmee, Fla., this month.
The restored cars are F-Code versions of the Thunderbird, which means they are equipped with supercharged 312-cubic-inch V8 engines.
Just 196 Thunderbirds were ordered with the 300 hp option, making it the model’s rarest engine specification.
Read Also: RICHARD PETTY’S OLD 1970 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD COULD SELL FOR $1 MILLION
The finest of the flock is an award-winning Flame Red example that was restored at a cost of more than $200,000.
It has a red interior, white removable hardtop, three-speed manual transmission and Mecum estimates it will sell for $200,000 to $250,000, which is slightly above the Hagerty valuation of $175,000 for a typical concours-quality car.
Another of the cars that is painted Thunderbird Bronze and has won a few awards of its own is expected to go for $140,00 to $160,000, while one of the 16 Starmist Blue F-Codes that were built has not been given a pre-auction valuation.
Ford replaced the supercharged V8 with a 300 hp naturally aspirated 352-cubic-inch V8 with the launch of the second-generation Thunderbird in 1958 and added a 350 hp 430-cubic-inch V8 in 1959.
Read Also: THE FIRST 2025 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 IS GOING TO SELL FOR MILLIONS — HERE’S WHY
The Thunderbird would go on for eleven generations until 2005 until the name was finally put on the shelf. Several dozen from across its run will be available at the Kissimmee auction, from 1955 cars all the way to the retro 2005 that were inspired by them.
CLICK FOR MORE CAR AUCTION NEWS FROM AMERICAN CARS AND RACING
Ford filed to renew its trademark on the Thunderbird name in 2021, leading to speculation that its revival could be afoot, but there has been no formal announcement or indication that a new T-Bird is in the works.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE AMERICAN CARS AND RACING YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Perhaps more interesting is that, in 2022, Ford also filed for trademarks on the Maverick Thunder, Ranger Thunder and F-150 Thunder names. None has yet come to fruition, but they do sound like interesting compliments to the F-150 Lightning.