The automatic transmission was the 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic, the only transmission Ford Motor Company allowed to be mated to the 430 motor. J Code 430 Lincoln engines were rated at 350 horsepower. They are more desirable among collectors even than the classic first generation Ford Thunderbirds built from 1955 through 1957.
There were only 1,168 430 J Code big block Thunderbirds produced that year. They tell us it is “a beautiful vintage Thunderbird that has had one repaint in its original color and still retains a stunning original interior.” It has the automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, optional leather upholstery and Kelsey-Hayes chrome wire wheels with radial wide whitewall tires. It comes with the J code option which designated the original 430 Lincoln engine. Orlando Classic Cars tells us this one is a California car with just 76k miles. The Ford ads back in the day said the ’59 Thunderbird was “the car everyone would love to own.” ( See their initial photos and information on this car at their website here.) It was known as the “Thunderbird Special V8” although the engine was adopted from the Lincoln 430 ci motor. This week Orlando Classic Cars in Orlando, Florida posted an ad for a 1959 Ford Thunderbird Convertible with the 430 Lincoln engine that earned it some fame in NASCAR circles. Though the experiement lasted only one year, the second generation ’59 Thunderbird won six NASCAR Championship races that year with Ford’s Fairlanes contributing eight more wins. So for a brief moment in history there was Thunder on the Speedway. When Ford Motor Company decided to put a 430 ci Lincoln engine in their popular “Square Bird” they had their eyes on NASCAR competition. The 1959 Ford Thunderbird Special 430 Convertible comes from Ford Motor Company’s early success in NASCAR. Born out of Ford Motor Company’s desire to dominate NASCAR in the late 1950’s, the “square bodied” second generation Thunderbird was once considered a performance sports car.
A 1959 Ford Thunderbird Special 430 Convertible is one of those rare 1950’s cars that bring with them the provenance of the postwar period.
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