Thunderbird Pro Touring 4.6 Liter Supercharged 5 Speed

There's something to be said about the shape of an early Thunderbird. It's pure, clean and looks so light that you just want to jump in the driver's seat and toss it around the track all day. With this killer, take-no-prisoners 1955 Thunderbird Pro-tourer, you can do just that. Completed in August 2010, it wraps a modern Mustang Mach 1 powertrain, a custom Mustang II suspension and an exceptionally comfortable interior in a customized all steel body and a two page list of first rate performance bolt-ons!

Custom built by Street Visions in Waxhaw NC, this all steel '55 T-bird took one year to build and underwent 1,300 hours of restoration and customization. Use of an all steel body resulted in gaps that are much better than what's normally found on typical fiberglass Thunderbird Pro-tourers; and the car's solid steel panels line up extremely well, from its original scooped hood to its modified rear deck lid. Once the body was completely smooth and straight, it was bathed in a thick coat of Dupont Chroma Merlot Burgundy Metallic basecoat/clearcoat which still maintains an excellent finish and displays a brilliant shine.

While the first generation Thunderbird is an innately attractive design, a few liberties were taken with this T-birds body to enhance its predatory look. At the front of the car, a custom fascia hangs new halogen headlights in traditional T-bird hoods above blue tinted, direct fit fog lights. Between those fog lights, a chrome mesh grille, which replaces the traditional Thunderbird stainless unit, extends down to where the cars bumper would normally sit. And behind those fog lights, a stock Thunderbird hood props a correct Thunderbird scoop between chrome mesh inserts and chrome “Supercharged” emblems. Behind that hood, a traditional curved Thunderbird windshield is cleared by custom Newport Engineering stainless wipers and housed in pristine stainless trim; and behind that windshield, a tan Haartz cloth convertible top fits well and looks natural. At the sides of the car, custom fender vents with chrome mesh inserts serve as the starting point for slick ghost flames which flow all the way to the rear fenders. And custom rear view mirrors with integrated LED turn signals ride above traditional chrome T-bird door handles and stainless covered lock cylinders. At the back of the car, straight rear fenders hang chrome trimmed LED tail lights above custom cut exhaust outlets and showroom fresh “Thunderbird” scripts. And a modified, stainless trimmed rear deck lid fits snug above a custom fabricated rear fascia which replaces the cars traditional '55 bumper.

Back in 1955 this Thunderbird would've had a 292 cubic inch Y-block V8 under the hood that cranked out maybe 200 horsepower. Today, you'll find a high-revving modular DOHC 4.6L Ford Mustang Mach 1 motor that is fed by a custom water to air intercooled Mustang Cobra Eaton supercharger which creates a solid 9.5 psi. To make everything communicate properly and perform without fail, a Detail Zone electronic fuel injection wiring harness and an SCT chip tuned by Pro Dyno were installed along with an Automotive fuel regulator and the result is a stout 451 horsepower and 417 lb./ft. of torque at the rear wheels. At the front of the motor, a custom aluminum radiator by Arrow is equipped with a Sparco 2500 cfm fan to immediately nip any cooling issues in the bud; and a stock Mustang serpentine system spins an inverted alternator and a Newport Engineering water pump below a modified cold air intake. Exhaust is handled by custom ceramic coated Sanderson block hugger headers which send spent gases into a free breathing true dual exhaust system with Magnaflow performance mufflers. And the exceptionally clean engine bay is packed full of mechanical niceties such as stainless fuel rails, chrome valve covers with body matched coil covers and a stainless Spectre breather. Naturally, this engine bay looks as good as it sounds with its smoothed firewall and inner fenders that are coated in slick Merlot Burgundy Metallic. And everything under the hood is completely detailed, ready for show and reliable enough to head wherever the road takes you!

As nice as that engine compartment is, this awesome T-bird is more than just a trick engine. Throw it up on a lift and you'll find a Mustang II suspension that has been bolted to a Fat Man front sub frame and a custom boxed and modded X-member. Integrated into the front of that Mustang II suspension is tubular control arms that have been equipped with custom springs and gas shocks, a heavy duty 1.5 inch sway bar, 11.5 inch Brake Tech disc brakes with braided lines, power steering from the Mach 1 donor car, and a Flaming River stainless steering shaft. Integrated into the back of that Mustang II suspension is Mustang II leaf springs, a heavy duty 1 inch sway bar, custom Cal Trac style rear control bars and Mustang Cobra 11 inch rear disc brakes. Sending power to the wheels is the Mach 1 donor cars Tremec 3650 5-speed manual transmission which spins an 8.8 inch rear axle with 3.28 gears via a shortened and balanced Mustang Mach 1 driveshaft. Stopping is aided by the Mach I donor cars Hydraboost brake system, and go-juice is supplied by a Tanks Inc. 16 gallon custom stainless fuel tank with an internally mounted high volume fuel pump. The bottom of the car looks awesome thanks to Chrysler Almond Metallic paint, which adorns the media blasted and reinforced frame; and Lizard Skin undercoating, which protects the floor pans from the elements. And a nice finishing touch is added by a sweet set of 17 inch TSW eight spoke aluminum wheels that have been dipped in chrome and wrapped in 245/40 Z-rated BF Goodrich G-Force T/A radials.

Inside the car you'll find a completely custom-built interior that is a modern interpretation of the already stylish 1955 Thunderbird's cockpit. Behind the curved windshield a custom fabricated and custom painted dash displays some of the best workmanship I've ever seen. A polished Grant steering wheel with a Mahogany rim sits on an Ididit column in front of classy looking Dakota Digital LED gauges. And chrome trimmed vents for the Vintage Air climate control system complement a locking glove box and a billet aluminum handle for the headlights. Below that dash, a custom built and custom covered center console houses a Hurst short throw shifter alongside a Kenwood entertainment system which features an AM/FM radio, a CD and DVD player, XM satellite and MP3 capability, navigation and Bluetooth connectivity via a steering wheel mounted mic. At the sides of that console, custom seats that were fabricated out of Toyota parts are covered in Katzkin leather and sit on new Hushmat and new carpet. And at the sides of the car, custom door panels feature painted toppers, leather covers with custom arm rests, chrome trimmed courtesy lights, New Relic power windows and Rocky Hinge billet door handles. The trunk is nicely finished with matching carpets and side panels, and a trick hidden fuel filler. And the car even comes with Viper keyless entry, a power antenna and remote start! From its lizard skin lined doors to its hush mat insulation there's absolutely nothing in this car that wasn't done to the highest standards.

On a hand-built car like this, documentation is everything. Included with this sale is a CD of completed build pictures and a build sheet that has a categorized break down of every component on the car as well as maintenance specifications for the aftermarket parts and a list of all the companies used during the build.

This 1955 Thunderbird is an extremely impressive Pro-tourer that will eat any original T-Birds lunch six days a week and twice on Sunday. It features a great looking vintage shape and benefits from 50 additional years of technology. If you're looking for something a little different with a lot of horsepower and enough eyeball appeal to bring home a trophy at virtually any show you attend, this is the roadster for you!