The engine was rebuilt as well, with the 312ci (5.1-liter) getting things like a cooling package, improved lower fan shroud, and smaller water pump pulley.

Its body was brought back to mint condition using, where possible, the original parts, and the interior was subject to work that ended with the fitting of a smaller-diameter steering wheel and the repositioning of the seat to get more space for the people inside. What you’re looking at is one of Minter’s Thunderbirds wrapped in turquoise, because this type of Ford always liked to put on the fancy colors. The Texas-based garage has been at it for some time, and the cars restored there have become the highlight of the breed. There are many shops out there playing their card with this line of Ford cars, but few are as famous in the T-Bird world as Amos Minter. For this end of the week, here’s a 1956 model year to get things going. January is Ford Month here at autoevolution, and the Thunderbirds of old have been extensively featured (they’ll probably continue to be). That means we’re only left with going through what’s presently out there in terms of the original Thunderbirds, and luckily there still seem to be enough of them to keep us busy for a while. As is, the only Thunderbird revival we got was the one in the early 2000s, but for a lot of people that was a dud of epic proportions, given the lineage it was supposed to continue.

1956 ford tbird