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Being a physics aficionado, the theory of multiple dimensions holds a special place in my brain. Couple that with a love for all things science fiction, and my synapses light up with boundless ideas and tales of the bizarre.
This in mind, I had been imagining for some time a ‘what-if’ scenario, pondering what may have happened if AC Cars had not lost their engine supplier, and if NASCAR wasn’t a primary thought on Ford’s mind in the early 1960′s. Season that with a punch of willingness to make the Thunderbird more of a world-class performer, and you can see where this is headed: The ultimate, alternate-dimension barn find.
Taking the above into consideration, behold the final iteration of the winningest Thunderbird on the opposite side of the space-time bubble. Wearing the shorter, half-width windscreen, we’re obviously looking at a pre-GT car, and this monster is complete, right down to the dirt and grime from it’s final race. While later cars would be fitted with the mighty big blocks, this 289-powered ‘Bird left many a European car behind, engulfed in the shriek of its high-winding exhaust note and dust.
While these cars lend themselves extremely well to the custom treatment, I’ve always pictured one as a track car, and by drawing inspiration from the race cars of the day, I couldn’t help but plot a course for this T-Bird which involved some down-home innovation (like the widened fenders, flip-nose, headlamp covers and full-length hood scoop), and setting it up as a well-preserved chunk of history brought out into the sunlight following a long roost. That said, consider this my proposal for a melding of ‘street cruisers’ and ‘pro-touring’ with some heavy vintage racing feel that anyone on the fringe would be proud to pilot…
(you can find this artwork, and the accompanying article in the May 2013 issue of Street Rodder Magazine)
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