1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster

The third generation of the Ford Thunderbird, which debuted as a 1961 model, sported super-clean lines that were a tremendous improvement over the baroque rolling Wurlitzer look of the '58-'60 models.

The one in the photos is a 1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster in Diamond Blue.

The Sports Roadsters shipped with a hard fiberglass tonneau cover that faired into the front seat headrests, turning the car into a two-seater. It didn't interfere with the operation of the convertible top while installed and could be removed if you wanted to use the rear seat, like the car in the photos.

Other telltales for the Sports Roadster model are the unique badges under the "Thunderbird" script on the front fenders, and the 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels with genuine knock-off hubs.

You know who had a '62 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster? Elvis Presley, that's who.

The 3rd Generation T-birds featured prominently in JFK's Inauguration Day parade (no doubt helped by Ford man McNamara getting tapped for Kennedy's cabinet.) Sporting only vestigial tail fins and large round taillights reminiscent of turbine exhausts, their jet-age lines were perfect for the era.

Ford made over 78,000 T-birds for the 1962 model year, of which only 1,427 were Sports Roadsters. All but a handful were powered by a 390 cubic inch version of Ford's FE big-block V-8, with a 4-barrel carb and a 9.6:1 compression ratio, rated at 300 SAE gross horsepower. That handful were the ultra-rare "M-code" cars, with three 2-bbl carburetors, 10.6:1 compression, and 340 horses. Only 120 Sports Roadsters were built with the tri-power M-code motor.

These photos were taken with a Nikon D2X and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens in October of 2023.