![1963 ford thunderbird italien 1963 ford thunderbird italien](https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/LioAAOSwZH5l6K1p/s-l500.jpg)
The Italien was not a concept vehicle, as it was not intended to forecast or test future styling direction rather it was a show car, demonstrating that Ford was paying attention to the burgeoning “kustom kulture” that celebrated unbridled, colorful creativity.Ĭonstruction began with a brand-new 1962 Thunderbird convertible, shipped directly from the factory to DST’s facility. Inspired by Italy and birthed at DST, the Italien looked like a custom car because it was-part of the Custom Car Caravan, a Ford factory tour that visited the Autoramas and major dealers between 19. On the other was the rise of what would become Total Performance, a company-wide dedication to motorsport and horsepower, supported in no small part by Dearborn Steel Tubing (DST), which would build the company’s lightweight Thunderbolt drag-racers and many of its high-performance engine components.
![1963 ford thunderbird italien 1963 ford thunderbird italien](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lP0AAOSwe09l1mvU/s-l1600.jpg)
Ford, and admired the fashion and brio of Gianni Agnelli. One was the emerging and undeniable influence of all things Italian, as Henry Ford II attempted to acquire Ferrari, wooed the glamorous Italian woman who would soon become Mrs. The one-off Thunderbird Italien show car was born from the beginnings of two groundswells growing within the Ford Motor Company in the early 1960s. One of the few surviving Ford show cars from the Total Performance era.Restored in the stunning original livery, including unique exterior and interior trim.A prominent feature in numerous magazines in-period displayed all over the country.Constructed by the famed Ford design and performance “skunkworks,” Dearborn Steel Tubing.The one-of-a-kind Ford factory show car, built for the Custom Car Caravan.