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By bird55 - 16 Years Ago

very shiny! Tongue

By sundance241 - 16 Years Ago

WOW !! nice lookin birds.................Sam

By Carls56 - 16 Years Ago

I,ll add another WOW!!! Cool

By Eddie Paskey - 16 Years Ago

Fantastic--- Thanks Al God Bless Eddie

By mctim64 - 16 Years Ago

Great stuff! Wink

By Doug T - 16 Years Ago

pretty cool, those side spears must be about hand made! I don't care for the look of the windows in the hard top but when you drive a bird without portholes you soon learn why they were added.

By 55Birdman - 16 Years Ago

That was the original design for the bird. Just before production they decided to nix the chrome . Beautiful car in either case. The only thing I dont like was the decision for round porthole windows. Cant see anything out of it . I dont use my top anyway . Saw the red one in Dallas at a car show in '03 or '04.

By pegleg - 16 Years Ago

If that's the car I think it is, Amos Minter had it for sale a few years back. Legend had it that it was factory, but I believe that turned out not to be true. Somebody decided the car needed the 55 side trim.

By bird55 - 16 Years Ago

I visited with the builder of the car over the weekend. The owner's idea was to replicate what would have been one of ford's prototypes and seen in some of fords archive photos. Either clay models, renderings and silouettes.

The Fairlane side trim was almost entirely hand made. The "check mark" section that fits on the Fairlane is on the door, on this car it bends over the fender. No easy feat! The hardtop window is also fabbed from another bird window trim sections. Very nice workmanship, and it got a lots of attention as well as a share of awards.

It was great to see ALL the birds there, Lots of beautiful cars, and nice people to meet from all over.

I recall the pictures of the prototype cars that I have somewhere, maybe I can dig them up.

By PWH42 - 16 Years Ago

Those are some great looking cars,but I have to agree with the original designers of the 55 when they decided to not put the Fairlane trim on it.The trim messes up what is one of the most beautiful and unique designs anyone ever came up with.

By GREENBIRD56 - 16 Years Ago

Thanks for the pic's Al - nice to see how the other half lives......fully restored vehicles are hard to come by and harder to maintain (if they get driven).

I read that there is only one authentic "design exercise" car with the side trim. Belonged to a Ford executive. I think I'm glad the idea didn't catch on.

Those side glasses are not my cup of tea either....yuck.

The supercharger is a different matter altogether.......

By paul2748 - 16 Years Ago

There were a lot of E and F Birds there, as well as the D Birds. A lot a 55 and 56's also. Real nice show.