1962 Ford Thunderbird

RARE M CODE Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

2Y83M174975

Gasoline

Before I go into what will likely be a very long auction to read with loads of information not only about this Rare 1962 Thunderbird M Code Factory built High Performance Tripower car but about all of these very Special 1962 and 1963 Thunderbird's that were produced nearly 50 years ago during the Kennedy Administration! I will give you a rather quick description of this extremely Original 1962 "M" Code Thunderbird and a little background information and then you can decide whether or not you would like to continue reading about this Rare Factory Built and extremely well documented Original 1962 Thunderbird 2 Door Hardtop 390-340hp Tripower car. This is a 2 Owner car that was purchased in the Summer of 1962 by its Original Owner and was with its Original female owner until her passing 30 years later and at that time this Tripower Thunderbird was sold to its second owner of 18 years who purchased the Thunderbird from the Original Owners husband. This 1962 "M" Code Thunderbird is 1 of just "23" 1962 Thunderbird 2 Door Hardtops built with the Rare Special 390-340hp Tripower engine and it still retains what I believe to be most if not all of its Original Corinthian White Paint and its Original Red Vinyl Interior. The Drivetrain appears to be nearly 100% Original with all of the Special pieces that make this cars very unique and quite special. This 1962 Thunderbird comes with its Original New Vehicle Purchase Order, Original Bill of Sale, Original Owners Manual, Original Tax Receipt and Original Insurance Payment paperwork as well as its Original Factory Assembly Line Build Sheet and so much more. This is an Original 1962 Thunderbird 2 Door Hardtop Optioned with the Rare "M" Code engine option which included the 390-340hp Tripower Carburetion with Special Aluminum 3-2 Barrel Intake Manifold, "3" 2 Barrel Holley Carburetors, Special Polished Aluminum Air Cleaner with the Thunderbird Emblem, Special C2SE High Performance Cylinder Heads,Special High Lift Long Duration Hydraulic Camshaft, Special Exhaust Manifolds, Special Distributor, along with a special Cruise-O-Matic Automatic Transmission which featured changes in the Valve Body and Clutches to compensate for the High Performanc engine...the Special Cylinder Heads were topped with Chrome Baldy Thunderbird Valve Covers and other features were the Chrome Oil Filler and Dipstick, Chrome Master Cylinder Top, Chrome Power Steering Cap, Chrome Radiator Expansion Tank, Chrome Voltage Regulator. There are other things but I think you get the idea. After this 1962 Thunderbird M Code was purchased from its Original Owners husband, the second owner used the car as a weekend Cruiser and she also took pride in using the Rare Thunderbird in the Local Holiday Parades. It was during one of the local holiday parades, a Memorial Day Parade back in 1998 to be exact, that this 1962 Thunderbird M Code developed a noise in the rear and so the car was taken home and stored for the best 12 years. The car was then parked at the home of its second owner where it would sit for the next 12 years until I brought it back to Pennsylvania and had the Rear Repaired as well as having some Brake work done, Installing a New Fuel Tank Sending Unit, installing new Points and Condensor, installing Vintage Wide White Wall Tires, a New Battery, Servicing the Transmission, Rebuilding the Center Carburetor, Installing a New Fuel Pump and some other things which I cant seem to recall at this time. My goal was to take the 1962 Thunderbird and inspect the condition of the body and then after I was satisfied that this was an exceptionally solid Original car, I went on to make sure that it was a good sound running car with everything operating as it should. I have accomplished that and I am now confident that this car that starts easily and runs fairly well and the Transmission shifts as it should. The Brakes work. The car can be started and driven around town with just about everything working as it should. The car will still need a few things before I would consider driving it any distance but I have driven this "M" Code Thunderbird and feel that its now at the point where the next owner can either make it their driver with very little or they can go as far as they would like with this car as it is one of those super Rare and Highly Documented cars that is amazingly solid, original and a wonderful car to either restore or just do a few things to make it your weekend cruiser without spending a lot of money. This 1962 Thunderbird has a wonderful Original body and an undercarriage, floors and trunk that are as solid as a rock. The fact that this car was garaged for the first 36 years of its life is what makes this such an incredibly solid original car and finding one of these Rare Tripower Bird's with an Outstanding Original body and Wonderful Original Documentation with all of its Original Special High Performance components is a real treat. This 1962 Thunderbird will make somebody very happy as I doubt there are very few in existance with a pedigree like this along with a body that will surely impress any classic car enthusiast. This 1962 Thunderbird is equipped with the M Code 390-340hp Tripower engine option, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Power Windows, Power Drivers Bucket Seat, Swing Away Steering Column, AM Radio, Rear Wheel Skirts, Floor Mats, Wide Whitewall Tires, Wheel Covers, Wing Window Shields, Dealer Installed Dual Mirrors, Dealer Installed Console Mounted Tachometer. All of these things are Documented in the Original Paperwork from Carlton Ford and of course on the Original Build Sheet. The Paperwork with this car is amazing! This is a Real Deal 42,000 Original Mile car that was with its 2 Registered Owners from August 24, 1962 until earlier this year when I got the car from its second Owner of 18 years. This car runs well, the transmission shifts great....the Steering and Brakes work fine, All of the Lights, Signals, Radio, Swing Away Steering, Power Wiindows, Power Seat, Radio and Heater, Windshield Wipers and even the Console Mounted Tachometer work! This is quite an amazing Original 48 year old car and one of the very last 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code's Produced with a Scheduled Production Date of July 30, 1962. Here is a Super Rare Classic for you Thundebird Collectors! If you know anything about the Thunderbird's built in 1962 and 1963 then you know that there were a few very Special Factory built High Performance Tripower Bird's built for 62 and 63 with the Factory 390 Tripower engine. These cars were extremely rare back in 62-63 and they are almost nonexistent today! This is a very Original 1962 Thunderbird M Code 390 Factory Tripower with 42,000 Original Miles and with all of its Original Documentation! This is a Super Solid 1962 Thunderbird and one of the most Original Factory built High Performance cars that I have ever seen. This little 1962 Thunderbird 2 Door Hardtop is not only very Original and quite Rare but it comes with all of its Original Documentation from the New Car Purchase Order to the Original Bill of Sale, Original Owners Manual, Original Tax Receipt, Original Insurance Receipt and the all important Factory Assembly Line Build Sheet! This 1962 M Code Tripower Bird was Ordered by a gentleman and his wife from Brooklyn New York who ordered the car at their Local Ford Dealership in Brooklyn, Carlton Ford at 2000 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn New York. This was to be a 50th Birthday present for one lucky lady by the name of Shirley Leibowitz. Shirley's husband is said to have been a Loyal Ford guy and he was also into Performance cars so this 1962 Thunderbird M Code 390 Tripower was the perfect 50th Birthday gift for his wife Shirley! What a great birthday present!!! It is said that Shirley's husband drove a 1962 Galaxie 500XL G Code 406-405hp Tripower car as his daily transportation and so what better gift for your wife's landmark 50th Birthday then a limited production 1962 Thunderbird 390 Tripower car in Beautiful Corinthian White with a Red Interior. With the Leibowitz family having the 2 New High Performance Ford's in their garage, the Thunderbird was used as their stepping out on the town car and it was also used by Shirley to take care of errands and other short trips that amounted to Shirley putting just 40,000 Miles on the Thunderbird in the 30 years that before her passing. Thats just 1,333 miles per year over the 30 years that Shirley cared for her beloved Thunderbird. 1962 M Code Thunderbird spent the first 30 years of its life with the Original Owners before it was sold to its second lady owner who kept her beloved Thunderbird for the next 18 years! This is an honest 2 Owner car that spent most of its life garaged and in the care of two female owners for a total of 48 years before I stumbled across the car earlier this year. The 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code 390 cubic inch 340 horsepower Factory Tripower cars are extremely rare and with production numbers of just over 200 "M" Code Bird's built between the 1962 and the 1963 models. These are rare by any standards! Keep in mind that people consider the 1969 Camaro Z28 to be a rare car with over 19,000 units produced and others consider the 1957 Thunderbird "E" 312 Dual Quad cars to be rare with only 1,499 units built and then there are the 1970 Boss 302 Mustang's which total well over 7,000 built but with just over 156 of these "M" Code Thunderbird's built for 1962 and only another 77 built in 1963 for a total of just 233 "M" Codes Bird's built over the only 2 years of Production, these would absolutely qualify as very rare cars by anybodies standards of rarity. One of the most interesting things about this particular 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code is that its a standard 2 Door Hardtop which appears to be among the rarest of the 1962 "M" Code Thunderbird's built for 1962 with just 23 built. Thats just "23" 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code 2 Door Hardtops! These Numbers are well Documented in several Books written after decades of research by William Wonder who by all accounts is the expert on the "M" Code Thunderbird's. He has researched these cars for many years and has the Vin Numbers of what I believe to be most of the "known" 1962 and 1963 "M" Code Bird's. He also has researched these cars with the help of the people at the Ford Motor Company and has gone to great length to documented many of these Rare Factory built Hot Rod Thunderbird's. I have several books written by William Wonder and all of these books with all known Vin Numbers and many interesting facts about these very Rare cars will go to this cars next caretaker. By the way, the 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code in this auction is well documented by its Original paperwork as well as first hand knowledge that William Wonder received by both the cars Original Owner and its Second Owner and all of this Information is included in his Books! If you are not very familiar with these Special Thunderbird's then you are in for a real treat when you read over all of the Books, Original Paperwork and the many other pieces of Literature that go with this Thunderbird. It is literally 5 pounds of paperwork that will keep you busy for quite some time and this will give you an education on these Rare Thunderbird's that you are unlikely to find anywhere else. This 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code appears to have all of its correct Original equipment and is a very good original car overall. The body is excellent for an unrestored Original 48 year old Thunderbird with very little rust to be found. The body is straight and solid although there is one panel that will need to be replaced in my opinion and that would be the hood as there is some rust on the underside of the front of the Hood which I am told is quite common on these Bird's because of the way that the Hood was designed. There are 2 little spot of rust on the passenger side quarter panel about the size of an eraser on a pencil and there is some rust at the base of the Radio antenna on the top of the passenger side fender and some rust under the battery box. I have found no other rust on this car that is worth mentioning and even the rust that I mentioned is mimimal to say the least. The body on this car amazes me as I have never seen an early 60's Bird with Floors, Rails or a Trunk like this....absolutely incredibly solid throughout. There are a couple of minor bumps and bruises on the car but again nothing that I would consider any problem. There is a very small little scrape on the drivers side quarter and a little dent on the one fender....again absolutely nothing that require a single panel to be replaced except for possibly the hood. There is a dent in the rear bumper which looks kind of crappy but they are the Original Bumpers. The Trim as a whole is actually pretty good on this car outside of some of the chrome pieces which might need some rechroming. This car is so incredibly original that it still has its Original C2SE Rear Shock Absorbers and what I believe to be its Original Dual Exhaust System. The Interior is 100% Complete and Original and the Bucket Seats will need to be recovered from the car being exposed to the Sun over the last few years. The Console, Door Panels, Headliner. and Rear Seat are all pretty good Originals and are definitely serviceable. The interior would look pretty darn nice with a new set of front Vinyl Seat Covers which are reproduced by Dearborn Classics for under $300 and the car will need a new carpet set and the Dash Pad would benefit from one of those great form sitting Dash Covers which are $155 and they come in Red and ready to install. I have a friend that just installed one of these on his 1962 Convertible and I was shocked at how nice it looked and fit....what a nice piece for the money. You can take this Original 1962 Thunderbird M Code and install a new pair of seat covers, a carpet set and a Dash Cover and have on very attractive Original car! This car could is a very honest and extremely Original car that continues to run better and better the more Ive run and driven the car. Its one of those cars that has had very little changed on it over the last 48 years and its just a wonderful car for somebody to either make it their weekend cruiser or to restore it if they feel the need. I like the fact that the car is so darn Original and extremely solid just as it is and I think I could live with installing the seat covers on the Buckets and the New Carpet set and then work out some of the mechanical bugs from a car that sat for 12 years and then Id use it just the way it is, hey thats just me. I love Original cars! If your looking for a great Original and Super Rare Factory Built High Performance car that is Mutli-Carbureted with all of its Original paperwork and with just 2 Owners, 42,000 Original Miles and with a Wonderful body that is Documented not only with its Original New Car Purchase Order, Original Bill of Sale and Original Build Sheet but its also mentioned in several of William Wonder's Books as well as having its Original Drivers Side Door Hinge Pillar Mounted Warranty Tag and the Corresponding Matching Vin Numbers both on the Cowl, well look no further. This is the REAL DEAL and RARE doesnt seem to cover this one as far as Im concerned. This is outright super Rare! When it comes to Factory Built Special High Performance Packages such as these "M" Code Thunderbird's and then you add the Originality factory and the Original Documentation, Low Miles, well it doesnt get any better in my opinion. I am into Galaxie's and it is nearly impossible to find an exceptionally Original 1962 Galaxie "G" Code 406-405hp Tripower car or one of the very few "M" Code Galaxies that were built with the 390 Tripower. Cars like this just dont seem to be out there any longer. They have been either butchered up over the years or they are already restored. Finding one this Original with this much documentation is amazing to me. If you want a car that you can safely put a few dollars in then an Original Low Production Special Performance Package car with Original Documentation is the way to go. Dont miss out on this one guys. You will surely miss a good one! Once again keep in mind that this car still has its Original drivetrain complete and is good shape...all Original Documentation and so much more that I have not pictured in the auction. This car still has its Original Rear Shock Absorbers, all 4 Original FoMoCo Headlights, Original Exhaust System, Original Paint, Original engine, trans, rear.... all Original Chrome accessories and even the Original Battery Cables. The car is straight and exceptionally solid. I doubt there are many 1962 Thunderbird M Codes left out there let alone in this super solid Original condition with 42,000 Original Miles and with all Original Documentation. There are a few non original pieces such as an alarm that the Original Owner's husband had installed on the car and there are some strange Reflective pieces of Red/Orange Tape on the end of the bumpers which I assume was just for safetly. There is very little on this car that is not original. I just realized that I have not added any pictures of the trunk to the auction but the trunk is as solid as a rock with no rust in the trunk.....it will need a new trunk mat and the cardboard fillers in the trunk but the Original Jacking Instructions are still on the drivers side Cardboard Filler Panels and the complete Original Jack and Spare Tire are still in the trunk. The undercarriage is Outstanding and as solid as they get. It was lighly factory undercoated as shown on the Original Bill of Sale from Carlton Ford and I believe this light coat of undercoating was responsible for this car having such a wonderful undercarriage. The Trunk Lock will need to be replaced but they are easly purchased from Dearborn Classics. The car still has its Original Keys and they Lock and Unlock the doors as they should. All of the Glass is in nice shape including the Windshield and all of the Glass is the Original Date Coded Glass that this car left the Factory with. This is just a great old M Code Bird and if you have any interest in owning one of these very rare cars then look no further as you are not likely to find one of these cars with just 2 owners and with all Original Documentation, completely original body and I believe all Original Corinthian White Paint....this car is a time capsule so to speak althought its not perfect, your not likely to find a more solid Original anywhere and especially with this pedigree. William Wonder also mentions in his book that this was such a late Build car with the July 30, 1962 Scheduled Production Date that the car has 1963 Door Panels and some of the Dash Components are 1963 pieces. This is also stated to be the same with several other 1962 Thunderbird M Codes that are listed in his books that were built on July 31, 1962. This car starts, runs and drives....transmission shifts perfectly....it stops and steers just fine and the body and documentation are excellent. Then there is the fact that everything on this car works from the Gauges including the Gas Gauge, Speedometer and Odometer, Dash Lights, Turn Signals, Brake Lights, Headlights, Swing Away Steering wheel which swings over to allow easy entry for the driver and then you simply pull it into place and it locks into position. The Heater/Defroster works. Power Windows and Power Seat works..... Dealer Installed Tachometer works and the Underdash Gauges installed by Shirley Leibowitz' husband still work. You might also notice that there are 406 Birds from a 1962-1963 Galaxie which are located on the front fenders and these were done by Mr Leibowitz ...as I mentioned earlier, he owned a 1962 Galaxie 500XL 406-405hp Tripower G Code car and I guess he thought these 406 Birds were cool so he had then done at the Dealership. In fact this car was serviced by Carlton Ford until the Dealership closed its doors in the 80's. This car is a turnkey car and it runs well but I would rebuild the 2 outboard carburetors and go install a new set of spark plugs and wires. These were last replaced back in the 90's according to a receipt that I have from the second owner and I just think its a good idea to replace these things to make the car a better driver. Keep in mind that you will need to do a few things to make this a reliable driver but I assure you that the engine runs great and the Transmission shifts perfectly and the car runs and drives now but I just would not drive it any distance until I sorted a few little things out. If you've always wanted one of these super Rare Tripower Thunderbirds then here is your chance to get a really good solid Original that doesnt require any panel replacement and is a great straight super solid old car/ Thanks for looking and call Tony 215-499-2693 with any questions or email tonyhemi63@aol.com Please check my feedback and you will see that I take my auctions and my excellent ebay feedback very seriously. I go the extra yard to insure that all of my transactions are good ones for everybody involved. I know what its like buying something that you have not seen in person from somebody that you dont know and it can be a little nerve wracking to say the least. Please feel free to come and have a look at this car or if you cant come out and see it yourself then please feel free to hire one of the many Classic Car Inspections Services who will come out and look the car over for you and then report back to you with their findings and their own photos. I strongly urge you to do this if your not able to come out and check the car out for yourself. Your also welcome to call me and I will go over every panel of this car for you by phone and I will give you a brutally honest description of everything there is to know about this car. AGAIN PLEASE CHECK MY FEEDBACK AND YOU WILL SEE THAT I HAVE BEEN AN EBAYER FOR OVER 10 YEARS WITH WELL OVER 1,800 TRANSACTIONS AND 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK. I TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THAT AS ITS NOT THE EASIEST THING TO DO WHEN YOUR DEALING WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS. I AM VERY GOOD WITH MY COMMUNICATION SO PLEASE CALL ME AND I WILL GO OVER THIS CAR FROM BUMPER TO BUMPER AND FROM THE ROOF TO THE TIRES AND EVERY SQUARE INCH IN BETWEEN. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL TONY 215-499-2693 OR EMAIL TONYHEMI63@AOL.COM AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO DISCUSS A BUY IT NOW PRICE WITH YOU. The Winning bidder should contact me within 24 hours of the auctions end and the car should be paid for within 7 days of auctions end. I will gladly accept a deposit through paypal and the balance by Bank Check, Bank Wire, Certified Check, Cashiers Check or Money Orders. I might take a personal check depending on who you are and only if we have worked this out before the auction ends. The car will not leave until all funds have cleared. The winning bidder is responsible for all shipping expenses although I would be happy to help with all shipping arrangents. I KNOW SEVERAL REPUTABLE INSURED PROFESSIONAL AUTO TRANSPORTERS AND THEY CAN DELIVER THIS 1962 THUNDERBIRD TRIPOWER M CODE CAR TO YOUR FRONT DOOR AT A REASONABLE PRICE. I WILL BE HAPPY TO WORK OUT ALL OF THE SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOU AND ALL YOU'LL HAVE TO DO IS WAIT FOR THE CAR TO ARRIVE! ITS REALLY THAT SIMPLE. PLEASE CALL TONY 215-499-2693 WITH ALL QUESTIONS AND IF YOUR IN THE PHILLY PA AREA AND WOULD LIKE TO COME AND SEE THIS CAR IN PERSON THEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ME AND WE CAN MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO GET TOGETHER AND TAKE THE OLD T-BIRD FOR A RIDE. THANKS FOR LOOKING OVER MY AUCTION AND KEEP IN MIND THAT I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THIS AUCTION AT ANYTIME AND FOR ANY REASON WITHOUT NOTICE. THIS IS A SUPER RARE CAR GUYS.... IF YOUR INTERESTED IN KNOWING ANYTHING FURTHER ABOUT THIS CAR OR ANY OTHER 1962 OR 1963 M CODE THUNDERBIRD THEN FEEL FREE TO CALL ME AS I HAVE LOADS AND LOADS OF INFORMATION ON THESE CARS INCLUDING A LONG LIST OF VIN NUMBERS FROM THE WONDERFUL BOOKS THAT WILLIAM WONDER WROTE ABOUT THESE VERY RARE HIGH PERFORMANCE THUNDERBIRDS. THANKS AGAIN AND CALL TONY 215-499-2693 OR EMAIL TONYHEMI63@AOL.COM WITH QUESTIONS. IF YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT THIS CAR THEN GIVE ME A CALL. I LOVE TALKING CARS. THANKS AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK.... TONY 215-499-2693 On Jun-23-10 at 19:59:27 PDT, seller added the following information: This 1962 Thunderbird "M" Code 390-340hp Tripower car is a very Original car overall with very little that has been changed or altered over the last 48 years. This is an all Original sheet metal car and I believe it is wearing its Original Corinthian White Painted from Ford's Wixom Michigan Assembly Plant done in July of 1962. The body on this car is exceptional for an Original Unrestored 48 year old car. The body has very little rust with the only problematic area being the underside of the hood....otherwise nothing to get excited about and absolutely nothing that will require any panel replacement or even patch panels for that matter. Its one of the most solid early T-Bird's that I have seen and the undercarriage is amazingly solid. The car still has its Original drivetrain and even the Original Rear Shock Absorbers are still on this car....amazing for any 48 year old car! The car will need a new trunk lock but otherwise the Keys still lock and unlock the doors as they did when new. The Glass is all the Original Date Coded Original Glass and in very nice shape. There is a dent in the back bumper right around the middle and the panel behind the rear bumper is slightly tweaked. There are a few very minor scrapes or dings but nothing thats any worse than my 3 year old car....minor stuff. If you look closely at the pictures then you will see that there are 1963 "406" Bird emblems on the front fenders as used on the Galaxie 406 "G" Code and Galaxie 406 "B" Code cars. These emblems were installed by Carlton Ford at the request of the Original Owners husband who is said to have been a lifelong Ford guys and very much into Ford Performance cars as his daily drivers. I was told that his daily driver was a 1962 Galaxie 500XL "G" Code 406-405hp Tripower car and when he heard of that Ford was making a Tripower Thunderbird for the 1962 Model year, he purchased this car for his wife Shirley for her 50th Birthday. I guess the Shirley's husband really liked the 406 emblems and therefore had them installed by Carlton Ford for the New 62 Thunderbird M Code. These emblems have been on the car forever. If you see the car in person its quite obvious that they were installed when the car was fairly new. This Factory High Performance Tripower Thunderbird is a very late car with a scheduled production date of July 30, 1962 and I believe the second to the last one built for 1962 or at least it appears that way by the information compiled by William Wonder in his Book about the 1962-1963 Thunderbird "M" Code cars. He was sure to list as much information as possible about these Rare Bird's in his book including the Colors, Interior Trim, Production Dates, DSO's, Axle and Transmission codes of each of the M Code Thunderbird's that are listed in his Books. Also listed in his Book is some very interesting information on some of the cars and some very cool first hand information from the owners, former owners and original owners of these cars. What's very interesting about this Thunderbird is that sometime in the early 70's, I believe sometime around the first Gas Crunch, Shirley Leibowitz had the Original Tripower removed from the car at Carlton Ford in Brooklyn New York and she had a 4 Barrel Intake and Holley Carburetor installed. The memo about this is William Wonder's book shows that the Tripower was removed and the 4 barrel installed to accomodate Mrs Leibowitz driving needs but I believe it was because of the Gas Crunch. The Original Tripower set-up was then taken home by Mr. Leibowitz and it was put on a shelf in his garage. The Thunderbird was then driven this way by Shirley Leibowitz until her passing sometime in the late late 80's and the car sat in the garage unused at this point. Shortly after the death of his wife, Mr Leibowitz moved to Long Island and the Thunderbird was taken with him and a few years later he sold his wife's beloved M Code Thunderbird to owner #2 a nice woman and her husband also from Long Island. The second owners had the car serviced and tuned, brakes gone over and then started to use the car as their weekend cruiser and also in many parades. After doing some research on the Thunderbird, the second owners husband realized that the 62 Thunderbird in their garage with just 41,000 Original miles was in fact a factory Tripower car. Thats right, they bought the car with no knowledge of the car actually being a factory Tripower car. The second owners then drove to see Mr Leibowitz who was living close by in Long Island and they asked him what had happened to the Original Tripower set-up that was originally on the car. Here is where it gets really wild but absolutely 100% true and documented. Mr Leibowitz tells the second owners that he left the Original Tripower on the shelf in the garage of the home he and his wife had shared for many years in Brooklyn. The second owners then drove to the old house in Brooklyn where the Leibowitz's had lived for many years and knocked on the door and spoke to the people who had purchased the home from Mr Leibowitz. They explained that they had purchased Mr Leibowitz's Thunderbird and then asked the people living in the old Leibowitz house in Brooklyn if they knew anything about the Tripower set-up on the shelf in the garage which had been left behind by Mr Leibowitz when he moved to Long Island. The answer was somewhat shocking. The Tripower set-up was still sitting on the shelf in the garage where it had been sitting for some 20 years. The second owners explained their situation and told the current owners of the old Leibowitz home in Brooklyn that they had purchased the 1962 Thunderbird offered to purchase the Original Tripower set-up that was installed new at Ford's Wixom Michigan Assembly Plant on Shirley Leibowitz car. The second owners of the "M" Code Bird seen in this auction were able to purchase the Original Tripower back and it was rebuilt and installed on the car once again. This is Documented in the Book from William Wonder and I was also told this same story when I purchased the car from the second owners. Its quite a wild story but absolutely true. The old 4 Barrel intake, Ford over the counter Service Replacement Holley 4 Barrel Carburetor and the Air Cleaner were given to me with the car. This is one absolutely wild story but true in every way! I just thought I mention this interesting part of the cars history for those of you who are into knowing as much about this car as possible. As I said before, its all documented and the second owner who is a very nice woman will be happy to confirm all of this. Its one of those stories where it is too bizarre to be fiction!!! I will be happy to answer any and all questions regarding this 1962 Thunderbird M Code 390 Tripower car. I will provide you with every number from every part of the drivetrain and there is more documentation with the car for those who might be interested in seeing more original documentation! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ON THIS CAR WORKS!!!!! This car would be a great driver with a fresh tune-up and the carburetors rebuilt and some of the other little things associated with a car that say for several years but its a running, driving Tripower Thunderbird that I have driven down the Interstate and its a good operating original car. This could be a great driver with little work or would be an easy restoration. I would just go over a few things and install new front seat covers, carpets and a dash cover and enjoy this Rare and very Heavily Documented Original "M" Code Thunderbird. These very rarely come up for sale and they are seldon seen in such original condition with documentation. Its a good old car guys. Please check my feedback and you will see that I always tell it straight. Its very important to me that all of my ebay transactions go smoothly for both buyer and seller no matter which end of the deal I am on. I take great pride in this feedback which Ive acquired over the last 10+ years on ebay. Bid with confidence as you can be sure that this M Bird will be everything that I say it is. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR QUESTIONS, EMAILS, PHONE CALLS AND YOUR BIDS. CALL TONY 215-499-2693 OR EMAIL TONYHEMI63@AOL.COM WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.On Jun-25-10 at 14:00:52 PDT, seller added the following information: One last addition guys.... This car as Documented by its Original Paperwork and in William Wonder's book on 1962 and 1963 "M" Code Tripower Thunderbird's is a Rare and unusual Bird in many ways! This car was Built Late in 1962 with a Scheduled Production Date of July 30, 1962 and with this late Build the car has 1963 style Door Panels and Dash! As some of you have noticed, this car has the Power Window Switches in the Door Panels where most 1962 Thunderbird's have the Power Window switches in the Console. There are also some light variations in the Dash from 1963 to 1963. The little emblems on the fender skirts are the earlier Ford Thunderbird Special Interceptor Emblems which were installed on the skirts by Mr Leibowitz when the car was fairly new. I guess that Mr Leibowitz like these emblems just like he liked the 406 emblems which he had Carlton Ford install on the Fenders of this M Code Thunderbird when it was new. Make no mistake, this car is 100% Real and exceptionally Original with Wonderful Original Documentation and I have no doubts that the car has its Original Motor, Transmission and Rearend. This is a very solid car with the only rust thats of any real concern being the front lip on the underside of the Hood and this might be the only piece you might want to replace. There is a little rust under the battery box and these are the only places that will require any repair worth mentioning. Sure there are a couple of other extremely minor spots but rest assured there is nothing that would require any panel replacement of serious repair. This is an exceptionally solid old car and I am brutally honest when it comes to the condition of these old cars. I dont want anybody to be disappointed or surprised because I left something out that was important. The car has a couple of very minor scrapes and I mean very minor. The back bumper was hit in the middle and pushed the back panel in a little so that will need to be straightened out and a new Trunk Lock installed. The Interior is 100% complete and the Door Panels, Rear Seat, Headliner, console are all serviceable but you will need to install new seat covers, carpets and a Dash Pad Cover. The rest of the interior will require a good cleaning and some of the interior chrome trim will need to be either cleaned and polished or rechromed. This stuff is easy to find on ebay and is relatively inexpensive. Absolutely everything on this car works from the Swing Away Steering Column to the Power Seat and Power Windows. The Gauges and Lights all work. The Turn Signals work and even the Original AM Radio works. When I bought the car it had been sitting for around 8-10 years and I changed the Oil several times, flushed the Fuel Tank and Lines, Installed a New Fuel Pump and New Fuel Tank Sending Unit. The Brakes all work although the should be taken apart again and the Drums should be cleaned up or cut and the Brakes adjusted but they do work and nothing is leaking. The Spark Plugs and Spark Plug Wires have been on the engine since the early 90's and should probably be replaced. I installed New Points. I would have the Carburetors rebuilt, Flush the Cooling System completely and have the Radiator and the Expansion Tank checked. The engine runs well with no unusual noises and it seems to run better and better the more its run. Keep in mind that its been sitting for all of those years so it needs the bugs worked out before I would consider it a driver. I think a guy could spend a weekend or even two and make this car a dependable Roadworthy Driver. I can tell you for sure that the car runs good and the Transmission shifts great...the car seems to steer quite well even on the Vintage Bias Ply Wide White Wall Tires that I installed. The Brakes stop although they are making some noise from needing to be cleaned up a little more and adjusted. This is not a car that your going to drive home if you live several hundred miles away but as I said, Ive taken the car down the Interstate and it does run and drive well. Its just not quite ready for any long trips at this point. The cars Documentation combined with its Rarity and the wonderful Original Body make this one very cool car that I truly feel is one of those cars that is a bargain whether your buying it to make it a driver or whether your buying it to do a restoration. It has everything that makes for a Super Desirable Classic Performance car from the Factory 390 M Code Option to the Documentation, Super Low Production Numbers and being very Original. This is a REAL DEAL very Heavily Documented M Code Bird with an Extremely Late 1962 Build Date. Its one of just a dozen or so that exist today and there are very few left today that are this Original with all of the Special Components still with the car and Im sure there are even fewer left with such a good Original body and even Fewer left with everything works including the Dealer installed Tachometer. Thanks again for looking and please call Tony 215-499-2693 This car is priced very fair considering its original condition, rarity and documentation. Nice Roadsters are bringing big money and surely this Rare 1962 Thunderbird 390-340hp Tripower "M" Code car will not be far behind them. I think this is one of those Super Rare cars that slips under the radar of some of the Ford Collectors simply because there is very little known about these cars. There was not one single Road Test done back in 1962 or 1963 by any of the major Magazines on these "M" Code cars and that is something thats unheard of. Does that give you any indication of just how Rare these cars are? Thanks for reading my rather longwinded auction and feel free to call me at 215-499-2693 or email me at tonyhemi63@aol.com with all questions or concerns. I can help with reasonably priced shipping from door to door anywhere in the country. Thanks again.On Jun-25-10 at 14:17:44 PDT, seller added the following information: This car has its Original C2SF-12127-B Distributor which is nearly impossible to find. The engine and transmission do not appear to have ever been out of the car. Im telling you guys, this M Code Bird is very Original with just 42,000 Miles. Thanks again.