The Ford Design Studio, led by Bill Boyer, began working on a four-seater Thunderbird in mid-1955. What eventually became the “Squarebird,” as enthusiasts call it, featured a wheelbase five inches shorter and a height four inches lower than the contemporary full-sized Ford, but lost only a quarter inch of ground clearance and rear seat headroom, as engineers sat the passengers low between the door sills and a large drivetrain tunnel. Cleverly, Boyer hid the tunnel within an aircraft-style console—a fresh idea in 1958, welcomed by the jet-wild public—and pioneered the configuration featuring bucket seats split by a center console that would be a benchmark of the “personal luxury” concept.

This would be the first Thunderbird offered as a coupe, but the convertible still held great appeal. Its folding top mechanism borrowed engineering from the famous Ford Skyliner, stowing completely out of view beneath the reverse-hinged rear deck for a streamlined look when lowered.

Offered here is a very late-production 1958 Thunderbird Convertible, one of 2,134 produced for the model year, equipped with a 300-horsepower, 352-cubic-inch Interceptor V-8, three-speed automatic transmission, and power brakes, steering, and convertible top, as well as an AM radio and power driver’s seat. It was restored in the late 1990s by W.W. Motor Cars & Parts of Broadway, Virginia, for then-owner Norman L. Keller, reportedly using the best components of two donor cars and in its factory-correct finishes of Colonial White over dashing Gulfstream and white vinyl. Attesting to the workmanship, it won an Antique Automobile Club of America National First Prize in 1999 and a Grand National First Prize in 2001.

Acquired from the Keller family by the late Terence E. Adderley in 2014, the Thunderbird remained one of several 1950s Fords in his distinguished collection until 2024, when it entered The Michael Leith Collection. Its restoration exhibits some gentle signs of use, but remains highly attractive, with visible attention to detail and correctness throughout. As one of the most memorable Fords of its era—comfortable, powerful, and a real looker—it would be supremely enjoyable as a driver or to recommission for a return to AACA events.