On February 7th, 1963 Ford introduced a limited edition Thunderbird Landau called the “Principality of Monaco”. Only 2,000 of these were manufactured and were numbered 1 thru 2,000. They only came in Corinthian White with a Rose Beige Landau top which has never been offered on any other T-Bird. The interior was only available in white leather with a white steering wheel and simulated rosewood trim. On the dashboard of each car was a special gold toned name plate with the cars serial number. This one is number 1,492 of 2,000. During 1962 Ford learned that Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) was planning on acting again and saw this as a brilliant promotional opportunity. On Sept 19th, 1962 Ford met with the Royal Court of Monaco and consulted with Princess Grace regarding the colors for the car. On January 2nd, 1963 Benson Ford presented car # 1 to Prince Rainier and Princess Grace at grand ceremony held at the Grimaldi Family Palace. This limited edition classic was referred to as the Princess Grace model by Ford salesman when it officially hit the floors on February 22nd, 1963. Upon the death of Princess Grace car # 1 was officially retired and placed in storage in Monaco’s Royal Museum where it remains today. It has never been put on display out of respect for the beloved princess. Cars # 2 – 19 were sent to Ford district offices which used them as displays for auto shows around the U.S. Of the 1,981 cars that were made available to the American public there are only 15 still know to exist. The previous owner of the last 20 years was the owner of Sterling Restorations which has a reputation for being one of the best restoration facilities in the world. As you can imagine this being the owner’s personal car no expense was spared in restoring this beauty. The end result is a very collectible numbers matching car in Concourse condition. Everything on this car is as it would have been in 1963 and everything works properly including the ice cold A/C. When you consider that only 15 of these are known to exist today and the fact that this one is in new condition you will find that this is a car that is nearly impossible to find and sure to appreciate! For more pictures and a video of the engine running visit our website at www.HotRodsChoppers.com!
SOLD
$34,900
LocationSterling, Illinois Mileage:57618 Engine: V8 Body Type: 2 door sedan Interior: White Exterior: Corinthian White View all the ads by this advertiser