A Vietnam veteran parked his Ford Thunderbird 45 years ago and a mechanic just bought it for $600

The Ford Thunderbird is one of the most iconic cars Ford has ever made.

Spanning 11 generations, the Thunderbird was in production for 42 years consistently, before a brief revival from 2002 – 2005.

Now, a Vietnam War veteran’s Thunderbird has just been sold.

And how much did the mechanic pay for this iconic name? Just $600.

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Thunderbird: An overview of Ford’s iconic car

The Ford Thunderbird is one of Ford’s most iconic cars – and names.

Originally released in 1955, Ford’s offering was (albeit unofficially) meant to serve as a competitor to the Chevrolet Corvette.

The first two generations of the car saw monstrous success, with the Thunderbird regularly outselling its Chevrolet competition.

In particular, the first five years of Thunderbird production were the most iconic shape of the car.

Despite its initial successes, Ford kept redesigning the car over the years.

It saw the car evolve from its two-seater icon status, to a four-door saloon, and to a car that was as big as the Lincoln Continental at one point.

This particular iteration was the sixth generation, produced between 1972 and 1976.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t very popular – it sold just over 229,000 units in four years.

It was also extremely heavy, at 2.3 tons.

Equally, with a 460 cubic inch, 7.5 liter V8, it was extremely uneconomical.

Mechanic rescues forgotten Ford Thunderbird

And that brings us to the present day.

The owner of this particular Ford ran into the same economy issues as many others.

By 1980, the owner was no longer using the car, opting for a more economical option.

In 2005, the original owner locked his car away in a storage unit and all but forgot about it.

Quite a while later, someone purchased the entire storage unit for $600, which just so happened to include the Thunderbird.

After listing the car for $900, a man called Chris Brown, who runs a YouTube channel called NoNonsenseKnowHow, managed to snag himself a deal to buy the car for $600.

After transporting it to his garage, he was shocked at the condition of the car.

An unbelievably clean interior was accompanied by just 46,762 original miles.

Aside from needing to replace the water pump, the engine was in remarkable condition and ready for a second chance at life.

The sixth-generation Ford Thunderbird might not be the most iconic version of the car, but perhaps time will rehabilitate it into a classic.