1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible - The Legendary Crockett’s Crash Wagon

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1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible - The Legendary Crockett’s Crash Wagon

**THIS VEHICLE WILL BE SELLING ON AN UPCOMING BRING-A-TRAILER ONLINE AUCTION. ONCE THE DATES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED IT WILL BE UPDATED HERE. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING PLEASE REGISTER DIRECTLY WITH BRING-A-TRAILER TO BID. IT'S A QUICK AND SIMPLE PROCESS. PLEASE CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.**

This gorgeous 1956 Ford Thunderbird Convertible is the famous Crockett's Thunderbird that was formerly owned by the Howard Hughes Tool Company. It's also been nick named the “Crash Wagon”. The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible produced for the 1955 to the 1957 model years, the first 2-seat Ford since 1938. It was developed in response to the Chevrolet Corvette. There were 15,631 Ford Thunderbirds made in 1956. This production number was slightly lower than the 1955 model year and was attributed to factors like a late production start due to issues with spare tire carriers. As the original Data Plate indicates this example was built on May 14th, 1956 in Dearborn, MI with a Fiesta Red exterior, Red and White interior, 312 V8 engine and Fordomatic transmission. As the copy of the accounting work copy indicates it was also ordered with the following options: soft and hard top, positive action wipers, oil bath cleaner, power steering, power seat 4-way, electric window lifts, safety package B, engine dress up kit, tinted glass, 6.70 x 15 white side wall tires, rear fender shields, full wheel cover, radio and antenna, heater and defroster and power brakes. The Accounting Work Copy was stamped on May 15th at 1:06PM in 1956. It was shipped to Citrus Motors located in Ontario, California. This 1956 Ford Thunderbird was purchased new by George and Peg Crockett, founders of Alamo Airways and owners of Alamo Field, the predecessor and site of today's McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. This car had a serious purpose as it was utilized as their support vehicle. It was used to race at high speeds across the tarmac, rapidly bringing supplies and occasionally fire-fighting equipment to and from planes. This car was credited with saving 44 lives after a TWA flight bound for San Francisco crashed just after takeoff. A fire started from a leaking fuel cell but Crockett sped after in the Thunderbird and put out the flames before they could spread to the fuselage. Along with its life-saving role, the Thunderbird also assisted with a flight endurance record. In December of 1958, the Hacienda Hotel sponsored an endurance flight in a Cessna 172 that required the use a specially modified fuel truck that Crockett supplied. When the fuel truck broke down partway through the 64-day flight, Crockett substituted the Thunderbird which was able to keep up with the Cessna while Crockett hoisted five-gallon fuel cans up to the plane. The Thunderbird was famously used to keep the Cessna 172 aloft for 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes which is the current record for the longest-duration continuous flight. This record is fully documented in the Guinness Book of World Records which includes a photo of the airplane and Thunderbird. The car was sold along with all other Alamo Airways assets to Howard Hughes's Tool Company in 1967. The Hughes Tool Company property tag is still present on the firewall. Hughes sold the Thunderbird in the mid 1970's to his personal pilot, John Seymore who passed it to a boat dealer in 1981. The boat dealer used it as a trade-in on a new car at Sunland Motors in Las Vegas. John and Marian Vetterli of Wisconsin acquired the car in 1983 and owned it for 22 years. During their time of ownership it was the product of a complete show quality restoration with many NOS parts. It was restored to original condition including the original color combination, equipment and drivetrain. Since completion it's been treated with the best of care and displayed in a few prestigious collections. It's been featured in multiple publications including Hemmings. The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran) has a replica 1956 Ford Thunderbird displayed at the Aviation Museum honoring the original “Crash Wagon” used by Alamo Airways. This example offered here is the original Crockett's Thunderbird that was formerly owned by Howard Hughes. It was purchased by MS CLASSIC CARS in October of 2025 and December of 2025 is the first time it's been listed for sale. MS CLASSIC CARS has completely serviced and detailed this car which is documented with an invoice. This is a great opportunity to purchase one of the most special first generation Thunderbirds known to exist.

The exterior of this '56 T-bird is absolutely gorgeous with its stylish design and dazzling color combination. The hood scoop, fender emblems, removable side skirts and Continental Kit is the perfect blend of sport and luxury. The body is very straight with excellent gap lines throughout. The hood, doors and trunk lid close very nicely. It was refinished in its original exterior color of Fiesta Red which looks beautiful. The high quality paint was detailed to a glossy finish by the team at MS CLASSIC CARS. It was outfitted with new white vinyl convertible top which MS CLASSIC CARS had professionally installed. It's equipped with the original hardtop with the iconic portholes. The top was refinished in the original color of Fiesta Red and fits nicely. A new hard top stand is included with the car. Everything on the exterior was restored or replaced new during the restoration process such as all of the glass, stainless trim, wiper arms, antenna, driver's side mirror, hood scoop trim, front grill, parking light bezels, front bumper, door handles, tail light bezels, rear bumper, Continental Kit and emblems. It rolls on the desirable 15” chrome wire wheels with spinners that have a red center and the words Thunderbird. The wheels are mounted to Coker Classic P205-75-15 white wall tires.

The interior of this '56 T-bird is also absolutely gorgeous with its sophisticated design. It was refinished in its original color of Red and White which complements the exterior perfectly. The headliner of the new convertible top is black and the sun visors are white. The three-spoke steering wheel features a chrome horn-ring and frames an Astra Dial instrument cluster housing a 150-mph speedometer, a 5k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock and gauges for fuel level and coolant temperature. The cabin features a stylish door panels and a bench seat that were upholstered in red and white vinyl. The dash and door panels were decorated with engine-turned metal trim accents. It's equipped with a polished steering column, power windows, 4-way power seat, floor mounted gear selector and black seat belts. MS CLASSIC CARS installed a new Custom Autosound USA 740 radio and correct style matching rubber floor mats. The trunk compartment was beautifully refinished in Fiesta Red. It's equipped with a correct style black rubber trunk mat and jack tools.
The engine compartment is highly detailed throughout with many correct parts. The engine bay was refinished in Fiesta Red which includes the firewall, inner fenders and radiator support. It still retains the original Hughes Tool Company property tag on the firewall which reads Nevada Airport Operation #02133. The firewall and inner fenders are also decorated with the yellow factory assembly stamps. The car is powered by the original P-code 312 Y-block V8 which was factory rated at 225 horsepower when mated to a Ford-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission. The engine produced impressive 324 ft. lbs of torque. The engine was refinished in the correct shade of red and has the correct engine dress-up kit which adds polished valve covers, air cleaner, oil cap and other accessories. It's equipped with the correct Holley carburetor which was the first production 4-barrel carburetor used on Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Y-block V8s from the mid 1950's. It has been nicknamed “Teapot” for its unique design with the fuel bowl above the throttle body resembling an upside-down teapot and was known for being efficient. The engine breathes through factory manifolds and a dual exhaust system. From the information gathered the engine, transmission and rear end were rebuilt. The engine runs and sounds excellent.

The undercarriage is also highly detailed throughout with many correct parts. The floors were stripped and refinished in the Fiesta Red. The frame was also stripped and refinished in black. Everything was restored or replaced new including the fuel system, power steering system, suspension components and power braking system.
Everything on this vehicle is in working order including the clock. Marc Schiliro did a full walk-around presentation video with an LED flashlight that can be found on the MS CLASSIC CARS
website and You Tube Channel.