Forget the Danbury Sports and Special Vehicles Thunderbirds, and don’t count the T-Birds made by other commercial vendors for DM in NASCAR livery. Notwithstanding, DM has made 20 different and unique Ford Thunderbirds including this Casino Cream model year 1959. And this gorgeous little puppy makes up the third ’59 to please our discerning yearning for late fifties Square Birds. Their White and Tahitian Bronze variants are rendered in coupe formula, while this issue presents the first drop-top adaptation for the 1959 model year. The structural appearance of the model, color choice, convertible iteration and options choice makes this my favorite fifty-nine DM square bird to date.
This diecast looks a lot like the DM ’58 Bird in Monarch Blue. Our first Square Bird, the model featured a soft up-top with folding trunk/tonneau cover and integrated tonneau with the fabric-lined roof. This time, in black to match the interior, it really contrasts the body color. The interior represents the leather option that Thunderbird offered for the first time in 1959. It shows a delicate white indention in the black upholstery and mixes well with the white, folding sunvisors and white steering wheel. But take that continental kit off the blue Bird, if you weren’t a fan, I wasn’t, and you have a wholly different and phenomenally gorgeous Square Bird to rejoice in with your collectibles display.
The car sits perfectly; no undulating suspension to mess with your stance memory of fifty-nine. The color is faultlessly applied and the detailing is nothing short of DM master craft. The roof looks great in place. It has the built-in tonneau on the rear bottom quarter. Fold the tonneau down and close the trunk lid before displaying with the up-top. But be sure to take ample notice of the detail-rich trunk compartment. The spare tire is removable and the plethora of hydraulic components and the mechanical hinge assembly will leave you speechless. The driver’s and passengers compartment is awesome. The doors open on new-tech internal hardware and the dash and center console are richly detail-appointed. Chassis-wise, we see magnificent detail in engine and trans-bottom replica and the steering and line fabrication is beyond description.
Under the hood we have come to expect DM instant gratification in detail and material usage. No disappointments here. With hood raised, we see exquisite detail in hose and wiring assembly and the fittings and windshield washer are uniquely crafted to scale. Check out the carb linkage – to die for! The antenna raises and lowers and you will enjoy the way the rear license plate folds down to reveal the gas filler tube.
All together, this model approaches the pinnacle of detail and build perfection that is the essential Thunderbird for 1959. Perfect planning apparently makes for perfect model execution. Of the fifty-nines, you may enjoy the display of this one the best – I surely do. 50th anniversary Limited Edition. This product will be limited to production in year 2009. All models will cease on 12/31/09. Order number 991-003.
-Tony F Perrone
