Alternate Flight

Being a physics aficionado, the theory of multiple dimensions holds a special place in my brain. Couple that with a love for all things science fiction, and my synapses light up with boundless ideas and tales of the bizarre. This in mind, I had been imagining for some time a 'what-if' scenario, pondering what may have happened if AC Cars had not lost their engine supplier, and if NASCAR wasn't a primary thought on Ford's mind in the early 1960's. Season that with a punch of willingness to make the Thunderbird more of a world-class performer, and you can see where this is headed: The ultimate, alternate-dimension barn find. Taking the above into consideration, behold the final iteration of the winningest Thunderbird on the opposite side of the space-time bubble. Wearing the shorter, half-width windscreen, we're obviously looking at a pre-GT car, and this monster is complete, right down to the dirt and grime from it's final race. While later cars would be fitted with the mighty big blocks, this 289-powered 'Bird left many a European car behind, engulfed in the shriek of its high-winding exhaust note and dust. While these cars lend themselves extremely well to the custom treatment, I've always pictured one as a track car, and by drawing inspiration from the race cars of the day, I couldn't help but plot a course for this T-Bird which involved some down-home innovation (like the widened fenders, flip-nose, headlamp covers and full-length hood scoop), and setting it up as a well-preserved chunk of history brought out into the sunlight following a long roost. That said, consider this my proposal for a melding of 'street cruisers' and 'pro-touring' with some heavy vintage racing feel that anyone on the fringe would be proud to pilot…