Ford Thunderbird 1962 Images

Ford’s 1962 Thunderbird Sports Roadster used a clever fiberglass tonneau cover to disguise a genuine four-seat convertible as a two-seat sports car, right down to spoke wire wheels and special fender badges. Check the right option box and Ford would add Tri-Power carburetion to the 390 V8, bumping output to a genuine 340 horsepower — but only 120 buyers ever did, out of 1,427 Sports Roadsters built that year. Historians estimate barely 40 of those M-code cars survive today, making this one of the rarest factory options of the entire early Thunderbird generation.

The only engine offered in the “T”- Bird for 1962 is the 390 which develops 300 hp (220 kW) and is bolted to the three speed automatic transmission. The car was used to pace the Indianapolis race in ’62 and a Thunderbird convertible also carried John F. Kennedy to his inauguration that year. The options include a package comprised of set of genuine spoke wheels designed by Kelsey-Hayes and a tonneau cover giving itÂ Â a retro two seated roadster look – like the original Thunderbird. Â There was a special “M” code version of the 390 on the options sheet thatÂ would replace the basic with three-two barrel Holly carburetors, increasing the horsepower rating to 340 or 253.54 kW and, as an added bonus, air conditioning was included with the tri-power option. There were only 120 Sports Roadsters built with the triple-carb setup from the factory, making it a genuinely rare version.

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A two-seater that isn’t really a two-seater, wearing a fiberglass tonneau cover that fools you into thinking the back seat doesn’t exist — that’s the pitch behind Ford’s rarest early-’60s Thunderbird trim, and it very nearly didn’t happen at all. The 1962 Sports Roadster added spoke wire wheels, special fender badges, and that clever tonneau to turn a full four-seat convertible into something that looked like a genuine sports car from the curb. Order the right option code, and Ford would drop in a Tri-Power 390 breathing through three two-barrel Holleys, cranking out a genuine 340 horsepower. Only 120 buyers ever checked that box. Of those, historians think barely 40 cars survive today — so what actually made this one-year combination so hard to find?

The Illusion of a True Two-Seater

The Sports Roadster arrived for ’62 as a limited-production convertible trim, dressed up with 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, special badges on the front fenders, and a passenger-side grab bar for that authentic sports car feel. The real party trick was the fiberglass tonneau cover, which concealed the rear seat entirely and gave a genuine four-seat convertible the profile of a true two-seater. It’s a clever piece of engineering theater that still turns heads today.

The M-Code: Tri-Power Hiding Under a Family Cruiser Hood

The standard T-Bird engine for ’62 was a 390 cubic-inch V8 good for 300 horsepower, bolted to a three-speed automatic. Check the M-code option box, though, and Ford would fit a higher-compression version of that same 390 breathing through Tri-Power — three two-barrel carburetors — bumping output to a genuine 340 horsepower. Of the 1,427 Sports Roadsters built that year, only 120 got the M-code treatment, and historians estimate roughly 40 of those survive today.

Setting the Record Straight on the Pace Car Connection

Worth a footnote here: Ford’s Thunderbird pace car duty at Indianapolis is most commonly dated to 1961, not ’62, and the connection to JFK’s inauguration also traces to that earlier model year. But the third-generation “Bullet Bird” body these pace cars wore carried over into 1962 largely unchanged, so the glamour attached to this generation is earned even if the exact model year gets blurred in most retellings — and the Sports Roadster is arguably the coolest expression of that whole body style.

A Champagne-Colored Survivor

The example photographed for this gallery wears its factory-style champagne gold paint over a black vinyl-look roof insert, a color combination period Thunderbird brochures leaned on heavily for the 1962 model year, paired here with correct-look whitewall tires and full wheel covers rather than the wire wheel option covered above. The long, low greenhouse and pronounced rear fender character line are pure third-generation “Bullet Bird” styling, a shape Ford carried from 1961 through 1963 with only detail changes.

What’s Actually Under That Hood

A peek under the hood of a standard ’62 Thunderbird shows the 390 V8 wearing its factory gold-tone air cleaner lid and valve covers, a Ford Motor Company parts tag still visible on the driver’s side fender apron in well-preserved examples. That’s the base 300-horsepower 390 most Thunderbirds carried that year, not the Tri-Power M-code covered above — visually, the giveaway is a single four-barrel carburetor under one air cleaner rather than the triple-carb setup’s larger, more crowded engine bay.

A Personal Luxury Car, Not a Sports Car

It’s worth remembering what Ford was actually selling with the ’62 Thunderbird: a personal luxury coupe and convertible, not a lightweight sports car chasing lap times. The interior emphasized comfort and brightwork over stripped-down performance, and even the Sports Roadster’s two-seat illusion was more about image than function. That distinction matters when comparing this car to genuine sports cars of the era — the Thunderbird was always about looking fast while riding comfortably, and this example’s presentation-quality paint and trim show exactly why buyers paid a premium for that formula.

Why the Third-Generation Bird Still Draws a Crowd

Collectors and casual show-goers alike tend to gravitate toward the 1961-1963 Thunderbird body style for reasons that go beyond nostalgia — the long hood, low beltline, and jet-age rear fender treatment represent a genuinely confident piece of early-1960s American design, distinct from both the boxier Squarebirds that came before and the longer, heavier Flairbirds that followed in 1964. A well-kept example like the one in this gallery, finished in a period-correct color and free of aftermarket modifications, shows that styling off exactly the way Ford’s designers intended it to be seen on a showroom floor in 1962.

Kelsey-Hayes Wheels Told Their Own Story

Even on a standard hardtop like this one, the wheel and hubcap choice a buyer made said something about intent — full wheel covers signaled the comfort-first majority, while the genuine Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels reserved for the Sports Roadster package told everyone in the parking lot that a buyer had paid extra to chase a sportier image. Seeing the two treatments side by side in photos across this gallery makes that distinction easy to spot, even for someone who has never opened a Thunderbird brochure.

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