Stock# 18543
Collector# 644

CB's Die Cast Review: May 10, 1998

1998 First Editions #9 
`63 T-Bird

Hot Wheels has had a love affair with Fords since the beginning. The Classics produced the first two years were based on Ford automobiles. Cars such as the Model-T, the Model-A Woody Wagon and the Victoria were transformed into Mattel 1/64-scale hot rods. The tradition continues with the adaptation of the 1963 Thunderbird convertible.

The real `63 T-Birds were still roaming the streets when Hot Wheels were born, and it's nice to see this car immortalized on this year's First Editions roster. The Malaysian-made model is a faithful representation of the 1963 classic convertible. Mattel wisely chose to model the car as manufactured instead of as a street rod. The body is painted a teal green metallic and rides on a metal chassis with nice detail, including a dual muffler exhaust. The white plastic interior is cleverly designed, with full floor, dashboard and door inner side panels present. The clear plastic windshield includes the side vent window frames, a practice started on last year's `59 Chevy Impala and continued on this year's `65 Impala Lowrider. The workmanship all around is very good, with extra attention given to such details as the dashboard gages, windshield wipers, door locks and handles, parking and backup lights, and more. The "Thunderbird" markings, as well as the Hot Wheels logo, are printed in silver on the car sides. The car rides on small Lamborghini-style five-hole wheels, an unfortunate anomaly juxtaposed with the rest of the model. Out of the wheel types currently available, the chrome lace wheels would have been the most appropriate. The model also has been spotted with saw-blade wheels.

This Thunderbird is the first in the basic line since the `57 hardtop introduced in 1978, and the first convertible version since the Classic `57 `Bird debuted in 1969. Overall, the `63 T-Bird is another winner in the batch of new cars for 1998.