Inspired by and positioned directly against the Corvette, Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car, putting a greater emphasis on the car's comfort and convenience features rather than its inherent sportiness. Designations aside, the Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year. In fact, the Thunderbird outsold the Corvette by more than 23-to-one for 1955 with 16,155 Thunderbirds sold against 700 Corvettes. With the Thunderbird considered a success, few changes were made to the car for 1956. The most notable change was moving the spare tire to a continental-style rear bumper in order to make more storage room in the trunk.The 312 cubic inch engine was an option over the standard 292 cubic inch V8 in 1956. There were a total of 15,651 Thunderbirds built this year. Ford referred to the T-Bird as a 'Personal Car' rather than a true sports car, to appeal to the upscale customer. For 1956, the porthole top, continental kit and a 12-volt electrical system were added. The '56 T-Bird was much like the '55, but a standard "continental" spare tire opened up needed trunk space, front-fender ventilator doors enhanced cockpit comfort, and the available lift-off hardtop gained distinctive "porthole" windows that helped visibility. MotoeXotica is offering another fabulous 1956 Ford Thunderbird! This was the second production year of the T-Bird and Ford only made a little over 15,600 of these cars. Brand new this car was only $3,408 plus options.The paint is in superb condition and is near show quality. There are no major scratches or dings to be found but it does have some minor imperfections from time. The porthole hard top has excellent paint and has no scratches to be found. There is a soft top for this car, but it is not currently installed on the vehicle. The front and rear chrome bumpers retain a great shine with no major pitting or scratches. The trim does have some minor pitting showing. Inside the bench looks great. The drivers side and passenger side show no tears or staining. The carpet looks very good with no major staining or tears to be found. All gauges are in good working order except for the original clock. The lights, blinkers, vacuum wipers, signals and horn all work with no problems. There has been an aftermarket AM/FM radio installed that retains the classic look. We have decoded the data plate to find this is an original 312 Cu In V8 car with 4bbl carburetor and 3-speed automatic, the engine is believed to be the original 312 Cu In. V8 that runs great. There is a dual exhaust system that exits the rear bumper and emits a great note. This car is on a 12 volt system. The engine is not highly detailed but is in very clean overall condition. There is no visible rust or areas of concern under the hood. The underside of the car is very clean. No rot to be found and is coated with a protective undercoating. On the road the car has plenty of power and shifts with no problems. The Michelin P215/75 R15 white wall tires have good tread life left on them. They are wrapped around 15 inch wheel with wire hubcaps that look great. This is a super fun car to cruise around town in and take to car shows and cruises. The odometer shows 41,606 miles, this is believed to be actual. The car is being sold on clean mileage exempt New York title. The VIN# is P6FH218674.