{"id":1979077,"date":"2026-10-29T12:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T16:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T07:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T12:16:10","slug":"1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/","title":{"rendered":"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>1981 Shay 1955 Ford Thunderbird Replica Restomod:<\/h1>\n<h2>1 of About 200, Only 1,250 Miles on a $60,000 Build<\/h2>\n<p>This 1981 Shay reproduction of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird delivers the timeless lines of Ford&#8217;s original two-seat personal luxury car with the comfort and drivability of a modern restomod. Shay Motors Corporation built these full fiberglass-body replicas under an arrangement with Ford Motor Company, and they were sold and serviced through Ford dealerships. That factory connection sets the Shay Thunderbird apart from ordinary kit cars. With only about 200 produced, it is also a genuinely uncommon piece of American automotive history.<\/p>\n<p>This example is titled as a 1981 Shay. It has since been transformed into a one-off restomod at a build cost of approximately $60,000. The result is a beautifully finished classic in medium green over a camel leather interior, with both the paint and cabin presenting in new condition. Just 1,250 miles have been covered since the build was completed, so you get a fresh, nearly untouched car ready for the road.<\/p>\n<p>Power comes from a Ford 302ci Windsor V8 with modifications. It is backed by the ever-dependable C-4 3-speed automatic and a Ford 9-inch front loader rear end. Power steering, power brakes, and a tilt wheel make it an easy, relaxed cruiser. A set of American Racing wheels wrapped in Goodyear tires gives it a clean, purposeful stance. The undercarriage is like new.<\/p>\n<p>With a clean Carfax, a Maryland title, and show-ready presentation inside and out, this Shay Thunderbird is a true classic show stopper. Whether you&#8217;re heading to your next cars-and-coffee, adding a rare piece to your collection, or simply enjoying open-road cruising, this Thunderbird is ready to be driven and admired.<\/p>\n<h2>Engine &amp; Transmission<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Ford 302ci (5.0L) Windsor V8 with modifications<\/li>\n<li>C-4 3-speed automatic transmission<\/li>\n<li>Ford 9-inch front loader rear end<\/li>\n<li>Rear-wheel drive<\/li>\n<li>Very drivable with plenty of power<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Exterior<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Full fiberglass body replicating the 1955 Ford Thunderbird<\/li>\n<li>Medium green finish in new condition<\/li>\n<li>American Racing wheels<\/li>\n<li>Goodyear tires<\/li>\n<li>Classic two-seat Thunderbird styling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Interior<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Camel\/tan leather interior in new condition<\/li>\n<li>Tilt steering wheel<\/li>\n<li>Comfortable two-seat cabin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Suspension &amp; Chassis<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Power steering<\/li>\n<li>Power brakes<\/li>\n<li>Like-new undercarriage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Additional Info<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Built by Shay Motors Corporation under an arrangement with Ford Motor Company<\/li>\n<li>Originally sold and serviced through Ford dealerships<\/li>\n<li>1 of approximately 200 Shay Thunderbirds produced<\/li>\n<li>One-off restomod build costing approximately $60,000<\/li>\n<li>Only 1,250 miles since the build<\/li>\n<li>Clean Carfax<\/li>\n<li>Maryland title, titled as a 1981 Shay<\/li>\n<li>VIN# 1HWTC31A7BE009108<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1981 Shay 1955 Ford Thunderbird Replica Restomod: 1 of About 200, Only 1,250 Miles on a $60,000 Build This 1981 Shay reproduction of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird delivers the timeless lines of Ford&#8217;s original two-seat personal luxury car with the comfort and drivability of a modern restomod. Shay Motors Corporation built these full fiberglass-body replicas [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3992,"featured_media":1979078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"content-type":""},"product_cat":[18],"product_tag":[658,104,58],"class_list":["post-1979077","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","product_cat-auctions","product_tag-ford","product_tag-thunderbird","product_tag-hot-rod-and-custom-car-auctions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"1981 Shay 1955 Ford Thunderbird Replica Restomod: 1 of About 200, Only 1,250 Miles on a $60,000 Build This 1981 Shay reproduction of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird delivers the timeless lines of Ford&#8217;s original two-seat personal luxury car with the comfort and drivability of a modern restomod. Shay Motors Corporation built these full fiberglass-body replicas [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"accauctions.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AllCollectorCarsdotcom?ref=hl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-02T12:16:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/auction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29123132\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"719\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@allcollectorcar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/\",\"name\":\"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\\\/auction\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/29123132\\\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-29T16:31:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-02T12:16:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\\\/auction\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/29123132\\\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\\\/auction\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/29123132\\\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":719,\"caption\":\"1981 THUNDERBIRD SHAY THUNDERBIRD REPRODUCTION 1955 THUNDERBIRD\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/vehicles\\\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Products\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/shop\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/\",\"name\":\"accauctions.com\",\"description\":\"Live Online Classic Car Auctions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ACC-Auctions.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"ACC-Auctions.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.allcollectorcars.com\\\/classic-car-auctions\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/AllCollectorCarsdotcom?ref=hl\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/allcollectorcar\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/allcollectorcars_dot_com\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/allcollectorcars-com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/allcollectorcars\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/AllCollectorCars\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com","og_description":"1981 Shay 1955 Ford Thunderbird Replica Restomod: 1 of About 200, Only 1,250 Miles on a $60,000 Build This 1981 Shay reproduction of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird delivers the timeless lines of Ford&#8217;s original two-seat personal luxury car with the comfort and drivability of a modern restomod. Shay Motors Corporation built these full fiberglass-body replicas [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/","og_site_name":"accauctions.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AllCollectorCarsdotcom?ref=hl","article_modified_time":"2026-11-02T12:16:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":719,"url":"https:\/\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/auction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29123132\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@allcollectorcar","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/","url":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/","name":"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica - accauctions.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/auction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29123132\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-29T16:31:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-02T12:16:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/auction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29123132\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/allcollectorcars.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/auction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/29123132\/1955-ford-thunderbird-shay-replica20_57_.jpg","width":1280,"height":719,"caption":"1981 THUNDERBIRD SHAY THUNDERBIRD REPRODUCTION 1955 THUNDERBIRD"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/vehicles\/1981-thunderbird-shay-thunderbird-reproduction-1955-thunderbird\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Products","item":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/shop\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"1955 Ford Thunderbird 81 Shay Replica"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/","name":"accauctions.com","description":"Live Online Classic Car Auctions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#organization","name":"ACC-Auctions.com","url":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"ACC-Auctions.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AllCollectorCarsdotcom?ref=hl","https:\/\/x.com\/allcollectorcar","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/allcollectorcars_dot_com\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/allcollectorcars-com","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/allcollectorcars\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/AllCollectorCars"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/1979077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3992"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1979077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1979077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=1979077"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allcollectorcars.com\/classic-car-auctions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=1979077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}