BROOKLIN AND THE 1959 FORD THUNDERBIRD

The standard 1959 Ford Thunderbird (BRK64) was released in August 1997 and deleted in April 2003. It is finished in wedgewood blue with black / light blue interior, white license plate and whitewall tyres.

The standard 1959 Ford Thunderbird Convertible (BRK64A) was released in April 2003, following the S.F.B.B.C. special. It is finished in blue metallic with blue / white interior, orange license plate and whitewall tyres. In April 2013 it was replaced by the BRK64B with a new color scheme, body in brandywine red with black / silver interior and yellow license plate. Tyres have a different trim design.

BROOKLIN COLLECTORS CLUB

The B.C.C. chose a two piece set as their Club special for 2004, described as "A Pair of Squares". 1958 saw the Ford Thunderbird redesigned radically from a two-seater sports car to a new four-seater sports coupe. The 1958-1960 models were nicknamed the “Squarebirds”, with 1961 again bringing a change to a new design. The B.C.C. set features the first 1958 convertible, done in bright pink with two-tone cream / pink interior, together with a 1960 hardtop, in burgundy with beige / burgundy interior, which has the optional metal sunroof in the open position. The set was meant to complement the 1959 versions and complete the three-year “Squarebird” series. The license plate of both models reads “CALIFORNIA BRK64X” and “BCC 2004” is cast in base. The set, with a certificate, was produced in 200 pieces only.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY BROOKLIN CLUB

“Gung Hay Fat Choy!” in Chinese that means "Happy New Year!". People in the San Francisco Bay Area are familiar with the term and also with the opportunity to celebrate the New Year again, just a month or two after the traditional holiday. And celebrate means a 15 day stretch, from February 9th to the 23rd, filled with a Lantern Festival, a Flower Fair, a carnival, a street fair, the Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant and the Coronation Ball. These events constitute a festival rather than a holiday which culminate with a 100-unit Parade, the biggest night time illuminated parade in North America, with over 650.000 spectators expected along the parade route. The finale involves “Gung Lum” (the Golden Dragon), over 200 feet in length, carried by 100 men and women and accompanied by over 600.000 firecrackers! The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade dates back to the California Gold Rush days and the S.F.B.B.C. has chosen to honour this 130 year long tradition with a 1959 Ford Thunderbird specially modified as a Chinese New Year Parade Car. The factory has agreed to convert the standard model into a top-down convertible and also to add additional plated details, including windshield frame, door handles and fender ornaments. Exterior is light metallic gold with two-tone white and beige interior. An Arttista figure of Miss Chinatown USA is included in a red dress with gold dragon design to sit on the top of the back seat and also a photographer in period dress and flash-bulb camera. The license plate reads “CALIFORNIA SFBBC” and the baseplate has “S.F.B.B.C. 2002 - 1 of 200” cast in it. Only 200 of these Thunderbirds were produced in May 2002, each with a certificate.

Author: Gianluigi Cappi

You may find more pictures and information on this model plus many other Brooklin stories in the Brooklin Models Collectors Guide.