CTCC Member In The News

THE FOLLOWING APPEARED IN THE JULY 2008 ISSUE OF Senior Life:

Joe Kraatz of Valparaiso [IN] couldn't be happier with the car purchase he made way back in 1957. Kraatz is the original owner of a Thunderbird. The Colonial white convertible hard lop T-Bird is a model E. So far, he has driven it 109,000 miles. Although it's worth at least 10 times more now, its delivery list price was a mere $4,414 back in the day. "There were only 1,149 model E's built," he said, quickly adding, "... and only 275 E's were built with a three-speed transmission with overdrive like mine." His T-BIrd is not restored. Kraatz belongs to both the Classic T-Bird Club International and the Classic Thunder-bird Club of Chicagoland.

Photo- Joe Kraatz is the proud and original owner of his 1957 Thunderbird.


Editor's Note: For those who might not be familiar with the "E" model designation, it is the Ford code applied to the Dual-Quad a 270 HP engine design.
Note Joe's adaptation of the custom fender-skirts! While not "original equipment," they are "period" design items that blend into the sweeping lines of the '57 'Bird!