Hill’s Classic Car Restorations has been restoring world class automobiles for over 25 years. In 1978, the owner, Marvin Hill, took the first steps of turning his passion for 1955-1957 Thunderbirds into a business. Unsatisfied with the quality of many of the top honored show cars, Marvin set out to raise the standard and began his own restoration business specializing in ’55, ’56, and ’57 Thunderbirds.
It was only a matter of time until the Thunderbirds restored at Hill’s Classic Cars were winning top honors at shows across the nation. When you see the cars up close and take notice of the attention to detail it is no surprise why these cars are considered among the best in the country. The fit and finish of the doors, hood, and deck lid are impeccable. The interiors are exactly as they were coming off the showroom floor. The engine and all of the mechanical equipment function as it should and no minor detail is overlooked. It is because of this tireless attention to detail that cars restored at Hill’s Classic Cars continue to bring top dollar at auctions such as Kruse, Mecum, and Auctions America.
While still specializing in 1955-1957 Thunderbirds, Hill’s Classic Cars takes the same amount of care and pride in all of the restorations. Hill’s has restored a variety of collector cars from Mustangs, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, AMXs, and Jensens to name but a few.
In 1957 Ford decided to add some power to their Thunderbirds. This brought about the production of the “F” Bird that had a more powerful super-charged engine. Ford built a total of 21,380 Thunderbirds in 1957 and only 212 “F” Birds were manufactured. Ford made this car more powerful by adding a 300 horsepower V-8 engine, so it could be in the NASCAR racing circuit. These “Battle Birds” were modified stock and made more aerodynamic for speed. The “F” Bird raced at the Daytona Spring Speed event that year, and was clocked at 138 mph. The rarest of these automobiles had a 3-speed transmission. At the end of 1957, Ford ended the production.
Here at Hill’s Classic Cars, we have had the pleasure of restoring twelve of these classic “F” Thunderbirds. Three are in our shop currently being restored, as of June 8, 2020. Externally, you will see no difference with these classics. The difference is with the engines, transmissions, and some had heavy duty suspensions. This is why the super-charged “F” Birds are so rare. Which is one of the reasons they have became quite collectible and very desirable.
You can see some of the restorations that we have completed, and are currently working on, for our customers.
Our Location
Address:
29625 Bashan RD Racine, Ohio 45771
Phone:
740-949-2217
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:00am-4:30pm
Saturday By Appointment
Sunday Closed