Random Car Wednesday: 1962 Ford Thunderbird

On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, Austin comes alive with cool cars. High-dollar exotics, hot rods and classic muscle cars roam the streets. But with blue skies above and a nice breeze, a red convertible is the way to go. Today's RCW, a 1962 Ford Thunderbird, fits the bill nicely. I've seen this particular car before at some of the local car show events, but I'd never really had a chance to properly photograph it. On this occasion it was parked at a hamburger joint on the drag, along with one or two other classics that arrived later. This is a great car to take out for a weekend drive, and the owners were doing exactly that.

1962 Ford Thunderbird

Buda Gearheads Annual Car Show

I've covered the excellent Gearheads show on this site before, and I've made it clear how much fun it is every time. This year set a new record for most cars registered, and all of them were pretty spectacular. I see something new ever year, and you can bet I'll be back next year. Until then, enjoy these photos!

Beautifully simple Ford pickup.

Malibu muscle.

Nice shade of blue on a stock C-10.

Boss stripes on a sweet Ford.

Pastel colors work well on this clean '56 Chevy.

Remarkably unmolested Pontiac Tempest.

Monstrous drag Nova.

Classic Mercury street machine.

Wild twin-turbo mill in a '69 Chevelle 300.

Gorgeous paint on a very clean Chevy pickup.

Heavily-modified Beetle.

Sporty '65 Mustang with uncommon vinyl top.

Great stance on a six-cylinder '63 Chevy.

White-walls and chrome on a stylish Buick.

Clean early Chevelle.

LS1-powered Chevrolet street rod.

Very tasteful Ford coupe.

Cool colors on a '68 Camaro.

Modern muscle was included, too.

406-powered Ford Galaxie.

Amazing paint on a lovely '55.

Well-worn Model A.

1972 GSX "tribute car".

Unrestored and oh-so-nice 327 Camaro.

Pro-stock Nova, in orange.

Great colors on a '64 Galaxie, previously seen at LSRU.

One of the finest products of the 1980's.

Ultra-sinister custom Challenger.

Pumpkin orange Dodge.

Another vinyl-topped '65 Mustang.

Very cool '57 Chevy.

Monster Chevy provides shade for the kids.

Dignified '66 Galaxie 500 with 390 V8.

Lightly-modified Oldsmobile sedan.

Thunderbird with luxurious landau bars.

A regular at local car shows, this 1971 Roadrunner never gets old.

Awesome Willys gasser.

What could be cooler than a GTO wagon?

Gorgeous paint on a first-year Riviera.

Increasingly-rare Oldsmobile Starfire.

As-yellow-as-possible Cutlass ragtop.

Superb 1969 Oldsmobile 442.

Wild Pontiac hot rod rocking ghost flames and an LT1.

Ruggedly sinister '55 wagon.

Was once a Volkswagen, maybe.