M-code Production Numbers??

[Guest]

I have come across several sources that state the production numbers for the M-code hardtops indicate only approximately 25 hardtops were produced with the M-code option?? Can this be correct? Can someone else help me with this? If that's right that only around 25 where made it would make the M-code I just bought a pretty rare BIRD!! Help me. Thanks Mike

[Alan H. Tast, AIA]

How Many '62 "M"-Series Hardtops?

Final production numbers are not known for hardtops or Landaus. Numbers being bantered about are the tally of known/registered M-series hardtops/Landaus. Tallies for Sports Roadsters were derived from a count of factory invoices which were preserved in the mid-'70s and now are in the hands of Marti Auto Works: all the hardtop/Landau invoices were destroyed by the person entrusted to take care of them, and I'm not sure that all convertible invoices have been accounted for at this time.

At present I have in my database of over 2800 '62s of all models/engines VINs on 40 '62 HT's and data plate information on most of them, along with 14 '62 Landaus. For convertibles, 18 are registered, but we don't have the total count of these. Of the Sports Roadsters there are 129 listings in my database that comprise total '62 production (according to several sources only 120 Roadsters had the tripower, but I suspect not all were accounted for).

Based on my research of known cars against 4-barreled cars, percentages of surviving M- versus Z-series HTs, and on-going collection of information in part with M-series guru William Wonder, I suspect the number could potentially be in the 1100-5000 range out of the roughly 78,000 '62 T-birds built. We'll never know the actual production number unless it's buried somewhere in Ford's archives, and after over 4 decades of trying to find this info nothing has turned up yet.

Question is, has your car been accounted for? Feel free to post a private message to me with car's VIN and data plate info. I can say I only have one record of a '62 HT from Oregon but no info on color, interior, build date or DSO. I have record of two Sandshell Beige/beige interior cars and two Corinthian White/beige interior cars. From the photos you posted it looks like your car is Sandshell Beige with beige interior.

[YellowRose]

M-code Production Numbers??

Mike, you just heard from one of the worlds best, if not THE worlds best authorities on Thunderbirds.. Alan is a master when it comes to these old Birds of ours. If you will provide Alan with the information he requested, he should be able to tell you a lot more about your Tbird once he looks up your VIN number and all the Data Plate information. In my opinion, if the numbers range he cited for M codes is accurate (and we may never know for sure, as he said) it still makes your M Code Tbird fairly rare, out of those roughly 78,000 '62 Tbirds built.