Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird Is Up For Auction

The classic Ford Thunderbird driven by Marilyn Monroe to her third wedding is to be auctioned and is expected to fetch up to $500,000.

The star’s company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, bought the black soft-top with whitewall tires on Dece. 20, 1955. The Thunderbird is believed to have been a Christmas present to Monroe from Milton Greene, Monroe’s business partner and photographer.

The Thunderbird boasts 225 horsepower and a top speed of 113 mph and has clocked 30,399 miles since its engine was rebuilt.

Monroe took ownership of the car six months before marrying the playwright Arthur Miller. It is believed that the two drove the car to the civil ceremony and probably their private wedding in June 1956.

The Ford Thunderbird was developed as a response to the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, and was debuted in late 1954 as a 1955 model branded as a “personal luxury car.” Upon its release, the vehicle quickly overwhelmed Ford’s expectations for customer demand.

Monroe gave up ownership of the car in 1962 when she gave it as an 18th birthday gift to the son of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, and his wife, Paula. It’s believed the legal transfer took place just a few months before Monroe’s death on Aug. 5, 1962.

By: Maytinee Kramer