Marilyn Monroe’s ’56 Thunderbird to be sold

Marilyn Monroe’s Thunderbird is coming up for auction in November, alongside many other celebrity vehicles, at Julien’s Auctions’ Icons & Idols: Hollywood event.

The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird debuted in 1955, and was produced until 1957. Monroe’s T-Bird is a 1956 model, finished in Raven Black with a two-tone black interior, and wide whitewall tires to tie it all together. A black soft top, and new-for-56 porthole hardtop are also included.

Records show the actress bought the car new in 1955, possibly as a gift to herself after the success of The Seven Year Itch (which has the famous scene where Monroe’s dress flies up on the subway grate).

Monroe and her husband at the time, playwright Arthur Miller, drove the car to their wedding ceremony in 1956. Photographs show the two of them in the Thunderbird, with Marilyn in the passenger seat.

After owning the car for eight years, Monroe gave the car to the son of her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, as a birthday present. Unfortunately, Monroe died in 1962, the same year she gave away the car.

The price of the Thunderbird is expected to reach US$300,000 to US$500,000 at auction, which is a lot more than the current value for a non-celebrity-owned Thunderbird, which is about US$79,000 in perfect condition, according to Hagerty’s Price Guide.