Summary
- The Ford Thunderbird was a revolutionary car for Ford, providing luxurious and magnificence with out a sensible goal.
- It rapidly grew to become a success within the Fifties resulting from Americans’ prosperity and need for a cool, enjoyable trip.
- The first technology Thunderbird left an enduring legacy as an American icon and has turn into an inexpensive basic automotive for collectors.
Introduced in 1955, the Ford Thunderbird was distinctive in that it was the primary mannequin from Ford that did not have a sensible goal. The radical two-seater wasn’t designed to haul something, it did not have any work functions, nor was it meant for households or commuting. It additionally wasn’t even actually a sports activities automotive, however quite a private luxurious car to easily be loved. Like the Beach Boys said, it was all about, “Fun, Fun, Fun”, or a minimum of till daddy took the T-Bird away.
It was, nevertheless, the right car on the proper time. Americans within the Fifties have been prospering and had each discretionary earnings in addition to leisure time. There was nothing cooler than cruising round in a ’55 T-bird with the highest off and no different purpose than to be seen wanting cool. It was Ford’s first grownup toy and, extra importantly, one thing that appealed to younger individuals. Previously, passenger automobiles have been geared in the direction of households and businessmen, however abruptly there was a scorching trip the youngsters needed to drive.
The Thunderbird actually was enjoyable, enjoyable, enjoyable, till Ford took it away in 2005. It went via 11 generations and was all the things from a sporty standing image to a sluggish land yacht, and even a NASCAR racer. The Thunderbird is really an iconic American nameplate, alongside classics just like the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette. Like all nice icons, the T-Bird has an attention-grabbing historical past which all started with the primary technology within the mid-Fifties.
In order to provide the most recent and correct info doable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from Ford, and different authoritative sources, together with Classic.com, and Hagerty.
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Ford Hatches The Thunderbird
In the mythology of the Algonquian Native American tribe, the Thunderbird is a non secular beast who creates thunder by flapping its wings, and shoots lightning bolts from its eyes. In Ford Motor Company mythology, the long-lasting Thunderbird was nearly named the “Hawaiian” as that was one of many favorites of the 1000’s of submissions, however fortunately they went in a unique path.
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Another stroke of luck was that they hatched the concept of a sporty two-seater in any respect. Ford held a design contest in 1953 to develop a sports activities automotive, and the winner, often called the Ford Vega was an underpowered slug with aluminum physique panels that might have been actually costly to provide.
Ford rejected the Vega, however favored the concept of a two-seat sports activities automotive, seeing it as a brand new rising market. U.S. troopers who had served within the European Theater in WWII started bringing house MGs, Jaguars, and Alfa Romeos, which have been about as far-off from the everyday automobiles on American roads as may very well be.
American automakers, nevertheless, took discover and rushed to develop comparable autos. Nash Motors was first to hit the market with the three-seat roadster, the Nash-Healey in 1951 and Chevrolet was subsequent with the introduction of the Corvette in 1953. Ford needed one thing to compete, and developed the Thunderbird in report time.
Designing the Thunderbird
The 1953 Ford Vega design contest winner was of no use to Ford, in order that they began from scratch. The verdict went out to its design division to give you a two-seat open automotive with a purpose weight of round 2,500 kilos. The solely different parameters that wanted to be hit have been that the automotive would use the Ford Y-block Interceptor V-8, which was being developed for the 1954 mannequin 12 months, and that it may do 100 MPH. In May 1953, a clay mannequin, that was very near the completed automotive, was developed and by September of that 12 months, Henry Ford II permitted it for manufacturing.
The Thunderbird Soars
The Ford Thunderbird hit vendor showrooms on October 22, 1954, for the 1955 mannequin 12 months, and was an immediate hit with patrons. Unlike the Corvette, which was initially a flop, transferring simply 700 models in 1955, T-Birds flew off the heaps, promoting 16,155 automobiles that very same 12 months. Ford had hoped they’d promote 10,000 models and have been blown away by the general public response.
That’s a reasonably wonderful accomplishment contemplating they have been a bit of expensive with an authentic MSRP of $2,994, or $34,443 in 2024 {dollars}. The base worth for a 1955 Ford F-100 pickup was underneath $1,500, and that was actually extra helpful than this new joyriding two-seater.
First Generation Thunderbird Production:
- 1955–16,155 models
- 1956–15,631 models
- 1957–21,380 models
- Total — 53,166 models
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1955 Ford Thunderbird
Ford by no means tried to market the 1955 Thunderbird as a sports activities automotive, as an alternative, playing it up as a personal luxury vehicle. It was a European-type grand tourer, with distinctly American styling. Ford stored the prices down on this brand-new trip by using present mechanical parts, chassis, and suspension. Despite being ‘Frankensteined’ out of Ford components, The Thunderbird achieved a comparatively gentle weight, when in comparison with different autos within the Blue Oval’s lineup. Some of that got here from the truth that it was a two-seater with a shorter wheelbase, which trimmed a number of kilos.
1955 Thunderbird Dimensions
Length |
175.3 inches |
---|---|
Width |
70.3 inches |
Wheelbase |
102 inches |
Front Track |
56 inches |
Rear Track |
56 inches |
Curb weight |
2,981 kilos |
Thunderbird Design
The T-Bird got here with a detachable fiberglass arduous prime, and supplied a preferred material convertible prime choice. The single round headlights and modest tail fins have been acquainted to autos of the time, and but, it seemed like nothing anybody had ever seen. The Thunderbird was one of many first American automobiles to function a hood scoop, which at all times makes a trip look extra-cool.
The exhaust pipes exited via the rear of the automotive, above the bumper, with chrome flanges that made them seem like jet engines. For luxurious, the ’55 got here with four-way powered seats, push-button inside door handles, a telescoping steering wheel, and a tachometer.
Thunderbird Power
As was laid out from its conception, the 1955 Thunderbird got here commonplace with Ford’s 292ci OHV Y-block V-8, which generated 198 horsepower and 208 pound-feet of torque. While this was not at all mind-blowing energy, it was first rate for the time and sufficient to get the T-Bird as much as 112 MPH, hitting one other pre-production mandate. In ’55, the engine was paired with both a three-speed Fordomatic or three-speed guide transmission, the latter offering a bit extra efficiency.
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First Generation Thunderbird Changes
Even although the Thunderbird’s debut in 1955 was a roaring success, Ford tweaked it a bit within the subsequent two years of the primary technology. Nowadays, car fashions can go three or 4 years with none substantial modifications, however again within the Fifties, a brand new mannequin 12 months needed to have one thing new about it, to create enthusiasm. The first-gen T-Bird obtained a number of beauty modifications, added a extra highly effective engine choice, and adjusted lengths a number of instances. It, nevertheless, remained the identical primary car that America had fallen in love with.
1956 Thunderbird
The most radical change for the ’56 Thunderbird was that the spare tire was mounted on the rear, releasing up trunk area. This, nevertheless, elevated the general size of the car by nearly 10 inches, and the extra weight within the rear made the steering a bit wonky. Also, the exhaust suggestions needed to be moved to accommodate for the Continental-style rear bumper. To enhance visibility, a no-cost portal window choice was made obtainable for the detachable prime, and cabin circulation was improved with the addition of vents behind the entrance wheels.
1957 Thunderbird
In 1957, the spare tire was moved again into the trunk, and the Thunderbird obtained a brand new entrance bumper and grille design. This shrunk the car size from the ’56, however it was nonetheless 6.1 inches longer than the ’55. The “Thunderbird” script badge was moved from the tail fins, which have been made barely bigger, to the entrance fenders.
The most enjoyable change for the 12 months was the brand new engine choices. There was a 312ci V-8 supplied, and a high-performance model with twin Holley four-barrel carburetors and McCulloch/Paxton centrifugal superchargers. This engine was rated at 300 horsepower and 439 pound-feet of torque, making the T-bird a legitimate drag car (nicely, nearly).
’57 T-Bird Turbo Power and Performance
Engine |
312ci turbocharged V-8 |
---|---|
Horsepower |
300 HP @ 4500 RPM |
Torque |
439 pound-feet @ 2300 RPM |
Transmission |
Three-speed guide |
0-60 Time |
7.8 seconds |
Quarter-mile |
17.0 seconds |
Top Speed |
115 MPH |
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First Generation Thunderbird Legacy
The 1955-1957 Thunderbird was the one technology to return in a two-seat configuration till Ford unsuccessfully tried to reboot it in 2002. Though hundreds of thousands of those automobiles have been offered over 11 generations, the first-gen T-Birds are those everybody remembers essentially the most fondly. It was merely an icon of American automotive engineering and a logo of freedom and enjoyable. It grew to become ingrained in our shared cultural heritage as the go-to ride in movies and TV when the cool model of the mid-Fifties wanted to be invoked.
Top Speed’s 10 Best Movies with a T-Bird:
- American Graffiti
- Thelma & Louise
- Thunderball
- The Outsiders
- Sin City
- The Crow
- Wild at Heart
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
- T-Bird Gang
- Be Cool
Today, the first-generation T-Bird represents one of the inexpensive basic automobiles a collector can choose up. Classic.com, which tracks public sale gross sales, places the common worth of first-generation T-Birds at simply $41,632 and Hagerty units the worth of a Concours situation 1955 at $60,700, which appears criminally underpriced. Even on Bring a Trailer, great-condition basic Thunderbirds could be had for as little as $20,000. Only 56,133 first-gen T-Birds have been ever made, and the probabilities are various have been misplaced within the 67 years since, so it is not like they’re tremendous widespread.