First Generation Ford Thunderbird Credit: Greg Gjerdingen/Wikipedia (1957 Ford Thunderbird) It was the largest Thunderbird ever, weighing over 5,000 pounds and featuring only 429 or massive 460 cid V8s. The sixth generation lasted from 1972–1976, and sold relatively steadily. From 1968–1971, Ford released the high performance variant, the ThunderJet, which had a 429 cid V8 that was similar to the iconic Super Cobra Jet 429 V8. Ford closed the decade with the fifth generation T-Bird, which lasted from 1967–1971. The Thunderbird Continuesįord created the fourth generation from 1964–1966, keeping the 390 cid V8 and introducing a 428 cid V8, too. The third generation lasted from 1961–1963, and production stayed relatively steady as did performance, with a 390 cid V8 now the base power plant. The car got some slight restyling and added a convertible option in 1958, and production soured. The T-Bird quickly became popular with racing enthusiasts, they were a staple of 1950s and 1960s drag racing.įord produced the second generation of the Thunderbird from 1958–1960, and in 1959 Ford gave the T-Bird its first big-block V8 engine, a 430 cid V8 making 350 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. The Thunderbird vastly outsold the Corvette even though they sold for similar prices. Ford created the Thunderbird to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette that General Motors had released a few years earlier in 1953. Available engines were either a 292 or 312 cid V8, and in 1957 a supercharger was added to increase horsepower and torque. The first generation of the Thunderbird lasted from 1955–1957. In 1967, Ford brought out the first four-door T-Bird in history, which was very successful at first, but sales soon slumped. Originally, Ford only made the Thunderbird available as a two-door convertible with a removable fiberglass top, but soon they added a Rayon-top option, and in 1958 Ford introduced a four-seater version. The Thunderbird sold well, almost eclipsing 100,000 cars annually for a few model years. The first six generations of the Ford Thunderbird spanned 22 model years from 1955–1976. Make sure to check out our other article for the 1977–2005 Ford Thunderbird. This article will cover the first six generations of the Thunderbird, from 1955–1976. From 1968–1971, Ford released the ThunderJet variant, which was essentially a muscle car with its 429 cid V8 engine pumping out 360 horsepower and almost 500 lb-ft of torque. The 1950s T-Birds are some of the most recognizable American cars of all-time, with their classic tailfins and headlights. It did make one last comeback from 2002–2005 for an 11th generation, but Ford has since retired the moniker again.Īlso known as the “T-Bird,” in 1957 the Thunderbird became one of the first production cars with a factory equipped supercharger. The original run of the Thunderbird lasted for 10 generations from the 1955–1997 model years, before Ford briefly halted production. First introduced for the 1955 model year, Ford marketed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car that featured outstanding performance from big-block V8s. No estimate on how much it is expected to fetch is available, but be sure we’ll get back on this if it breaks a record or something.Spanning 50 years, the Ford Thunderbird is one of the most iconic cars in American history. We found the car waiting to be sold this weekend as part of the Mecum Kansas City auction. But even those who feel that can’t deny the fact the Thunderbird has more personality than most of Ford’s lineup has today, combined. So they chopped and lowered it by 2 inches, slapped a 390ci (6.4-liter) engine under the hood, and took the bold decision of painting it purple.Īll of the above might make the car, in the eyes of some, one ugly duckling. The aggressive stock look of the car apparently wasn’t enough for the guys behind this here Thunderbird. The one we have here comes from 1959, meaning it’s a second-gen – that’s the one that made the transition from the original two-seater thunderbird to a four-seater, and looked so sharp it was almost menacing. Counting that little fiasco, the Thunderbird burned through 11 generations before being shelved (apparently) for good. Born in 1955, it was in production well into the 1990s, and then revived for a brief period of time in the early 2000s. The Thunderbird was one of Ford’s longest-running nameplates. For us, that special something today is this 1959 Ford Thunderbird. Where are the sculpted panels of before, the flowing lines, all the details that made cars look stunning, or at least made them seem to say “this is me, and I like it”? No, they’re not gone, only you’ll never find them on today’s cars – you’ll have to go back in time to get your fix.Īnd the best way to do that is to surf the open market, looking for that special something that makes you tick.
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