![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In spite of 1957 sales being the best yet, Ford felt they could be much higher. would become the standard engine for 1957, which also saw design changes in the grille area, and larger tailfins. 1956 would also make the switch to 12-volt electrical systems. engine which produced 215 hp with standard transmission, 225 hp with Ford-o-matic automatic. 1956 added small portholes to tops, but they didn’t improve visibility by any great amount. Cars had removable fibreglass tops, and there were lots of complaints on poor visibility with tops installed. Y-block engine taken directly from Ford’s Mercury division, headlights and tail lights from Ford’s regular passenger cars, one look told everyone what company had built the car. 1957 would see the best year for sales of the “little bird” with over 21,000 sold.īased on a standard 1955 Ford, it used the same frame slightly shortened, and lots of regular Ford styling cues. Impressive sales continued in 1956 although down slightly to approximately 15 and half thousand. Enjoying immediate success, over 16,000 were sold in 1955, far outselling Corvette. Thunderbird hit the market in October 1954 as a 1955 model. Bill Boyer is credited as lead stylist, and final design approval came from Henry Ford II in 1953. Thunderbird – the name which was finally chosen for Ford’s new “personal” car, got its name from a supernatural mythical creature in Indigenous culture believed to be responsible for thunder and lightning. Sales this time were disappointing and the idea was shelved a few years later. So popular are they that Ford tried a re-introduction of sorts in 2002, again a two seater. It would prove to be much more popular in sales, but the 1955-57 “little birds” remain more popular with collectors today. Thunderbird would follow suit with a rear seat in 1958 – the “little bird” would be gone and what people referred to as the “big birds” would take over. 1956 would add a third “sporty” car to the mix when Studebaker introduced its Golden Hawk – this time with a rear seat and room for five. While early Corvettes came closer to being true sports cars, Ford never advertised the Thunderbird as a sports car, rather referring to it as a “personal” car. Suddenly, enthusiasts had two home grown sports (or sporty) cars to pick from. But no doubt the rush for an answer was on. Ford had begun work on its own two seater in the early 1950s, so the plan to introduce one was already there when Corvette hit the market. Ford was well aware of the market, as more and more university students from well-to-do families were seen driving European two seaters. After all, it was no secret in the auto industry that GM would introduce an answer to the foreign “sports cars” that were appearing on the scene in the early 1950s. Was it a reaction to GM’s introduction of the Corvette in 1953 that led to the birth of the Thunderbird? Not likely, but it certainly sped up the process. The Thunderbird eventually went on to develop a new niche in the market: the personal luxury car.-Written by Clifford Collins / Illustrated by Barrie Fraser Rather than focusing on sportiness, Ford emphasized the vehicle’s comfort. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, it wasn’t marketed as a sports car, but a gentleman’s car. The way Bonds explained it, the Thunderbird was Ford’s response to the Corvette. The body is entirely stock, with its original paint job: a colonial white top with a buckskin body. The car looks exactly as it did rolling off the lot in 1956, when the son-in-law’s grandfather purchased it brand new in Albany, California. She and Rick Bonds purchased the Thunderbird, and all they had to do was put on new tires, since the old ones had bald patches from sitting in one spot for so long. “For the last 60 years I’ve wanted one, and here it popped up,” she said. Choate jumped on the chance to finally own the car of her dreams. The oil hadn’t been changed since 1976, it had only gone 1,100 miles since that oil change, and it hadn’t been driven in three decades. It had been sitting in a garage in San Leandro for 37 years. The son-in-law of a good friend had a ‘56 Ford Thunderbird he wanted to get rid of. It wasn’t until June 2016 that her chance finally arose. Years passed, and Choate never got her Thunderbird. “I said, ‘I’d like to have a car like that someday,’” she recalled. Peggy Choate has been dreaming of owning one since the seventh grade, when she first laid eyes on the then wildly popular model. “American Graffiti” sees Suzanne Somers driving a white 1956 Ford Thunderbird. In “Grease,” Danny Zuko and his gang call themselves the T-birds. Lake County > Thanks to pop culture, the 1950s Thunderbird is an iconic car. ![]()
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