Makes and Models: Thunderbird

For half a century, under the Thunderbird brand, Ford produced large rear-wheel-drive sedans, coupes, and roadsters positioning them as prestigious vehicles for wealthy owners, who preferred to drive themselves.

Source: Sun Star Models

The fifties were not the brightest period for Ford’s muscle cars. The lack of powerful vehicles, according to many automotive historians, was rooted in the management of the corporation, which was then led by Robert McNamara. This gentleman was famous for his rationality and pragmatic thinking, which was confirmed by the affordable massive Falcon created in his time, which later formed the basis of the Mustang and the atypical four-seater Thunderbird.

The origins

Source: Fine Art America

In the early 50s, returning soldiers brought home a large number of sports cars from Europe. This enormously increased sports car popularity in the USA, however, American automobile manufacturers were in no hurry to produce them, preferring only small-scale and extremely expensive models such as the Auburn Speedster. Chevrolet was the first to catch on, with its legendary model Corvette released in 1953. Despite all its drawbacks, this model became extremely popular, which made other manufacturers develop similar machines. Ford’s first attempt was the Vega model prototype, which, however, never went into production. Nevertheless, when Henry Ford II went to Paris, he was impressed with the European sports models and returned with the solid decision to make such vehicles too. The result was a vehicle that looked far from being sporty, more Americanized, positioned at the time of release as a “personal car”. Of all the possible options, the name for this beauty was chosen appropriately – Thunderbird. As a result, production started on September 9, 1954, and on October 22, 1955, the first copies arrived at dealers. 

The first generation of the model was released in 1955-1957. There was little sportiness in the new model, as a powerful engine and good dynamics were combined with the big weight, a rather soft suspension, and a spacious interior. That is why it was positioned as a personal car. In addition, the model was also the most expensive of all the company’s passenger cars: the price started at $2944. Its equipment was very rich – a steering wheel adjustable in 2 planes, side windows with electric drive, one-piece sofas, etc.

1960 model year

Source: WallpaperUp

The 1960 four-seater Ford Thunderbird was created with the intent to ditch the sports car concept, replace glitz with function, and add a rear seat. It was the second generation of Thunderbird when the model was seriously changed. Already during the release of the first generation, the company’s marketers realized that it would be quite difficult to count on serious sales of a vehicle without a 4-seater saloon. That is why vehicles of the second generation significantly increased in size, especially in length, and received a second row of seats. In fact, the 1960 model could very well be considered one of the great American automotive achievements of the decade. It also earned this honor by not relying on the period’s technological dead-ends – air suspension, fuel injection, supercharging, and retractable hardtops. Although all of these characteristics were considered, still the management rejected them all. Thunderbird body chief engineer Bob Hennessey claimed that the model was revolutionary. He recalled that when the team was working on this particular model, the stock vehicle was about 61 inches off the ground – at shoulder height. But Blue oval’s “bird” was sitting 52.5 inches off the ground. To get the low look of a sports car, the team took 10 inches from the then-standard machine height. The four-seater “bird” also became a huge commercial hit, much more successful than the two-seater. The 1960 model dropped slightly in weight but increased in price. The base price was $3755 for the hardtop and $4222 for the convertible. There were no mechanical changes, and there were only a few styling differences—vertical hash marks added to the rear fenders, “Thunderbird” lettering on the door shell, a square grille with full-width horizontal stripes, and six tail lights instead of four. There were also minor changes to the emblems and decorations, as well as a standard rectangular exterior mirror. The door handles were more closely connected to the upper waist molding and the door trim was changed to include an integral armrest.

Did you know?

In 1960, Ford introduced the first retractable metal sunroof for the 1960 Thunderbird model. It not only looked good but also worked properly.

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If the entire history of the American automobile industry had to be reduced to one, but the most important, the most principled confrontation, then it would certainly be the age-old dispute between Ford and Chevrolet. As a result of the rivalry between these two giants, the legendary Thunderbird was born.

Source: WallpaperUP

The desperate rivalry between the two corporations of the American auto industry began back in the first decade of the twentieth century. Since then the degree of their dispute has never been lowered. How many epic battles were fought, very dramatic, and sometimes tragic stories occurred! There was only one thing missing – mercy and mutual assistance. In the never-ending, telenovela series, the confrontation between these two, one very entertaining episode can be found. In this episode, as a result of a heated competition, two legendary cars were born – the Thunderbird and the Chevrolet Corvette.

The star was born

The Ford leadership immediately saw a direct and clear threat in the Corvette when, at the 1953 Motorama, held in New York in January, the GM PR team presented a snow-white roadster with unusual contours and a fiberglass body. The elegant Corvette, so unlike the heavy and rugged Chevrolets of the time, became an instant national celebrity. Well, in the Blue Oval headquarters in Dearborn, reports from New York were studied without any enthusiasm. Of course, the “blue oval” bosses understood that a small sports car would not make a difference on the market and would remain a successful niche product at best. On the other hand, Ford was considered the main slaughterer of Detroit in terms of new stylistic concepts. It was clear that these “clumsy adventurers” from GM should not be allowed forward. 

1954 model

Source: Auto Vercity

Blue Oval’s senior management turned out to be extremely determined: Chevrolet is not to be ignored. It was not surprising that the very first proposed version of the sports two-door machine immediately received universal approval. However,  the whole trick, maybe, was not in a hurry, but in the fact that the designers created a masterpiece. Glancing at both the competing Corvette and the running out watch-time – the “blue oval” stylists hit the bull’s eye. Clean, light, devoid of deliberateness and far-fetched lines of the roadster, as well as very successful proportions, distinguished the new product from its peers. To reduce the cost of production and speed up the development process, the future Thunderbird borrowed most of the external trim elements from the then “blue oval” passenger models, but this did not spoil its appearance at all, but even added the charm of family continuity. So, in 1954, Thunderbird was born!

The fourth generation of  “Flair Birds”

No major changes were made for 1966, and the regular hardtop and convertible were back in stock, with interior and exterior styling upgrades. Remarkably, 1966 marked the end of an era: Ford decided to discontinue the Convertible, which had been part of this model’s lineup since 1955. In terms of interiors, the designers of the 1966 edition nailed it. New seat trim patterns, door panels, and rear trim panels have changed the look of the cabin. The seat pattern was changed to “biscuit” and “pleated” and the side panels were molded vinyl creases slightly wider than previous models in the series. The polished trim that ran from the front of the door panel just below the vent window and along with the molded armrest to the rear seat was removed. The fourth generation was nicknamed “Flair Birds” by fans. In 1966, the base 390 FE V8 engine was upgraded to 315 hp, and the 428 FE V8 was added to the lineup. The standard 390 engine (6.4 L) was provided by a 4-barrel carburetor. It was a “V-shaped eight” with a 7.0 liters volume and 345 hp. 9 seconds were needed to accelerate to 100 km/h.

Did you know?

“Thelma and Louise”, 1991

Source: AutoEvolution

In the early 90s, Ford Thunderbird was not a star anymore. Oldtimers were still cherished by motorists, but the latest mediocre models were not interesting to the public. The Ford management was about to remove the car from production when the cinema suddenly intervened in the course of things. Oscar-winning Ridley Scott directed the remarkable road movie in 1991, and people began to speak about Thunderbird again. The film “Thelma and Louise” featured Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and the 1966 Ford Thunderbird in person! This film instantly became a cult.

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