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Thread: Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) 1955-1957

  1. #1
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    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) 1955-1957

    First generation (1955–1957)

    Ford unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954, and went on sale on October 22, 1954 as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. While only 10,000 were planned, 16,155 were sold in 1955.

    As standard, the 1955 Ford Thunderbird included a removable fiberglass top; a fabric convertible top was an option, although commonly specified. The engine was a 292 Y-block V8, which got 18MPG. The car had fender skirts. The exhaust pipes exited through twin bumper guards, which are bolted to the rear bumper.

    Created to act as a retort to the Chevrolet Corvette, it was also the first mass produced edition of all the Ford Thunderbird models. A total of 53,166 units were produced for the three model years 1955-1957. It was produced with a Fordomatic automatic or manual overdrive transmissions, and featured four-way powered seats and pushbutton interior door handles. Other unique features were a telescoping steering wheel and a tachometer.

    Equipped with a V8 engine, the Thunderbird could hit 110-120 mph. It was a smaller two-seat "personal luxury car", compared to many other much larger cars that were on the road in the 1950s. It was designed to be a brisk luxury tourer, and not a sports car.

    For the 1956 model, more trunk space was added, the spare wheel was mounted outside(which helped free up trunk space), the exhausts were moved to the ends of the bumper, and air vents were added behind the front wheels to improve cabin ventilation. To improve rear-quarter visibility with the removable hardtop in place, "porthole" windows were made available as a no-cost option. An optional 312 Y-block V8 was made available for those that wanted more performance. 1956 production was 15,631 units, the lowest of all three 2-seater Thunderbird model years.

    For 1957 the front bumper was reshaped, the grille and tailfins were made larger, and larger tail-lights were fitted. The spare wheel moved back inside the trunk, which had been redesigned to allow it to be mounted vertically. The side "Thunderbird" script moved from the fins to the front fenders. A new option was "Dial-o-Matic" 4-way power seats that, when you turned off the ignition, the seat would move back to allow easier exiting. As well as the standard 292 and 312 engines, versions of the 312 were produced in higher states of tune, and even a few McCulloch supercharged versions, rated at 300 and 340 hp (254 kW) respectively. 1957 sales were 21,380, including three extra months of production because the 1958 models were late. The 1957 Thunderbird was the last two-seater Ford sold until the 1982 Ford EXP sport compact car.

    Year /Production
    1955 16,155
    1956 15,631
    1957 21,380
    Total 53,166
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    Last edited by Duell; 10-15-2012 at 11:17 PM.
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  2. #2
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    Ford Thunderbird (1955–1957)
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    Last edited by Duell; 10-13-2012 at 08:00 AM.
    I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.

  3. #3
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    Ford Thunderbird #3

    1957 Thunderbird with the rare 3-speed/overdrive.
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    Last edited by Duell; 10-13-2012 at 08:00 AM.
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  4. #4
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    Ford Thunderbird 1957
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    Ford Thunderbird #5
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  6. #6
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    There's one of these for sale just up the road from my place. I presume it's a '55 because it has the exhausts up in the rear bumper.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  7. #7
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    I have a review which involved one of these when it was brand new. They were split over what to think of the T-bird.
    An it harm none, do as ye will

    Approximately 79% of statistics are made up.

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    Ford Thunderbird #6
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    Ford Thunderbird #7
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  10. #10
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    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) #8
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    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) #9

  12. #12
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    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) #10

  13. #13
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    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) #11
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Man of Steel View Post
    Ford Thunderbird (1st gen) #10
    Pictures 6 ; that birds nest option looks terribly unsafe.
    I can not imagine you would like to sit there. Let alone that you want to put small children there.
    Or maybe if don't give a shit. Strange times !

  15. #15
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    I can't imagine the rumbleseat in a T-bird was any more dangerous that the rear-facing wagon seats that most kids were probably thrown in at the time. Fewer exhaust fumes in the 'bird, and the definitely didn't give a shit.
    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
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