Ford introduced the V-8-powered 1955 Thunderbird in response to arch-rival Chevrolet’s Corvette. The General Motors division had launched the six-cylinder Corvette as a 1953 model and by 1955, according to Motor’s Manual, had improved it by adding a V-8. With that, the Corvette and Thunderbird two-seaters on their 102-inch wheelbases were matched closely, but definitely not exactly.
Two-seater 1955 Thunderbird Aims For Luxury
The fiberglass 1953 Corvette had been slotted as a sports car; lacking roll-up side windows and a hardtop – but carrying a triple-carbureted engine and a floor-shifter – it made no pretense of being anything else. Chevrolet wasn’t the only builder of a fiberglass sports car, according to the Standard Catalog, as that material was used on everything from the Kaiser Darrin to the Studebaker Avanti, but the Thunderbird would be built of steel and that was just one of its differences.
Ford designed it not so much to be a sports car as a personal luxury car; GM would later take up the concept with cars such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix. The 1955 Corvette offered a V-8 and automatic transmission, but the Thunderbird V-8 was larger and Ford gave buyers the choice of an automatic or three-speed manual with overdrive. Options from power steering and brakes to power windows and a steel hardtop helped the 1955 T-bird to hit its target with just over 16,000 sales.
Wisely, the 1956 Thunderbird added a larger V-8, according to Motor’s Manual, not to mention a rear-mounted spare and what would become a two-seater T-bird signature, porthole windows in the hardtop. Looking much like the previous model, the 1956 T-bird reached not quite 16,000 sales; the restyled 1957 Thunderbird remained unmistakably a Thunderbird with tiny fins, more V-8 choices and even an optional supercharger, selling slightly more than 21,000 examples.
The 1958 Thunderbird Becomes the Squarebird
The two-seater Thunderbird had succeeded, but according to The Fords, Robert S. McNamara was in charge of the Ford Division and ordered that model dropped in favor of a completely new 1958 T-bird proposal then under consideration. The replacement was a four-seater on a 113-inch wheelbase, according to the Standard Catalog, and it was about a half-ton heavier, since it now accommodated a back seat. Dimensions aside, it bore no resemblance to earlier T-birds.
The softly curved theme of the two-seater was replaced with a much sharper look. Side panels bulged less and the hood, while still sloping downward at front, was now between flat fenders. Quad headlights appeared for the first time and at rear, the two-seaters’ pair of round taillights disappeared. Instead, the 1958 Thunderbird used two per side, each in a large pod with a small tailfin. All Thunderbirds were still two-doors, but for the first time, according to American Cars of the 1950s, a coupe joined the convertible.
With almost 38,000 sales in 1958, Ford had been right about the larger Thunderbird and again was smart enough to limit changes with the result that the 1959 Thunderbird was another success and sold 67,000 examples.
The 1960 Thunderbird Ends the Era
Ford must have been tempted to do more than fine-tune the car for 1960, but the look was still a good one and the market had shown its acceptance. Nonetheless, annual styling changes were expected, so the 1960 T-bird received an updated grille – as had the 1959 T-bird – revised trim and a change to three taillights per side. The differences were minor, but they showed that Ford wasn’t neglecting the Squarebird in its final year. Engine choices confirmed that.
The 1960 Thunderbird again offered the two V-8s – a 300-horsepower unit that displaced 352 cubic inches and a 350-horsepower 430 – available in the earlier Squarebirds. For those who enjoyed performance, it also continued the manual three-speed and overdrive, although the 430 required an automatic. It all worked one last time, as the 1960 Thunderbird generated about 93,000 sales before the completely new 1960-1963 body arrived.
Despite the Squarebird’s complete lack of similarity to the two-seater, the two cars did have one factor in common; both wore styling related to their contemporary Ford relatives and in fact bore more of a family resemblance to those cars than they did to each other. By the time the 1960 Thunderbird appeared, that was changing and Ford’s styling began to move in a different direction. Common details and cues would show up occasionally, but not until the mid-1970s would the visual connection to other Ford vehicles again be close.
References:
- Collier, Peter and Horowitz, David. The Fords. New York: Summit Books, 1987.
- Gunnell, John, Ed. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1987.
- Ritchen, Ralph, Ed. Motor’s Auto Repair Manual 1962. New York: Motor, 1962.
- Vanderveen, Bart H., Ed., Olyslager Organisation NV. Olyslager Auto Library American Cars of the 1950s. London: Frederick Warne & Company Ltd., 1973.
Bob Tomaine - Automotive writer and photographer Bob Tomaine is a regular contributor to Auto Restorer, AutoWeek and Old Cars Weekly as well as a ...
