*Ford T-Bird – 1955-1966
1955-1966 Thunderbird
The Thunderbird began life in February 1953 in direct response to the Chevrolet Corvette. Thunderbird went from idea to prototype in about a year, being unveiled to the public February 20, 1954. Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car focusing attention on the car’s comfort & conveniences, rather than its inherent sportiness.
In 1956 a few changes were made to the original design. The most notable change was the continental-style rear bumper in order to make more storage room in the trunk & an optional porthole in the removable roof. 1956 also saw the introduction of a 312 cubic inch – Y-block V8. In 1957 the front bumper was reshaped. It sported a larger grille and tail fins with larger tail lamps. The instrument panel was re-styled with round gauges in a single pod and the spare tire to be positioned back in the trunk.
Alongside the original two-seat Thunderbirds of 1955-1957, the Thunderbird was offered as a soft-top convertible option in 1958 to 1966.
The 2nd generation Thunderbird was redesigned as a four-seater for 1958. Though retaining a design as a two-door hardtop coupe/convertible, the new Thunderbird was considerably larger than the previous generation. Along with a new, more rigid uni-body construction was new styling, including dual headlights, more prominent tail fins & a bolder chrome grille. Powering the Thunderbird was a new 352 cubic inch FE V8. In 1960 the Thunderbird was given another new grille and other minor style changes along with a new, optional, manually operated sunroof for hardtop models. Dual-unit round taillights were changed to triple-units.
The 3rd generation Thunderbird was redesigned for 1961 with sleeker styling that gave the car a bullet-like appearance. A new engine, the 390 cubic inch FE V8. In 1962 a vinyl-roofed Landau option with simulated S-bars was added as was a Sports Roadster package for convertible models. The Sports Roadster included Kelsey Hayes-designed wire wheels & a special fiberglass tonneau cover for the rear seats which gave the car the appearance of a two-seat roadster.
The 4th generation Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off appearance. The new model retained a similar grille design & dual headlights. It was still offered as a hardtop, convertible, or Landau version. In 1965 sequential turn signals were added along with front disc brakes. In 1966 we saw a stylistic revision with an egg-crate style grille and rear brake lights restyled to appear as one unit.
The Importance of Experience
We have been in the business of helping 1955-1966 classic T-bird owners restore their babies since the early ‘70s. Call us today to order parts or to talk to our parts experts about your restoration needs.