'55 - '57 FORD THUNDERBIRD, THE CREATION OF THE PERSONAL LUXURY CAR

Not to be out done by  Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette,
which was publicly unveiled in prototype form just a month before, and due to the fast thinking and quick work by The Ford Motor Co., the Thunderbird went from idea to prototype in about a year, being unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954.

Production of the Thunderbird began  on September 9, 1954, with the car beginning sales as a 1955 model on October 22, 1954 Much like it's rival, the Chevrolet Corvette, the classy Ford Thunderbird had a two-seat coupe/convertible layout.

 To set itself apart from the Corvette, Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car, highlighting the car's comfort and convenience features rather than its inherent sportiness.

The Thunderbird outsold the Corvette by more than 23-to-one for 1955 with 16,155 Thunderbirds sold against 700 Corvettes. It's no surprise that the Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year.

Few changes were made to the car for 1956, with the Thunderbird considered a success. In order to make more storage room in the trunk, the most notable change was moving the spare tire to a continental-style rear bumper. An optional porthole in the removable roof was offered and was a big hit by buyers. The addition of the weight at the rear caused major steering problems.  

In 1957 when the trunk was restyled and made slightly larger, the spare was moved back to the trunk. With a reshaped front bumper, a larger grille and tailfins, and larger tail lamps,the Thunderbird was revised for 1957.

The 312 cu in (5.1 L) V8 became the Thunderbird's standard engine.  It now  produced 245 horsepower. there were other even more powerful versions of the 312 cu in (5.1 L) V8,   including one with two four-barrel Holley carburetors and another with a Paxton supercharger delivering 300 horsepower.

Ford Motor Company executives felt the car could do even better, leading to a substantial redesign of the car for 1958. Even though Ford was pleased to see sales of the Thunderbird rise to a record-breaking 21,380 units for 1957.