a b c d e "1958 Ford Thunderbird: Personal Luxury 101". Automotive Mileposts . Retrieved August 20, 2016. A smaller two-seater sports roadster was developed at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega. The completed one-off generated interest at the time, but had meager power, European looks, and a correspondingly high cost, so it never proceeded to production. The Thunderbird was similar in concept but was more American in style, more luxurious, and less sport-oriented. Despite using KW springs stiffer than those found on an F-Type R (the adaptive dampers remain factory specification), the suspension is still a little slow to mop up road surface corrugations, particularly when loaded up. On these Lancashire roads, it can precipitate a faint skittishness that’s as welcome as cold hotpot, although it never threatens to incurably disrupt the balance of the underlying Jaguar chassis. Ford released their first Thunderbird model in 1955 – a two-seater convertible featuring a sporty design. Despite its appearance and capabilities, it wasn't marketed as a sports car like the contemporary Corvette. Instead, Ford decided to target a more upscale market, leading to the development of a unique class of automobile called the personal luxury car. In the 1957 model year, the exterior of the Thunderbird was altered somewhat, with a new front bumper and larger tailfins and lamps offering a refreshing restyle. Although sales figures for the first two years of the Ford Thunderbird were impressive, executives at the American manufacturer decided to redesign the car by adding another row of seats, reasoning that this would improve the model's sales potential. This proved to be a shrewd move as the 1958 Thunderbird sold more than double the units compared to the previous year. From 1958 until 1977, the Ford Thunderbird became larger with models such as the 1967 Ford Thunderbird four door offering a spacious driving experience. In a reverse of this trend, successive downsizes in 1977, 1980 and 1983 made the model more compact and stylish. The demise of the Ford Thunderbird began in 1990 with the discontinuation of the large 2-door coupe, leading to the end of production in 1997. NASCAR and the Ford Thunderbird Once the run of 99 Thunder models is completed, attention will turn to the recently announced F-Pace SVR, for which Lister has already made plans. As much as 670bhp is on the cards, with a larger production run of 250 cars reflecting current market tastes. Don’t be surprised to see a Lister-ised take on the Range Rover Sport, either.

A 302cuin (4,949cm 3) V8, marketed as the "5.0" was added in 1990, for the 1991 model year. Power ranged between the standard and supercharged versions of the 3.8 L V6. The Ford Thunderbird was introduced in February 1953 as a response to Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette, which was publicly unveiled in prototype form just a month before. [8] Under rapid development, 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. It was a two-seat design available with a detachable fiberglass hardtop and a folding fabric top. [9] Remember to give vulnerable road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual. They are more likely to be blown around by side winds – always keep a safe distance. Seek shelter if possible. When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur, lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm.

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Despite being released mid-model year, the new Thunderbird began a sales momentum previously unseen with the car, selling 200,000 units in three years, four times that of the two-year two-seat model run. This success spawned a new market segment, the personal luxury car. [12] It was the first individual model line (as opposed to an entire brand's line) to earn Motor Trend "Car of the Year" honors. [22]

The car was 1961's Indianapolis 500 pace car and was featured prominently in US President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade, who appointed Ford executive Robert McNamara as secretary of defense. [24] It also benefitted from product placement, notably on the popular television series 77 Sunset Strip. [24] a b "1955 Ford Thunderbird - A personal car of distinction". Automotive Mileposts . Retrieved August 20, 2016. Reflecting the rising demand for more fuel-efficient cars, the model year 1977 Thunderbird was shifted to the smaller 114in (2,900mm) wheelbase chassis shared with the 1972–76 Ford Torino and its replacement, the LTD II, which also debuted for 1977. Even being nearly 8 inches shorter than the 1975 Thunderbird (only 1.2 inches 217.7 vs 218.9 from the second model year 1973 of the sixth generation), [30] it still looked large to the eye. This generation was a continuation of the 1974–1976 Ford Elite, Ford's first attempt at competing in the market created by the Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Manufacturing was at Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant, and shared the Ford DEW platform with the Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type, and Jaguar XF. Though the Thunderbird's exterior styling was unique relative to the others, the instrument panel, steering wheel, and other trim pieces were shared with the Lincoln LS.Credit for the development of the original Thunderbird is given to Lewis Crusoe, a former GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II; George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice president; Frank Hershey, chief stylist for the Ford Division; Bill Boyer, designer for the Body Development Studio, who became the manager of the Thunderbird Studio in the spring of 1955; and Bill Burnett, chief engineer. Ford Designer William P. Boyer was the lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had input in the following series of Thunderbirds that included the 30th Anniversary Edition. [3] Hershey's participation in the creation of the Thunderbird was more administrative than artistic. [ citation needed] Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. Walking in the Grand Palais in Paris, Crusoe pointed at a sports car and asked Walker, "Why can't we have something like that?" Some versions of the story claim that Walker replied by telling Crusoe, "Oh, we're working on it" ... although if anything existed at the time beyond casual dream-car sketches by members of the design staff, records of it have never come to light. [ citation needed] Saur, Brendan (April 30, 2019). "Curbside Classic: 1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau Sedan – Are Four Doors Really Better Than Two?". Curbside Classic . Retrieved May 15, 2022. Power comes from Ford’s 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged Ecoblue four-cylinder, which replaced the old 2.2-litre unit in January 2019. It sends power to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox and delivers 31.0mpg and 239g/km on the WLTP combined cycle. Be aware of metal objects that can conduct or attract lightning, including golf clubs, golf buggies, fishing rods, umbrellas, motorbikes, bicycles, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, pushchairs, wire fencing and rails. If you are in a tent, try to stay away from the metal poles Bowen, H. Kent; Holloway, Charles A. (1994). The Perpetual Enterprise Machine. Oxford University Press.

Indeed, one of the Lister’s strengths is that its sheer drivability belies the ludicrousness of the noise and firepower at hand. Snagging that carbonfibre splitter in town is going to be your greatest concern. Moreover, and as you’d hope to find in an aspiring GT car, the Thunder allows to you establish a rhythm through and between corners. With seemingly bottomless reserves of torque, you’re also permitted to set the tempo as you please.For 1964, the Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off appearance, which was mostly evident when viewing the car from the side or rear. Hinting at its roots in the previous generation of Thunderbird, the new model retained a similar grille design with quad headlights and a 113.2in (2,875mm) wheelbase. As before, the new Thunderbird continued to be offered in hardtop, convertible, and landau versions. The 300hp (224kW) 390cuin (6.4L) FE V8 continued as the standard engine for the Thunderbird. It was paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. For 1965, sequential turn signals were added, flashing the individual segments of the broad, horizontal tail lights in sequences from inside to outside to indicate a turn. Also new for 1965 were standard front disc brakes, and doubled-sided keys. Lyons, Dan (2005). "1955 Studebaker President Speedster". Cars of the Fantastic '50s. Iola, WI: KP Books. pp.89–91. ISBN 0-87349-926-3. LCCN 2004116450. NASCAR [ edit ] A 1994 NASCAR version of the Thunderbird driven by Rusty Wallace at Michigan International Speedway