![]() There was some difficulty in naming the car, with suggestions ranging from the exotic to the ridiculous (Hep Cat, Beaver, Detroiter, Runabout, Arcturus, Savile, El Tigre, and Coronado). Unlike the Corvette, the Thunderbird was never a full-blown sporting vehicle Ford's description was personal luxury car, and the company essentially created this market segment. After Henry Ford II returned from the Los Angeles Auto Show (Autorama) in 1953 he approved the final design concept to compete with the then new Corvette. Crusoe saw a painted clay model on May 18, 1953, which corresponded closely to the final car he gave the car the go-ahead in September after comparing it with current European trends. The concept was for a two-passenger open car, with a target weight of 2525 lb (1145 kg), an Interceptor V8 engine based on the forthcoming overhead-valve Ford V8 slated for 1954 model year introduction, and a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Hershey took the idea and began working on the vehicle. Walker promptly telephoned Ford's HQ in Dearborn and told designer Frank Hershey about the conversation with Crusoe. ![]() 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. Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. ![]() Crusoe, a retired GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice-president and Frank Hershey, a Ford designer. Three men are generally credited with creating the original Thunderbird: Lewis D. The Thunderbird was similar in concept, but would be more American in style, more luxurious, and less sport-oriented. 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. In 2002, a revived 2-seat model was launched, which was available through the end of the 2005 model year.Ī smaller two-seater sports roadster was created at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega. Sales were good until the 1990s, when large 2-door coupes became unpopular production ceased after 1997. Succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again in 1983. In 1958, the Thunderbird gained a second row of seats. Ford named a new market segment by calling the Thunderbird a personal luxury car. ![]() Ę CYL.The car entered production for the 1955 model year as a two-seater sporty car but unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, was never sold as a full-blown sports car.ĜLEAN CA TITLE, ODOMETER SHOWS 81,348 MILES, NO MILES ON THE TITLE LIKE ALL THE OLD VEHICLES.This engine used 406 heads as well as the same carburetors that were found on the high performance 406 powered Ford Galaxie but with a modified version of the intake manifold to allow for proper air flow under the engine. It featured new and much sleeker styling than the second generation models.Īn addition for 1962 was a special engine code (VIN engine code M) which added a "tripower" or three two barrel setup to a higher compression version of the 390 engine. The third generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a large personal luxury car that was produced by Ford for the 1961 to 1963 model years. ![]()
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