![]() A dramatic design with unibody construction all-coil suspension and a low, rakish stance, the second-generation Thunderbird rode a compact 113-inch wheelbase, yet had ample interior room. The 1959 Ford Thunderbird convertible was part of the "squarebird" styling cycle.Īs expected, the all-new Ford Thunderbird four-seater arrived for 1958 (though Ford briefly considered retaining a two-seater with updated styling). Production ran through the end of the calendar year, so production was the highest for the three two-seater years at 21,380. With a base price still under $35, the T-Bird remained an attractive buy. Then the Automobile Manufacturers Association issued its infamous racing "ban" and development stopped. Daigh returned in '57 to score 93.312 mph, and a privately entered T-Bird ran the flying-mile at 146.282 mph one way, 138.775 mph both ways. A '55 sponsored by Mechanix Illustrated magazine's Tom McCahill swept the production sports-car class at that year's Daytona Speed Weeks, Joe Ferguson clocking a two-way average of 124.633 mph to best every Austin-Healey, Porsche, and all but one Jaguar XK-120.Ĭhuck Daigh did even better in '56 with a T-Bird prepped by Pete DePaolo he did 88.779 mph in the standing mile, though a 'Vette modified by Zora Arkus-Duntov proved faster (at 89.735 mph). Ford also built 208 supercharged "F-Birds" with 300/340 bhp courtesy of Paxton-McCulloch blowers, mainly for racing.Īnd race the early T-Birds did, though with limited success. Stickshift models still had a 292, but uprated to 212 bhp, and there was now a trio of 312s offering 245, 270, or 285 bhp, the last being a twin-four-barrel version with 10.0:1 compression. A handsome facelift brought a prominent bumper/grille and a longer deck (again enclosing the spare) wearing modest bladelike tailfins. The '57 was thus the last two-seat T-Bird - and arguably the best. So for 1958 and beyond, that's what the T-Bird would be. Also, market surveys indicated much greater demand for a four-seater. McNamara, who'd replaced Crusoe as head of Ford Division, wanted much higher volume. Production eased to 15,631, but was still five times Corvette's. ![]() Porthole hardtops heavily outsold the nonporthole kind in 1956, and virtually all '57 Thunderbirds had them. Changes were limited to a larger 312 V-8 option with 215/225 bhp (nonoverdrive stickshift cars retained the 292, now up to 202 bhp), plus exterior-mounted spare (answering cries for more trunk space), softer suspension (for a smoother ride), and no-cost portholes for the hardtop (a Boyer idea inspired by vintage coachwork). You don't mess with success in Detroit, and Ford didn't with the '56 T-Bird. It whipped the rival Chevy in 1955 production by nearly 24-to-1 - 16,155 for the model year. ![]() ![]() With European style and American comfort, convenience, and go, the Thunderbird proved well-nigh irresistible at just under $3000 without options. Styling, conceived by Walker lieutenant Hershey and executed by a young Bill Boyer, couldn't have been better: simple and smooth yet clearly Ford, with rakish long-hood/short-deck proportions recalling the classic early-'40s Lincoln Continental. Bill Burnett supervised the engineering, which relied heavily on passenger-Ford components.
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