Ford had only projected building 10,000 eventual 1955 sales were 16,155.Īs standard, the 1955 Ford Thunderbird included a removable fiberglass top a fabric convertible top was an option, although commonly specified. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954, and went on sale on Octoas a 1955 model, and sold briskly 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. The car was shown at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. Giberson never claimed his prize, settling for a $95 suit and an extra pair of trousers from Saks Fifth Avenue.Īccording to Palm Springs Life magazine, the car’s final name came not from the Native American symbol as one might expect, but from an ultra-exclusive housing tract in what would later be incorporated as Rancho Mirage, California: Thunderbird Heights.Generations Giberson got the idea during a lightning storm when he saw an illusion of a bird getting hit by lightning, but this happened because of his view. Stylist Alden “Gib” Giberson submitted Thunderbird as part of a list. Crusoe offered a $250 suit to anyone who could come up with a better name. 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 (some say the car Crusoe pointed to was a Jaguar XK120) 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. It entered production for the 1955 model year as a two-seater sporty car but, unlike the similar Chevrolet Corvette, the Thunderbird was never sold as a full-blown sports car.

The Ford Thunderbird was a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. Past Collection – 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

1957 ford thunderbird