Ford Thunderbird

Ford Thunderbird was first shown on 20th February 1954 at the auto show in Detroit. Ford had great hopes according to analyses, which predict approximately 10,000 units of  Ford Thunderbird would be sold in the first year but they were mistaken. The sales of the year exceeded all expectations, as  more than 16,000 units of Ford Thunderbird were supplied! Initially, the manufacturer has positioned the model as a luxury, and only occasionally referred the model as brutal or muscular. This confirms that Ford did not follow the fashion for expensive fiberglass body parts, that is why they used regular steel. Although Ford Thunderbird  is convertible, engineers and marketers wanted to use fiberglass only for the roof of the model.

Ford Thunderbird 1955 model year has been slightly updated compared to the earlier concept in Detroit. The power unit was only V8, 4.8 liters, 292 cubic inches rated at 193 HP and 142 kW. Gearboxes were two and both of them were three-liter manual and automatic. The standard complete set included a tachometer, clocks, and speedometer lined with a scale up to 150 miles per hour. At that time, cars whose base equipment set included Illuminated ignition switch, interior lighting that turns on when a door opens and glovebox was considered the most expensive cars.

One of the main visual virtues of Ford Thunderbird was perfectly matched proportions. In addition, you need to pay attention to the small chrome trim. This convertible is small enough and accommodates only one passenger with the driver. The whole body is made of steel. Ford Thunderbird is the owner of a powerful 8-cylinder, v-shaped engine capacity of 193 horsepower, a volume of 4.8 liters. The American model itself is heavy but easy to manage and the model was really sporty.

By 1957. Ford Motor Company produced 21,380 vehicles of Ford Thunderbird. At that time, the cost of the model was $3,408. The spare wheel is positioned outside which makes the trunk much larger. Also, new engine volume of 5 liters was offered for the model and depending on the transmission, power ranged from 215 HP to 225 HP. The rear part of the new Ford Thunderbird became larger and the spare wheel became smaller in dimensions that were located in the trunk.

The second generation of Ford Thunderbird was produced between 1958 and 1960 which was awarded the second row of seats. Also, car dimensions were increased and wheelbase became 287 cm. The sales scored a quick increase, specifically, 67,456 models were sold in 1959. The model was equipped with an integral body, thus replacing the frame. The body of Ford Thunderbird served as a base for other Ford models, including Falcon and Fairlane.

Dramatic changes for Ford Thunderbird occurred in the period from 1967 to 1971. At that time, Mustang and Thunderbird started to compete with each other. For this reason, the American managers started to make some improvement on Thunderbird making more expensive and luxurious. The complete set was at a high level and it became a four-door model. The convertibles now have ceased to produce because of falling sales. Ford Thunderbird became more rigid thanks to the body frame, located separately from it. Thus, weight and dimensions have been increased.

During the period between 2002 and 2005, another generation of Ford Thunderbird was produced. This car was new and redesigned with two seats only. The engine was Jaguar S-Type eight-cylinder with V-shaped form volume of 3 liters. Rear-wheel drive Lincoln LS platform was used for the novelty. This model was very similar to the first generation of the car (1955-1957). A total number of produced cars were 67,518 units.

Below the list of all 69 modifications of Ford Thunderbird and production years from 1970 to 2018. Discover and enjoy Ford Thunderbird image collections, news, wallpapers, MSRP, ratings on this huge database of cars and bikes - Masbukti. Average rating of all available versions of Ford Thunderbird is 3.9 out of 5.0.