Today In History: The Ford Thunderbird Takes Flight
On August 20, 1962, the first Ford Thunderbird was produced. Designed to serve as a prototype, the Ford Thunderbird was Ford’s rapid-fire response to the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. When it finally rolled into the commercial market in 1955, the Ford Thunderbird quickly outsold the Corvette. With a 292 V8 193-hp engine, the T-bird was unlike anything Ford had ever produced before. The early T-birds were all fiberglass hard-top convertibles with a few canvas-tops being offered in ‘56 models. After it became apparent that Ford had stumbled upon a guaranteed formula for success, engineers began to tinker with the design. Ultimately, the Ford Thunderbird lasted for 12 successful generations and sold approximately 4.2 million units. Although Ford officially pulled the plug on T-bird production in 1997, limited edition ”Retro Birds” were produced from 2002-2005. So celebrated was the brief comeback, the 2003 Thunderbird earned a coveted spot in the James Bond film “Die Another Day.”
First Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1955-1957 "Classic Two-Seat Thunderbird"
To View All 12 Generations of the Ford Thunderbird, Click “Read More”
Second Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1958-1960 "Four-Seat Square Bird"
Third Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1961-1963 "Bullet Birds"
Fourth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1964-1966 "Jet/Flair Birds"
Fifth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1967-1971 "Big Birds"
Sixth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1972-1976 "Bigger Birds"
Seventh Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1977-1979 "Torino Birds/Birds of a Feather"
Eigth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1980-1982 "Fairmount/Silver/Box Birds"
Nineth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1983-1986 "Aero Birds"
Tenth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1987-1988 "Bubble Birds"
Eleventh Gen. Ford Thunderbird 1987-1997 "High Tech/Super Birds"
Twelfth Gen. Ford Thunderbird 2002-2005 "Retro Birds"
The oddest part of the Thunderbird saga is the fact that the best selling Thunderbird was 1977-’79 cars, with the 1978 model the main seller in that grouping. It seems odd when given how the first generation, two seater, continues to bring big bucks at auction.
Also, believe there’s a typo. You meant perhaps that the first T-bird was built in 1952, as a prototype, not 1962 - unless I’m missing something, such as an adjective about a “special edition” T-bird of some sort.
Words by Terry Parkhurst on August 20, 2008 at 11:15 pm | #
The 5th generation T-bird shown above is, I believe, a Ford Torino. It certainly isn’t a Thunderbird. T-birds, in fact, were never turned out with the Cobra treatment. As for dates: The first ‘Birds were manufactured during the summer of 1954 & appeared in Ford showrooms that Fall marketed as 1955 models.
Words by Will on August 24, 2008 at 6:48 pm | #
As already pointed out this article is full of editorial and photographic errors. Additionally the generational nicknames are for the most part completely made up and have never been used by collectors, historians, or Ford. For more factual history of the Ford Thunderbird online see the following article on the Ford website: http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=19472
Words by Scott Bray on September 30, 2008 at 6:57 pm | #