Hershey's participation in the creation of the Thunderbird was more administrative than artistic. Boyer was the lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had input in the following series of Thunderbirds that included the 30th Anniversary Edition. The Thunderbird was similar in concept but was more American in style, more luxurious, and less sport-oriented.Ĭredit for the development of the original Thunderbird is given to Lewis Crusoe, a former GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice president Frank Hershey, chief stylist for the Ford Division Bill Boyer, designer for the Body Development Studio, who became the manager of the Thunderbird Studio in the spring of 1955 and Bill Burnett, chief engineer. 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. Development Ī smaller two-seater sports roadster was developed at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega. Thunderbird production ended in 1997, then briefly resumed as a two-passenger, marketed from 2002 to 2005.įrom its introduction in 1955 to its final phaseout in 2005, Ford produced over 4.4 million Thunderbirds. Sales were good until the 1990s when large two-door coupes became unpopular. Succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again in 1983. For 1958, the Thunderbird was redesigned with a second row of seats. Ford positioned the Thunderbird as an upscale model and it is credited in developing a new market segment, the personal luxury car. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, it was not marketed as a sports car. The Thunderbird entered production for the 1955 model year as a sporty two-seat convertible. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was offered variously as a four-seat hardtop coupe, four-seat convertible, five-seat convertible and hardtop, four-door pillared hardtop sedan, six-passenger hardtop coupe, and five-passenger pillared coupe, with the final generation designed again as a two-seat convertible.įord targeted the two-seat Thunderbird as an upscale model, but the 1958 model year design introduced a rear seat and arguably marked the expansion of a market segment eventually known as personal luxury cars, positioned to emphasize comfort and convenience over handling and high-speed performance. The Ford Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford from model years 1955 to 2005 (with a 1997–2002 hiatus), across 11 generations. Sports car (first and eleventh generations).Thank you for taking the time and having the desire to produce a very nice quality product. Your panel is an appropriate gage and the fit and forming is outstanding. Therefore, it was refreshing to receive your fine quality panel for my 60 Thunderbird. Upholstery people cannot seem to sew a straight line. I have fought with panels that did not fit and that were poorly formed and I have a constant problem with inadequate chrome plating. Most of the true craftsmen are dead and gone and have been replaced by a much less skilled type of workmanship. I have been restoring old cars for twenty-five years and have seen all types of workmanship and quality. I think your sheet metal products are great! Keep up the good work of helping save T-Birds!Ĭall me if you need any other information. I also passed along your catalog to another guy who has a 1964 convertible. the small lip on the lower bottom edge of rear quarter). The car always looked good, but now it looks GREAT!! The body shop was very complimentary of the quality of your panels, especially the detail (i.e. Keep up the good work.Įnclosed are some pictures of my 1970 bird during and after replacing quarter panels with your product. As a result of this fit, it was much easier and took a lot less time to install them than I had anticipated, also I want to thank you and your staff for giving me personal attention concerning some technical questions I had. The floor pans, inner and outer rocker panels, rear quarter extensions and the rear quarter patch panels you sent me for my 1957 Thunderbird all fit perfectly. Thank you for producing such great products. What a surprise top service, good looking quality and well packaged for the trip across the pond. Only took 8 days from order to delivery in Australia. I ordered two rear dog leg rust repair panels for a 66 Galaxie Hardtop.
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