1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible / hard top This is a nice driver quality classic! Powered by the original 312 V8 engine / recently rebuilt with 3 speed manual transmission - Rebuilt Carb This Bird has a new black convertible Top along with a lift off White Hard Top Red Exterior shows well with a few road blemishes in the paint Black and White interior Riding on new whitewall tires and Zenith wire wheels Runs, drives and stops good and has plenty of power Rebuilt front and rear suspension All glass is in good condition
Shown by appointment only - Not Located here at our dealership - Ask today for a Delivery Quote
The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible produced by Ford for the 1955 to 1957 model year, the first 2-seat Ford since 1938. It was developed in response to the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, which showed the Chevrolet Corvette. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans
Dubbed a "personal car" by Ford, it built upon the heritage of the bespoke roadsters of the 1930s yet was constructed largely of existing components, marking the first step toward the evolution of the personal luxury car as a mass market segment in the United States. While light weight for its era and fitted with a standard V8 engine, the Thunderbird focused more on driver comfort than speed, and was not a direct rival to either the Corvette or European sports cars.
It remained the only two-seat convertible Thunderbird until the eleventh-generation was unveiled in 2002
Ford unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The first production car came off the line on September 9, 1954, and went on sale on October 22, 1954 as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. While only 10,000 were planned, 16,155 were sold in 1955.
It included fender skirts and a removable fiberglass top as standard equipment, with a fabric convertible top as a commonly specified option. The engine was Ford's proven 292-cubic-inch OHV 292 Y-block V8, which got 18MPG. The exhaust pipes exited through twin bumper guards bolted to the rear bumper.
The car used existing chassis and suspension design and off-the-shelf Ford mechanical components. It was constructed body-on-frame frame using a version of the standard Ford design cut-down to a 102-inch wheelbase identical the Corvette's. It was produced with a Fordomatic automatic or manual overdrive transmissions, and featured four-way powered seats and pushbutton interior door handles. Other unique features were a telescoping steering wheel and a tachometer.
