It was constructed using a body-on-frame technique utilizing a version of the standard Ford design cut-down to a 102-inch wheelbase identical to the Corvette's. The car used existing chassis and suspension design and off-the-shelf Ford mechanical components. The exhaust pipes exited through twin bumper guards bolted to the rear bumper.

The engine was Ford's 292-cubic-inch OHV 292 Y-block V8, which got 18 mpg ‑US (13 L/100 km 22 mpg ‑imp). The Thunderbird came with a removable fiberglass top as standard equipment, with a fabric convertible top as a commonly specified option. While only 10,000 were planned, 16,155 cars were sold with a listed retail price of US$2,944 ($29,780 in 2021 dollars ) in 1955. 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. 1955 įord unveiled the Thunderbird at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The design of this generation of the Ford Thunderbird was the direct inspiration for the Auto Union 1000 Sp sports coupe. This remained the only two-seat convertible Thunderbird until the eleventh-generation was unveiled in 2002. The Thunderbird proved more suited to the American market than the Corvette, with sales of 16,155, versus 674 Corvettes in 1955. 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. The car 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. ĭubbed a 'a personal car of distinction' by Ford, this appellation was also used by the motoring press at the time. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans.

It was developed in response to the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, which showed the Chevrolet Corvette. 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.

New ford thunderbird