History of the Ford Thunderbird

As you all know, the Ford Thunderbird is a car that is manufactured, right here in the United States. It entered into production as a two-seater, "personal luxury car”, in 1955 and continued to be produced until 1997. In 2002, the "Retro Bird" was introduced and the Ford Thunderbird was reborn. By 2005, the ever-exclusive Ford Thunderbird has ceased its production, but the spirit will live on for years to come. Listed below is a brief history of the 11 generations of Ford Thunderbird's that were introduced to us through the years. It should bring up some fun and exciting memories for you, as it did for us. Scroll down the page and read on.

Cheers,
Thunderbird Concepts

1955 - 1957 Ford Thunderbird "Classic Birds"

Production: 1955- 1957
Engine: 4.8 L 292 Y-block V8
5.1 L 312 Y-block V8

The first Ford Thunderbird was debuted at the Detroit, Michigan Auto Show in 1954. Upon its initial introduction to the market, Ford immediately sold 3500 units. From there, Ford went on to sell 16,155 Ford Thunderbirds in 1955 which marked a great start for the new Ford Thunderbird. The 1957 Ford Thunderbird would be the last Ford Thunderbird two-seater Ford would manufacture until the 1982 Ford EXP.

1958 - 1960 Ford Thunderbird "Square Birds"

Production: 1958- 1960
Engine: 5.8 L 352 FE V8
7.0 L 430 MEL V8

Although the ‘55-‘57 Ford Thunderbird sold well, Ford executives felt is was still lacking its full potential. This is the era that they introduced the four-seater and consequently, went on to win the award from Motor Trend magazine "car of the year" - for the first time! Sales more than doubled in 1958 as 37,892 new Thunderbirds rolled out of the dealerships. Sales then doubled again in 1959 to 67,456 Thunderbirds. 1960 saw another record breaker at 92,843 Thunderbirds sold. Although 1955-57 T-bird fans were not fond of the four-seater, it marked a new production plan at Ford that remained in effect until the 2002 Ford Thunderbird two-seater was introduced. (more on the 2002 Thunderbird later…)

1961 - 1963 Ford Thunderbird "Bullet Birds"

Production: 1961- 1963
Engine: 6.4 L 390 FE V8

The 1961 - 1963 Ford Thunderbird was definitely not a failure, but many felt it didn't’t reach its potential, due to its high price and impracticality. You may have seen images of famed people such as, John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley, driving the bullet bird around. This was a huge coup in terms of building the Thunderbird brand. The new bullet bird was also featured as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500. One of the most stand-out features to evolve during this era, was the unique Hard Tonneau that came standard on the 1962 Convertible. This elegant tonneau design is what inspired us here at Thunderbird Concepts to design and manufacture our fiberglass tonneau for the new 2002 Ford Thunderbird. More on our Hard Tonneau design to come…. here

1964 - 1966 Ford Thunderbird "Flair Birds"

Production: 1964- 1966
Engine: 6.4 L 390 FE V8
7.0 L 428 FE V8 (66)

This was the start of the Ford Thunderbird's "Formal Look". This re-design all but eradicated the sporty car image of previous years and sales doubled in 1964. However, Ford did produce the rare 427 high-performance Thunderbird. Only 120 were made available and there are only 6 still known to be in existence, today.

1967 - 1971 Ford Thunderbird "Glamour Birds"

Production: 1967- 1971
Engine: 6.4 L 390 FE V8 (67,68)
7.0 L 428 FE V8 (67)
7.0 L 429 V8 (68-71)
Related: Lincoln Continental Mark III

This was the fifth generation of the Ford Thunderbird and it saw a big change in its design and performance. The chassis design became much larger in order to cater to an upper-scale demographic. This was due to the perception that the earlier Thunderbird resembled the much less expensive Ford Mustang in its size and performance. In order to distinguish the T-bird from the Mustang, it went through a considerable amount of change during its fifth generation. The new design introduced the four-door Thunderbird, that never really quite excelled in sales.

1972 - 1976 Ford Thunderbird "Big Birds"

Body Style : 2-door hardtop coupe
Engine: 7.0 L 429 V8
7.5 L 460 V8
Related: Lincoln Continental Mark IV

This new incarnation of the Thunderbird was huge. It was powered by an enormous, standard stock 429 V8 engine and weighed in at 5000 pounds. This bird got 8 -12 miles per gallon and the 1973 oil crisis forced these "big birds", the king of the road at the time, to be downsized.

1977 - 1979 Ford Thunderbird "Torino Birds"

Body Style : 2-door hardtop coupe
Engine: 5.0 L 302 Windsor V8
5.8 L 351M V8
6.6 L 400 V8
Related: Ford LTD II

Ford dropped the price and the size of the Thunderbird, thus selling more than the previous year. This 1977-79 T-bird lost 10 inches of length and 900 pounds from it's previous 1972-76 model Thunderbird. The downsizing of the car made up for the smaller engine. This 1979 Ford Thunderbird still had the horsepower to put you back in the seat.

1980 - 1982 Ford Thunderbird "Box Birds"

Body Style : 2-door coupe
Engine: 2.3 L Pinto I4
3.3 L 200 I6
4.2 L 255 Windsor V8
5.0 L 302 Windsor V8.
Related: Ford Fairmont, Ford Mustang, Mercury Capri, Mercury Cougar, Mercury Zephyr

This 1980 - 82 Ford Thunderbird, was a lighter and a more sleekly styled sedan. This gave it a better fuel economy of around 25 - 30 miles per gallon, however, it still failed to win over the public completely. This model of the Thunderbird lacked the engine horsepower and at the most gave out a low, 130 horsepower. In many people’s opinion, this one was just too little bang for the buck.

1983 - 1988 Ford Thunderbird "Aero Birds"

Body Style : 2-door coupe
Engine: 2.3 L Pinto I4 (turbo)
3.8 L Essex V6
5.0 L Windsor V8
Related: Ford LTD, Ford Mustang, Mercury Capri, Mercury Cougar, Mercury Zephyr, Lincoln Mark Vll

The 1983 Ford Thunderbird changed dramatically. It now came available with a turbo option and had a much more dramatic, aerodynamic design. This Ford Thunderbird design had achieved a look of luxury, combined with performance, The public took notice! The Turbo Coupe was named "Motor Trends Car of the Year" in 1987.

1989 - 1997 Ford Thunderbird "Super Birds"

Body Style : 2-door coupe
Engine: 3.8 L Essex V6 (NA/SC)
5.0 L Windsor V8
4.6 L Modular V8
Related: Lincoln Mark VIII
Mercury Cougar

The 1989 Ford Thunderbird was much anticipated. This Thunderbird had 4-wheel, independent suspension with a even more dramatic aerodynamic design. The Thunderbird SC ( Super Charged ), with 210 hp, was named again "Motor Trends Car of the Year". In 1997 Ford came out with a super charged Thunderbird with Cobra "R" brakes and wheels along with a double overhead cam engine block that was similar to the Mustang SVT Cobra. This was the year Ford pulled the plug on the Thunderbird. In our opinion, there were just too many vehicles being manufactured with the same chassis platform (or smaller) that could outperform this model, in performance, and price.

2002 - 2005 Ford Thunderbird "Retro Birds"

Body Style : 2-door convertible with removable hardtop
Engine: 3.9 L AJ35 V8
Related: Jaguar S-Type, Lincoln LS

The era that the Thunderbird made it's comeback from its discontinued status of 1997. I remember the first time I saw this Thunderbird at the "International Auto Show" in Las Vegas. It stood out from the rest of the cars at the show because of its retro design. It truly captured the look of the 1955 original Thunderbird – in a modern way. It was nominated for its fourth time as "Motor Trends Car of the Year" award and the "North American Car of the Year" award.

This new Thunderbird was a head-turner, and still is. We would drive this car around town and everybody around would approach us. At this time in 2001, demand far exceeded supply, and my partners and I felt subject the hard way to this demand by paying $12,000.00 over the sticker price in December of 2001. After about 5 months into 2002, the hype started to dissipate, and prices were reduced to lower than sticker price.

The 2002 Ford Thunderbird came with a 252 Horsepower V8 engine. In 2003 Ford introduced the V8 engine 280 Horsepower VVT that came standard through 2005. The colors changed from 2002 – 2005, each and every year, adding excitement and something unique to its status as an American, iconic automobile. There were several limited editions including the 007, Neiman Marcus, and the 50th anniversary editions. Although production was ceased in 2005, the Thunderbird’s image and history will live on for years to come. We, at Thunderbird Concepts, are not going anywhere because we know that Ford will bring back their icon. It's a stamp of their heritage and it's a car that cannot be phased out.