A new option was "Dial-o-Matic" 4-way power seats that would move rearward when the ignition was turned off to allow easier exit and entry. The side "Thunderbird" script moved from the fins to the front fenders. The spare wheel moved back inside the trunk, which had been redesigned to allow it to be mounted vertically. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans.ĭubbed 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 cars 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.įor 1957 the front bumper was reshaped, the grille and tailfins were made larger, and larger tail-lights were fitted. 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.
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