Enthusiasts consider the first generation Thunderbird to be the purest. Certainly, but the Thunderbird Squarebird (each of the 11 generations has a nickname in bird) is the one that will save the bloodline and set its recipe for decades to come.
The first generation Ford Thunderbird was Ford’s reaction to the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. The car was designed while Lewis Crusoe was Ford’s general manager. The first copies left the chains of the factory in Dearborn, Michigan, on September 9, 1954 and sales began on October 22, 1954 for the 1955 model year. From its introduction, the T-Bird is questioned as to its profitability and we quickly evoke the end of the model. The company was not accustomed to such small volumes (16,155 copies in 1955, 15,631 in 1956 and 21,380 in 1957) and had several pots on fire (launch of the Continental divisions in 1956 and Edsel in 1958). And it’s not going to work out…
Photo: Ford
Two seats that make all the difference
In January 1955, Robert McNamara took over from Crusoe at the head of the Ford brand. He is one of the 10 “Whiz Kids” hired by Henry Ford II in 1946. All are former soldiers assigned to statistical control during the Second World War. And control, Ford really needs it. The company used to estimate its expenses by weighing the invoices! Things would quickly change and many of the “Whiz Kids” would hold influential positions in society well into the 1970s.
McNamara is not, by his own admission, a car enthusiast. What interests him are the figures, ideally those of the financial statements, which must be in the green. As soon as he arrived at the head of Ford, he demanded that each range be profitable, including the Thunderbird. An internal report suggests transforming the car into a real 4-seater to increase its commercial potential. In March 1955, the choice was made to develop 2- and 4-seater versions simultaneously on two different wheelbases: 102 and 113 inches (2.59 and 2.87 meters). The first would be based on a modified chassis of the 1955 model while the second would have a monocoque construction. It is Bill Boyer who is responsible for the style. He has already worked on the first Thunderbird and will subsequently work on other generations of the model until 1985 in addition to holding various positions around the world.
Photo: Ford
The official decision will come in the spring of 1956 and it is paradoxically McNamara who will find a way to save the T-Bird. Marketing teams estimate that a 4-door version could achieve up to 100,000 sales per year, a much more satisfactory figure for management. And then McNamara liked the style of the first prototypes and began to recognize the value of the car as the brand’s standard bearer. The solution is to transfer production of the Thunderbird to the same production lines as the Lincolns, which are to switch to the unibody structure for 1958. They will be manufactured in the brand new factory in Wixom, Michigan, which has been under construction since 1955. and which should start in the summer of 1957. This unit will operate until 2007 and the Thunderbird will be produced there until 1976. The decision is logical: by combining two lines of small volumes, Ford manages to better amortize the costs of operation of a new factory. It remains to design the car with a reduced budget.
Photo: Ford
End of separation
The development of the two-door version with a separate chassis was therefore stopped. The monocoque construction makes it possible to obtain a car that is lower than its direct competitors while offering just as much interior space. The problem comes from an imposing transmission tunnel which serves as reinforcement to the structure. Bill Boyer, who was in the air force during the Second World War, had the idea of using it as a functional element by adding a long console and installing the heating controls, the ashtrays, the loudspeaker of the radio and power window controls. The dashboard is padded for added safety. The suspensions use coil springs at the 4 corners. Ford planned to mount an air suspension but, as with competitors, it will prove very unreliable and will soon be removed from the options catalog.
Photo: Ford
At one point, Ford engineers considered installing a retractable hardtop on the convertible, as in the Skyliner models from the years 1957 to 1959. They even brought in John Hollowell, the designer of this system. Finally, the idea will not go further (mainly for cost reasons) and the only trace of the project will remain the opening of the trunk from the rear.
Under the hood, we find the most advanced version (300 horsepower) of the new V8 of the FE series (for Ford-Edsel) which replaces the block of the Y family, introduced for the 1954 vintage. With a displacement of 352 pc (5.8 litres), it can be optionally mated to a 3-speed manual transmission (with overdrive optional) or a 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic.
From record to record!
Due to various engineering problems, production of the Thunderbird started late, on January 13, 1958. The cars were available at dealerships from February 13, 1958. Initially, the first buyers were only entitled to to the new coupe version. The convertible will not arrive until much later at dealerships, in June 1958. The T-Bird is presented as a luxury model, with a beautiful interior finish, but you still have to put your hand in your pocket to get the power steering and brakes, electric seats, air conditioning or even seat belts and mirrors (well, we are in 1958…). Base price for the coupe is $3,630 in the US and $5,059 in Canada while the convertible is asking for $3,914 and $5,401 on both sides of the border respectively.
Photo: Ford
Sporting desires are over. Although the 1958 Thunderbird offers more power than the 1957 model, it is also 350 kilos heavier (as a convertible). Performance suffers and the brakes have a lot to do. First-time fans are disappointed. But no matter, despite a shortened vintage, the production figures rose by 73%! Which is no small feat in this year of economic recession causing a drop in sales for all manufacturers (except Rambler). Ford manufactures 35,758 coupes and 2,134 convertibles. The marketing studies didn’t lie: there is a real market for a 4-seater Thunderbird.
For 1959, the Thunderbird underwent a few aesthetic changes: the hexagonal pattern of the grille was replaced by horizontal lines (same for the decoration of the rear lights), the 4 bars on the rounded shape of the rocker panels disappeared in favor of an end cap arrow-shaped, the instrumentation turns white and the color gamut is changed. The technical evolutions are a little deeper: since there is no more air suspension in the program, the coil springs are substituted for leaf springs while a V8 of 430 cf (7.0 liters) of the family MEL (for Mercury Edsel Lincoln) developing 350 horsepower is available as an option (only with automatic transmission). During the year, the manual mechanism of the convertible top was replaced by a fully automatic system. Despite these limited changes, sales are still going up: +78% this time! The model is produced at 57,195 coupes and 10,261 convertibles (that is to say more in one year than the three years combined of the previous generation, or 67,456 copies against 53,166). In accordance with McNamara’s wishes, the Thunderbird became very profitable. And that’s still nothing…
Photo: Ford
The 1960 vintage did not bring any major changes: the grille incorporated chrome crosses, there were six rear lights instead of four, the chrome arrow on the door disappeared and vertical bars were added to the rear fenders. The equipment is slightly improved while a manual sunroof is on the list of options for the coupe. This option is often referred to as the “Gold package” but this is actually a misunderstanding. In reality, it is the German company Golde, which specializes in sunroofs, which is Ford’s supplier. Billed at a good price, it will only be installed on 2,536 Thunderbirds. Again, customers want more and Ford barely manages to keep up on the production side, which increases by 35% (78,983 coupés and 11,860 convertibles, some sources cite other figures for coupés). It was not until 1977 that the total of 90,843 copies was beaten. No more question of eliminating the golden egg hen this time and a new generation, which will be baptized Bulletbird because of its pointed front, will be launched in 1961.
Photo: Ford
Ford’s successes in the 1950s would lead to McNamara being named president of the Ford Motor Company in November 1960. But he would only remain in that position for a few weeks before becoming secretary of defense to newly elected President John F. Kennedy. He held this position until February 1968 (during the Vietnam War) before becoming President of the World Bank.
By tampering with the basic idea, Ford may have alienated early buyers but allowed the Thunderbird to find its place in the market and thereby save the name. The brand created the concept of personal luxury coupe, which reached its peak in the 1970s (Pontiac Grand Prix, Lincoln Continental Mark III, IV and V, Chrysler Cordoba, etc.). Sometimes, but rarely, seeking profitability also leads to being visionary!