It is considered a supernatural bird of power and strength. The word “thunderbird” refers to a legendary creature for North American indigenous people. Other nameplates that were rejected include “Apache” (the original name of the P-51 Mustang), “Falcon” (owned by Chrysler at the time), and “Eagle,” “Tropicale,” “Hawaiian,” and “Thunderbolt.”Ī Ford stylist who had lived in the Southwest submitted the Thunderbird name.
The Thunderbird name was not among the thousands proposed, according to Wikipedia. Thunderbird NamesĪlong with the 1958 Lincolns, the 1958 Thunderbird was the first Ford Motor Company vehicle designed with unibody construction. This design reduced available trunk space when the top was down. “While these Thunderbird models had a true convertible soft top, the top was lowered to stow in the trunk area, according to the Wikipedia page. The so-called “Squarebirds” used a design from earlier Ford Skyliner hardtop and convertible models. The second-to-fourth-generation Thunderbird convertibles were similar in design to the Lincoln convertible of the time, according to Wikipedia This led to a complete redesign for 1958, resulting in the four-seat Ford Thunderbird, which debuted on this day in 1958.” Thunderbird Convertible Models “The big wigs upstairs at Ford, particularly whiz kid Robert McNamara, thought it could do better. Between 19, some 50,000 Thunderbirds ended up in driveways around the country. “Focusing on its comfort and convenience proved to be the right route for Ford, as the car found wild success, outselling Corvette nearly 23 to 1 in its first year of production. “Unlike the Corvette, Ford marketed the “Baby Bird,” as the first generation of T-Birds has come to be known, as a personal luxury vehicle, not a sports car.
The Ford Thunderbird first hit the market in October 1954 as a two-seater to compete with the two-year-old Chevrolet Corvette, according to. (Photos courtesy of Ford Motor archives) Two major changes were made to attract buyers: two rear seats were added and the level of luxury and features of a full-sized car were incorporated into a mid-size platform
The second generation Ford Thunderbird (also called Squarebird]) was produced by Ford for the 1958 to 1960 model years as a successor to the popular 1955–1957 two-seater.
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