Quickdraw
2004 Member of the Year
- Reaction score
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- Thunderbird Year
- 2002
Thunderbird Celebrates Milestone
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 20, 2004 (FCN) –
If you think you hear thunder this month, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with the weather. It’s just the sound of thunderous applause in celebration of the classic Ford vehicle that bears the name “thunder” on its very nameplate.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Thunderbird. The T-Bird, as most Americans fondly refer to it, was introduced in February of 1954 and quickly took America by storm. The two-door, sporty roadster was the essence of personal luxury with modern comforts, conveniences and all weather protection, as well as power, performance and handling. Not to mention a look and style that was simply breathtaking. The T-bird’s long cowl was set off by elegant round headlamps, an “egg-crate” radiator grille and a wraparound, aircraft-style windscreen. A scoop in the bonnet and a row of chrome-like vents in the bumpers hinted at the car’s V-8 power.
“It was a very relaxed roadster and very distinctive for its time,” says T-Bird Chief Designer Doug Gaffka. “It was also very honest in its design. The round headlamps, an egg-crate radiator grille -- all the pieces that made the Thunderbird unique at that time -- did something that other cars didn’t do.”
The name Thunderbird was made official in February of 1954, and production of the car began in September of the same year. The first Thunderbird came off the Dearborn assembly line October 22, 1954 and had at least 4,000 orders waiting on the first day of production. The car sold for a base price of $2,695 with the convertible selling for $2,765 and was available in five colors: Thunderbird Blue, Raven Black, Snowshoe White, Goldenrod Yellow, and Torch Red. All cars had vinyl upholstery matching the exterior paint color.
The Thunderbird was designed to compete with Chevrolet’s Corvette, which had debuted two years earlier. Gaffka says the original designers of the Thunderbird picked up design cues from the popular culture of that time and America’s sports car craze. American G.I.s brought their love of European two-seaters home with them, and manufacturers like MG, Jaguar, Porsche, and Ferrari were eager to expand sales overseas after the war.
The 1955 T-Bird had a removable hardtop with a 102-inch wheelbase chassis that was 175.3 inches overall. The engine was a Mercury 292-cubic-inch V-8, exclusive to the Thunderbird line, which had 198 horsepower with the automatic and 193 horsepower with the manual transmission. In 1956, the famous porthole window was added as an option to the removable hardtop.
The design of the T-bird changed over time. It remained a two-seater only through 1957, then evolved to a classic luxury car in 1958, then back to a sleek retro roadster in 2002. Since 1954, 12 different generations of Thunderbirds have been produced. As the Thunderbird evolved over the years, each new model brought something from the previous ones with it.
“Our work today is different because we already had a brand to build off of,” Gaffka says. “Fifty years ago they had to invent a brand. We already had a fantastic name. There are not many names in automotive culture that have had the longevity of Thunderbird. That’s been a tremendous advantage to us. On the other hand, it can also work as a disadvantage because people have specific expectations and they don’t want to be disappointed. But we managed to use the T-Bird heritage wisely to attract customers.”
Over the past 50 years, Ford has produced 4.3 million Thunderbirds. Like the Mustang, the Thunderbird remains one of America’s most treasured classics.
“It’s the nameplate itself that makes Thunderbird appealing,” Gaffka says. “It has a heritage and a legacy that very few cars have.”
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 20, 2004 (FCN) –
If you think you hear thunder this month, it probably doesn’t have anything to do with the weather. It’s just the sound of thunderous applause in celebration of the classic Ford vehicle that bears the name “thunder” on its very nameplate.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Thunderbird. The T-Bird, as most Americans fondly refer to it, was introduced in February of 1954 and quickly took America by storm. The two-door, sporty roadster was the essence of personal luxury with modern comforts, conveniences and all weather protection, as well as power, performance and handling. Not to mention a look and style that was simply breathtaking. The T-bird’s long cowl was set off by elegant round headlamps, an “egg-crate” radiator grille and a wraparound, aircraft-style windscreen. A scoop in the bonnet and a row of chrome-like vents in the bumpers hinted at the car’s V-8 power.
“It was a very relaxed roadster and very distinctive for its time,” says T-Bird Chief Designer Doug Gaffka. “It was also very honest in its design. The round headlamps, an egg-crate radiator grille -- all the pieces that made the Thunderbird unique at that time -- did something that other cars didn’t do.”
The name Thunderbird was made official in February of 1954, and production of the car began in September of the same year. The first Thunderbird came off the Dearborn assembly line October 22, 1954 and had at least 4,000 orders waiting on the first day of production. The car sold for a base price of $2,695 with the convertible selling for $2,765 and was available in five colors: Thunderbird Blue, Raven Black, Snowshoe White, Goldenrod Yellow, and Torch Red. All cars had vinyl upholstery matching the exterior paint color.
The Thunderbird was designed to compete with Chevrolet’s Corvette, which had debuted two years earlier. Gaffka says the original designers of the Thunderbird picked up design cues from the popular culture of that time and America’s sports car craze. American G.I.s brought their love of European two-seaters home with them, and manufacturers like MG, Jaguar, Porsche, and Ferrari were eager to expand sales overseas after the war.
The 1955 T-Bird had a removable hardtop with a 102-inch wheelbase chassis that was 175.3 inches overall. The engine was a Mercury 292-cubic-inch V-8, exclusive to the Thunderbird line, which had 198 horsepower with the automatic and 193 horsepower with the manual transmission. In 1956, the famous porthole window was added as an option to the removable hardtop.
The design of the T-bird changed over time. It remained a two-seater only through 1957, then evolved to a classic luxury car in 1958, then back to a sleek retro roadster in 2002. Since 1954, 12 different generations of Thunderbirds have been produced. As the Thunderbird evolved over the years, each new model brought something from the previous ones with it.
“Our work today is different because we already had a brand to build off of,” Gaffka says. “Fifty years ago they had to invent a brand. We already had a fantastic name. There are not many names in automotive culture that have had the longevity of Thunderbird. That’s been a tremendous advantage to us. On the other hand, it can also work as a disadvantage because people have specific expectations and they don’t want to be disappointed. But we managed to use the T-Bird heritage wisely to attract customers.”
Over the past 50 years, Ford has produced 4.3 million Thunderbirds. Like the Mustang, the Thunderbird remains one of America’s most treasured classics.
“It’s the nameplate itself that makes Thunderbird appealing,” Gaffka says. “It has a heritage and a legacy that very few cars have.”
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