Under rapid development, the Thunderbird went from idea to prototype in about a year, being unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. The Ford Thunderbird began life in February 1953 in direct response to Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette, which was publicly unveiled in prototype form just a month before. From 1968 to 1998, Lincoln-Mercury marketed their own versions of the Thunderbird as the Continental Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Mark VII, and Lincoln Mark VIII.

An American interpretation of the grand tourer, personal luxury cars were built with a higher emphasis on driving comfort and convenience features over handling and high-speed performance. The 1958 addition of a rear seat to the Thunderbird, while initially controversial, marked the creation of market segment eventually known as personal luxury vehicles. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was produced in a number of body configurations through its production life, including four-seat hardtop coupe, four-seat convertible, five-seat convertible and hardtop, four-door pillared hardtop sedan, six-passenger hardtop coupe, and five passenger pillared coupe, with the final generation produced as a two-seat convertible. THIS 1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD IS LOCATED IN: INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46254įord Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a nameplate that was used by Ford from model years 1955 to 19 to 2005 over eleven model generations.

1957 ford tbird