Stylist Alden "Gib" Giberson submitted Thunderbird as part of a list. Crusoe offered a $250 suit to anyone who could come up with a better name. There was some difficulty in naming the car, with suggestions ranging from the exotic to the ridiculous (Hep Cat, Beaver, Detroiter, Runabout, Arcturus, Savile, El Tigre, and Coronado were submitted among the 5,000 suggestions). Unlike the Corvette, the Thunderbird was never a full-blown sporting vehicle Ford's description was personal luxury car, and the company essentially created this market segment. Crusoe saw a painted clay model on May 18, 1953, which corresponded closely to the final car he gave the car the go-ahead in September after comparing it with current European trends. The concept was for a two-passenger open car, with a target weight of 2525 lb (1145 kg), an Interceptor V8 engine and a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Hershey took the idea and began working on the vehicle. Walker promptly telephoned Ford's HQ in Dearborn and told designer Frank Hershey about the idea. Walking in the Grand Palais in Paris, Crusoe pointed at a sports car and asked Walker, 'Why can't we have something like that?' Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. Crusoe, a retired GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice-president and Frank Hershey, a Ford designer. Three men are generally credited with creating the original Thunderbird: Lewis D. In 2002, a revived 2-seat model was launched, was available through the end of the 2005 model year. Sales were good until the 1990s, when large 2-door coupes became unpopular production ceased after 1997. Succeeding generations became larger and more luxurious, until the line was downsized in 1977 and again in 1980. In 1958, the Thunderbird gained a second row of seats for greater practicality. Ford described it as a personal luxury car, a description which named a new market segment. It entered production for the 1955 model year as a two-seater sporty car unlike the superficially similar (and slightly earlier) Chevrolet Corvette, the Thunderbird was never sold as a full-blown sports car. What’s more, they have also enabled the Make Offer option, which means that interested customers should contact the seller with other offers, and who knows, maybe they end up getting their hands on this beautiful barn find.The Ford Thunderbird is a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. The good news is the car seems to be coming at a fair price, as the seller is willing to let it go for $4,400. But on the other hand, this shouldn’t be too difficult to fix anyway, and given everything is still there, preparing the T-Bird for the road shouldn’t require anything else than minor TLC. The seller explains that the 390 under the hood starts, runs, and drives properly, though you shouldn’t consider the car road-worthy because the starter remains engaged. The metal is therefore in very good condition, though a repaint is going to be required, as the current finish does show its age already. While the car clearly requires a full restoration, it still comes in a rather solid shape, with the rust not representing a major concern this time. This classic 1965 Thunderbird that eBay seller dotwkg claims they’ve discovered in a barn is a testament to the fourth generation, and the most surprising thing about it is the current condition. The sales then went down significantly a year later to about 75,000 cars before declining even more to 69,000 units in 1966. This generation, however, also offered more powerful options in the form of 428 (7.0-liter) V8s, this time with the power rating increased to 345 horsepower.ġ964 was the best model year for this T-Bird generation, as Ford ended up producing close to 92,500 units.
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