The Corvette was promoted as a sports car, while the Thunderbird was advertised as a personal luxury car.Īfter the original release, Ford upgraded the two-seat Thunderbird in 1956 as it updated a number of the 1955 models. The Thunderbird proved to be more successful than its rival, the Corvette, and the marketing made the difference. Once the car was shown to the public, over 3,500 orders came in within the first 10 days of the car's unveiling.
Ford stylist Alden Giberson gave Thunderbird its recognizable name - the name came to him while he was drinking coffee in a cup with a two-headed bird on it.įord revealed the Thunderbird to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in 1954.
Crusoe was impressed by the painted clay model Hershey developed and got Henry's approval for the first design. He based it on his favorite vehicle, the Jaguar XK120, which is why the Thunderbird features a similar interior seating position, steering wheel angle and pedal angles. Hershey was the one who thought to design the new car with a sports car platform. Crusoe worked with Ford's chief designer, Frank Hershey, to create the Thunderbird. Henry Ford II reached out to Lewis Crusoe, a former General Motors (GM) executive, to help him develop a new car to make a swift response to Chevrolet. The Thunderbird was created as Ford's answer to Chevrolet's Corvette. Buckle in and take a trip through the Thunderbird's rich history. This article breaks down each of the generations from the first through the 11th, all the way from the early generations to the newest ones. With each new generation came new adjustments to different aspects of the T-Bird, like the speed, engines, body shape and more. This automobile has a convertible style and was designed not to be a sports car but a luxury vehicle. Since the first generation, there have been 11 generations in total. The Ford Thunderbird has a long history, dating back to 1955 when the first generation was released.
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