Walking in the Grand Palais in Paris, Crusoe pointed at a sports car and asked Walker, "Why can't we have something like that?" Some versions of the story claim that Walker replied by telling Crusoe, "Oh, we're working on it". Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. Hershey's participation in the creation of the Thunderbird was more administrative than artistic.
2004 T BIRD SERIES
Boyer was the lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had input in the following series of Thunderbirds that included the 30th Anniversary Edition. The Thunderbird was similar in concept, but was more American in style, more luxurious, and less sport-oriented.Ĭredit for the development of the original Thunderbird is given to Lewis Crusoe, a former GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice president Frank Hershey, chief stylist for the Ford Division Bill Boyer, designer for the Body Development Studio, who became the manager of the Thunderbird Studio in the spring of 1955 and Bill Burnett, chief engineer. The completed one-off generated interest at the time, but had meager power, European looks, and a correspondingly high cost, so it never proceeded to production. Unlike hardtop models that used a conventional key-secured, forward-hinged design, the convertibles combined the trunk opening and closing within the convertible top operating system.Ī smaller two-seater sports roadster was developed at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega.
Malfunction of any of the numerous relays, motors, or limit switches prevents the convertible system from completing the cycle. While the hydraulic system is not often a cause for trouble, electrical relays are known to fail. The system consists of solenoids, relays, limit switches, electric motors, and a hydraulic pump/reservoir, as well as several hydraulic directional valves and cylinders. This design could present challenges for troubleshooting a convertible top malfunction. No separate boot cover was needed between the back of the rear seat and the trunk lid when the soft top was retracted. The forward end of the trunk lid contained a metal panel that extended upward to cover the area in which the top is stowed. The trunk lid was rear-hinged that raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders during the convertible top's up and down cycle. 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. The second- to fourth-generation Thunderbird convertibles were similar in design to the Lincoln convertible of the time and used a design from earlier Ford Skyliner hardtop and convertible models. Thunderbird production ended in 1997 and resumed with a two-passenger, marketed from 2002-2005.įrom its introduction in 1955 to its final phaseout in 2005, Ford produced over 4.4 million Thunderbirds. Sales were good until the 1990s when large two-door coupes became unpopular. Succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again in 1983. For 1958, the Thunderbird was redesigned with a second row of seats. Ford positioned the Thunderbird as an upscale model and it is credited in developing a new market segment, the personal luxury car. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, it was not marketed as a sports car. The Thunderbird entered production for the 1955 model year as a sporty two-seat convertible. From 1968 through 1998, Lincoln-Mercury marketed rebadged variants of the Thunderbird as the Continental Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Mark VII, and Lincoln Mark VIII. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was offered variously as a 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 designed again as a two-seat convertible.įord targeted the two-seat Thunderbird as an upscale model, but the 1958 model year design introduced a rear seat and arguably marked the expansion of a market segment eventually known as personal luxury cars, positioned to emphasize comfort and convenience over handling and high-speed performance.
The Ford Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford from model years 1955-2005 (with a 1997-2002 hiatus), across 11 generations.
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