T-Bird History - The Beginning

The Beginning While no cars had been produced during World War II, the late 1940's saw a huge rush in production as the American car companies tried to fill the postwar demand for vehicles. One of the most popular types of vehicle was the sports car. American soldiers in Europe during the war had seen Italian, German, French, and English sports cars and had brought some of these vehicles home with them. At the same time, interest in motorsports increased and car racing gained popularity. Given these influences and the burgeoning American economy it was no surprise that the introduction of the 1955 Thunderbird was a huge success, easily filling a market niche. As Motor Trend's Detroit editor, Don McDonald wrote "Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the new Ford Thunderbird is the clever wedding of sports car functionalism with American standards of comfort". The TBird roadster, introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in 1954, was a two door roadster with a focus on modern comforts, conveniences and all weather protection, as well as power, performance and handling. In short, it was the essence of personal luxury. The flight of the Ford Thunderbird has taken several twists and turns during its first 42 year existence while maintaining its path in the forefront of American automobile legends. Oct. 22 was the date of public introduction of the original two-seater in 1954. Eleven generations of Thunderbird have produced treasured collectors’ items in a variety of models, including the design which in 1989 earned Thunderbird its third award as Motor Trend’s "Car of the Year." More than 5,000 names were considered for the new Ford project in 1954. A young Ford car stylist, Alden "Gib" Giberson, won a $95 suit and an extra pair of pants from Saks Fifth Avenue for suggesting the name Thunderbird. Thunderbird enjoys a storied history whose iconoclastic entry onto the scene in 1954 single-handedly erected the personal luxury-car segment in the United States. The Thunderbird two-seater was instantly popular with overtones of a high performance sports car, yet it had a strong appeal to luxury-minded buyers seeking refinements such as roll-up windows, a selection of power extras, and steel bodywork as opposed to fiberglass. Production of the car designed by William P. Boyer (under the direction of Franklin Q. Hershey) began Sept. 9, 1954, at Ford’s Dearborn (Mich.) Assembly Plant and generated immediate excitement. Customer demand for Thunderbird resulted in its October public introduction which was nearly a full month ahead of schedule. Public orders totaled more than 3,500 within the first 10-day selling period, while planned volume for the model year was only 10,000 units. Ford sold a first year total of 16,155 Thunderbirds.