1957 Ford Thunderbird
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1957 Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird is an American automotive icon first introduced in 1955. During the early 1950's, military men were returning from fighting in World War II. The graceful but sporty British MG, Triumphs, and Jaguar's, to name a few, had found their way into the hearts of many of these serviceman. The American automobile manufacturers noticed this trend and felt there was a strong market to support a small sportscar.

Chevrolet was one of the first, with their Corvette. Not wanting to be left behind, Ford entered with their Thunderbird. The Thunderbird was different in many ways to the Corvette. The Thunderbird was created as a 'personal luxury' car and even to the current production version, has never been designed as a sports car.

The Thunderbird was first debuted to the public at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show. In September of that same year, the first production Thunderbird was completed and over 16,000 examples were produced.

Production for 1956 was down just a little but still strong with over 15,600 examples being produced.

The Thunderbird received styling changes in 1957 with a reshaped bumper,an enlarged grille, larger tailfins and larger round tail-lights. In total, 1957 was a great year for the Thunderbird, both in performance and in sales with over 21,300 examples being produced. On December 13, 1957, the last of the first series of Thunderbirds was produced and marked the end of two-seater Fords of that era. In total, over 53,160 examples had been produced from 1954 through 1957.

Engine:  312 CID OHV V8
Horsepower :  245 @ 4,500 RPM
Transmission:  Ford-O-Matic 3-Speed
Length:  182”
Wheelbase:  102”
Weight:  3134 lbs.
Original Cost:  $ 3,408.00 in 1957
Production:  21,380 in 1957
Color:  Flame Red
Interior:  Flame Red
Factory Options: Power Steering,
                 Kelsey-Hayes Wire Wheels,
                 Engine Dress Up Kit