Thank you for doing this. I still have my 1955 T-Bird my wife gave me for a wedding present in 1976. I am the third owner. It is red/white and has the dress-up kit. It has been completely gone through.
@maxr4448 No, she ran off with a guy while I was in Japan while in the USAF, because, according to her friends, all the guys that went overseas had secret girlfriends. I was an exception. But, thanks for the reply.
I have always been a Thunderbird owner and I really appreciate the fact that you have covered this car. my very first car was a 59 T-Bird convertible. I still have it and I love it. Your comments and knowledge are fantastic and I never miss your videos
Great info, as a kid in the 70s I remember how the 2 seater T-Bird was very collectible. Suzanne Somers in American Graffiti, Hot Wheels Redlines, and Robert Urich in Vegas were some examples. The interior of the ‘57 is beautiful.
Back in the 90s my neighbour was selling a 55 for 12 grand that he fully restored in his garage and I did not jump at the chance to grab it. Still kicking my self about that. He did a beautiful job too it was just gorgeous red exterior with a white and red interior.
A friend of mine has his mother's 55' after she passed away and since he's 6'5" 285lbs, he can't fit behind the steering wheel. I got it running and drove it around for him so he could see it driving down the road...lol
A correctly sized steering wheel was too costly. Henry II wouldn't fit in one either, same as early Corvettes. We work on restored examples regularly, it's real tight in there.
That “orange pink” color was exclusive to the 1956 Thunderbird and is known as Fiesta Red. 1955s were painted a more traditional “blue-red” known as Torch Red (as pictured later in the video).
My Dad liked his T-birds and restored a few over the years. The two-seaters looked fantastic but were quite uncomfortable to drive. With the tops in place, visibility was terrible if you were even moderately tall. For those of you that like these cars, they are getting more affordable each year as their most avid owners are passing on. They were once blue chip collectables, but have lost well over half the value they once had for common models. This trend downward is unlikely to change. The later four seat models are also worth much less than they once were as well. A shame as the '58 to '66 models are all interesting and competent vehicles. Adam, you could do a video on the sweet interiors found in the T-birds of that era. All were very stylish.
I agree with you on the valuations. They are now selling for prices far cheaper than I remember 5-10 years ago. They may actually be the collectible that’s lost the most $$ in recent history as I can’t really think of another that has plummeted so fast. And, I do agree with you that while these are great looking cars, they generally aren’t rewarding to drive. Hence why even I don’t desire one. I do enjoy the 67 TBird best because it looks great and drives great.
While the Vette was marketed as a sports car from the start, this was marketed as a 'sporty' car...it's really a baby Lincoln. BTW, Chevrolet was going to cancel the Vette due to low sales when this car came along and spanked the Vette in sales volume. GM wasn't going to allow Ford to eat its lunch so they reworked the Vette. The rest is history.
Yes, the Thunderbird kind of exists because of the Corvette, and then GM upgraded the Corvette because of the TBird. Motor Trend magazine of the time had a great article, available online, comparing the two cars. It's a great story. I have owned both.
It is interesting that the competitive split between the Thunderbird and Corvette occurred in the very next generation (1958) when Ford fully embraced the personal luxury coupe by adding rear seats and the Corvette stayed with the 2-seat sports car. Loved the instrument panels in the 1st generation, all three years.
The Cimmaron probably only took a week-end to get from idea to production - Chevy already had all the parts! 🤣 Such nice looking cars for the time, but I prefer the "57 T-bird over the '56-'57 - looks more "refined' IMO. I also like the '60 T-bird over the '58-'59 T-Bird because of the extra taillight - just seemed to fill in the space back there better than those two HUGE taillights did!
My dad told me that when ford tried to sell safety in their cars , people thought that the cars were not as safe as the competition . Chevrolet didn't need seat belts so they must be safer
GM was adamant that any injuries suffered while riding in a GM car were the result of driver error, or were caused by a lessor make of car on the road. For decades this was GM's official position as regards the safety of their cars. GM would threaten to sue anyone who suggested that their cars were improperly designed or manufactured. GM products were perfection in metal. When Ford tried to sell safety in the 50s GM mercilessly mocked Ford. Of course Ford products require safety belts and padded dashboards, Ford vehicles are poorly designed and manufactured death traps. The public bought into GM's lies forcing Ford to quietly drop marketing of safety features. This kind of evil was par for the course at GM management. After all, GM was the company that pushed use of leaded gasoline (along with DuPont) even though they KNEW that tetraethyl lead was a neurotoxin that was especially dangerous to children.
I think the entire line-up for 1956 got the Safety Make-over. I believe it was in the "Thunderbird book" that came out in 1974 or 75 that explains how padded dashes, seat belts, dished steering wheels and an improved door latch were all part of a move towards safety.
The 1955-57 Ford Thunderbird taillights are the same as the other '55-57 Ford cars. Ford also used this cost-saving technique on other cars that are based on different platforms such as the taillights on the '70 Ford Maverick and '71 Ford Pinto.
Some Gr8 Facts about the Legendary Early Thunderbirds....Looks much better without the check-mark and made it standout against the Corvette at that time, Adam....The '57 my fav Thunderbird with a number of improvements and the best-seller of the early models...Cheers fm Damo.
Adam, Another great video but I'm surprised that you didn't mention that the Power Dome was actually functional. It had a coverplate mounted inside the chrome inlet scoop that could be removed for "summer use."
My cousin has a 55' red exterior with the white interior, hardtop with the small porthole windows. Nice car. One of my former bosses (R.I.P. L C) when he was a kid his dad had a Ford dealership in Eastern Montana (ranch country, sold mainly pickups and the only paved roads were the highways) back at that time when the T-birds came out. He said his dad's store was only allocated 3 cars (first M.Y.) he remembered his dad saying after they received the first one, " what the hell am l going to do with this." He said that his dad ended up "dealer trading" with dealers in Southern California for his allocation of T-birds. Very popular at the time in Southern California and Ford couldn't build them fast enough. The rest is history.
I never noticed this before, but there are no visible body seams! Karmann-Ghias used the same philosophy, where all seams where two or more panels meet were filled in for that smoooooooth look. Ford must have spent extra $$ for this, as it was all done by hand. Adam, thanks for the interesting tidbits of information that I did not know. I did know that Ford tried to sell safety in 56, and that it wasn't all that successful, according to Lee Iacocca. Iacocca also came up with the slogan of $56 for '56, which what your car payment could be. Love those early T-Birds!
Back in 1968, I had a co-worker who was a strong member of the local 1950s T-Bird Club in Seattle. He was pretty snobbish...but he "allowed" me to drive his 1955 Bird for a few minutes. I eagerly agreed, and was overall let down, by the rather "boat-like" sensation that the car exhibited, when it came to handling...even the V8 engine seemed lethargic. But is was so beautiful, that I did not negatively comment to the owner concerning my impressions. I would bet that a 1955 Vette would run circles around that T-Bird.
On the subject of interior/exterior design, have you noticed on the 1960 Ford that the rear taillight and bumper design matches the interior dashboard design? Easy to see from the rear of the convertible. I've never noticed that on any other car.
The 1956 Thunderbirds are the easiest to tell apart since they were the only ones of the first generation to have the rear spare tire on the bumper as standard equipment.
A minor bit of trivia here: the 55 hardtop did not have portholes, while the 56 and 57 did, due to poor visibility. While I'm at it, the 55 had a 6v/pos ground, while the 56 had 12v/neg ground. Lastly, 55s did not have the side air vents (kind of like Studebaker used for years), but the 56 and 57 did.
Giberson should at least have received a trip to London for a new suit from Savile Row. From what I read, the suit was from Saks Fifth Avenue, which is a luxury store but not bespoke.
Love all Thunderbirds through 1966 but the 1955-1957 are the most beautiful cars Ford ever made. And I’d say the 57 Thunderbird and 37 Cord are the most beautiful American cars ever made
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually liked the retro Thunderbirds sold from 2001-2003. I thought it was a cool way to pay homage to the original.
I think that 1955 was a pinnacle year for the entire American automotive industry. The US economy was at a peak, it was a very unique time. I don’t think that it was ever equalled.
Merry Christmas , Mr. Wade. Another GREAT video. Very informative discussion about economy of scales re the then new Thunderbird and the other Ford lineup. Never knew about the same bumper front and rear for the ‘56 model as well as the dashboard evolution. Here is a question: did the name winners’s suit come from England’s Sevile Row?😊😊😊😊
Great video, Adam! Probably my favorite 50’s car. I like how Ford managed to use obvious 50’s styling yet the car still looks lean and trim, unlike the doughy look that 50’s cars typically have.
Merry Christmas, Adam! You ARE the GOAT.... Your subconscious is working overtime for your benefit 🙌 So, your entire vid shows the original design's features: the hardtop sans porthole, the rear fender without the fender-skirt, and the trunk bereft of a continental kit. Without clichés in place to distract the eye, IMHO, the 55 Thunderbird is a far more lighthearted 'young' design than it's given credit for. Thanks for all the beautiful pictures of my dream version of a Thunderbird. 🖖🙏
My dad used to get his suits from Saville Row in the 60's, everyone work suits back then. I remember the fancy wooden hangers with the tailors name and address on them
I remember reading somewhere that the redesign of the thunderbird in 1957 was supposed to carry on through 1959 until Robert Macnamara decided to make it a high volume seller by turning it into a 4 seater.
This is one of those cars I would describe as "cherry". Not the "new" meaning of the word, but the "stellar" meaning. There are very few cars that achieve that level.
I love thunder birds. I remember being at the Woodward dream cruise sitting with a Thunderbird club. Someone had put a remote start on it. He did it from a restaurant. It just kept cranking and cranking. I thought it was going to catch on fire. Every old man came out and was like take that off now.
I love how the interior design team got equal billing. The architecture from outside to inside is seamless. Now, if I could just have a ‘57 dash on a ‘55, that would be great.
The 55 Tbird is the most beautiful one(as far as I’m concerned)great video Adam. Shame you don’t listen to your subscribers as I’ve asked repeatedly for something on the 62 Dodge and Plymouth cars. But still your videos are amazing.
That was a Plymouth not the more let’s say unlikable Dodge. I’m just asking for your take on it as you are the best car guy(I think) and know that you can do that car justice.
He named the car and was rewarded with --- a SUIT? Was it a Savile suit? The reward Should have been a new T-Bird! Jeeez. Corporations are usually known for their excesses on one side and pithy thrift on the other.
Just this person's opinion; the 1956 Thunderbird with the spare tire standard on the rear decklid (one year only standard, though available on the '55 and '57 T-birds), and the port holes on the removable hardtop, combined with the speedometer and gauge layout was, if not the most beautiful, certainly one of the top ten best looking American-made vehicles ever produced. It's too bad that Ford didn't get it quite right when they brought it back for the 2002-2005 model years; the idea was correct, but the execution not so great.
Those photos that lack the rear fender skirts are off-putting. The "Early 'Bird" was obviously not meant to have open arches at the rear. Otherwise, they would have repeated the front fender flares back there, and the openings would not be so elevated. Maybe some of these owners prefer them open, or their cars have bondoed arches, but it just doesn't work. That notwithstanding, Adam gives us more insider facts and gossip!
The first 55 pictured is painted 1956 Fiesta Red, and NOT 1955 Torch Red. And they never had real wire wheels as pictured. The 55s did not have sun visors either. The wire hubcaps on the blue 55 pictured are original. But the hardtop on the blue one should have Ford crests in the lower forward corner. The non-porthole hardtop on 1956 Thunderbirds would be plan like the one on the blue 55. Ah I see the driver's side DOES have that Ford crest on the hardtop!
Did I miss you saying that the rear of the '57 was lengthend, so the spare tire could be mounted in the trunk, instead of "Continental" style? To me, that made the '57 look ill proportioned, although I liked the front bumper and grille better than the earlier style. I have since grown to like the earlier, more cohesive design, and I'm still on the fence, about the fins on the '57.
Annette Funicello looked real good getting out of her perfect yellow 57' convertible, which she was driving in about in 1962. Nancy Sinatra looked damn good driving her 57' convertible T-Bird too, which was in the mid-Sixties. But I think that car was gifted to both Nancy and Frank Jr. by Frank Sr. Before they sold it, Nancy had it painted burgandy and 383 Mopar engine swaped by some guy down the the street whom she cared for.. She was wonderful as my babysitter, but used to steal gas out of my mini-bike for her Honda 90 while watching over Betty Davis's watefront home. The Betty Davis House had a heated salt water pool out front, we used to hit it regularly while in high school. Everybody respected everybody, we didn't wreck anything, but we'll hit hit your pool, baby..
Amazing looking cars, especially the '57. I think my Dad's old 1955 dealer brochure shows that same illustration w/the ✅"checkmark" chrome strip. Stil have a stack of his old brochures. Could be wrong, but have seen it ☑before somewhere.
In Hollywood in the 1970s, an agent had a Thunderbird that had been "Mercurized." Either a 1955 or 1956 in two tone green, it had all Mercury emblems inside and out , including a "big M" on the trunk lid and Mercury taillights. I don't know who built it. I do remember writing to Ford of Canada asking if they ever made such a model (they've done a few interesting things with their models over the years) and they denied making it. The owner who had the car in the 1970s would be in her 90s now.
The suit that the guy got for naming the T-bird was probably what we call today a "power suit" and was likely "fully tailored" and I imagine it also was MUCH more expensive than an "off the rack" suit from Sears.
I thought it was interesting that the T-bird had a 150 Mi per hour speedometer. I saw one at an event a few years ago and kind of laughed about that knowing that most cars could not achieve it but the owner and his friend, both octogenarians, said oh yes absolutely these would go 150. I'll choose to believe them. If I recall it had a 2-speed automatic and pretty long gears and a 324 cubic inch 4 Barrel motor that's all from memory could be off
The Tri-Five T-Bird series was easy for Ford to design in short order because they were basically Ford sedans of the period with a different form factor - they were basically just two-door, two-place, lowered versions of Ford sedans with various performance and aesthetic enhancements: juiced up Y-block engines, suspension tweaks, hood scoop, porthole windows, “Continental” spare tire, etc. The body panels were easy to tool, being based on already existing molds. I recall seeing one back in the late 1950s which someone had customized by installing ‘55 Mercury taillights in place of the standard Ford taillights. The original T-Bird was a much easier project for Ford to bring to fruition than the Corvette, which was a completely new car designed from scratch.
Sixty-nine years later, the 1955 Thuderbird still looks hip. Sixty-nine years before the Thunderbird was what? A horseless carriage with maybe five or eight horse power from 1886 would be a huge win. if we had it, which we did not. Technology does not move linerally, apparently. People who witnessed the Civil War saw the 1955 Thunderbird roll out, and that's just crazy to me.
Thunderbird was a Fairlane washed in hot water. From the front headlight bezels to the dash cluster to the tail lights. Much more of a parts bin car than the Mustang. Well, maybe comparable.
I thought the Thunderbird was named after a legendary mythical creature in Northwest American Indian mythology- or was that what the Condor was called ? Kootenai ? Exquisite cars (the first series)
I would love to have a 55 to go with my 55 Sunliner but I can not fit in them very well,I would have to put in 60s Mustang bucket seats and a tilt column.
Very interesting video. The only thing I knew about was Ford's safety push in the 1950s. Ford offered lap seat belts as an option, but people did not buy them. I always think it is sad (my opinion) that Ford ruined the Thunderbird (and the Mercury Cougar) by making them giant land yachts in the 1970s. The Mustang was kind of headed that way until Lee Iacocca saved it with the Mustang II. The Mustang II is not popular today, although Ford over 1,000,000 of them, but it did stop the growth in size of the Mustang.
@@MarinCipollina At the very least, it stopped the Mustang from going the way of the Couger and Thunderbird,. Also, with the oil shortages of the 1970s, cars with big engines quit selling. Also remember, the first Mustang was based on the Ford Falcon, another economy car.
There are THOUSANDS of different cars from the early 1900's till now, he won't live long enough to cover everybody's "favorite car" for everyone - be realistic!
Wasn't Corvette not even offering a V8 at the time? The Thunderbird would run circles around it. I believe they were out selling the Corvette 2 or 3 to 1.
@@RareClassicCars In 1955 Chevrolet only sold 700 units of the Vette for the entire year. 693 cars were equipped with the V8 and the remaining units were stove-bolts.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for doing this. I still have my 1955 T-Bird my wife gave me for a wedding present in 1976. I am the third owner. It is red/white and has the dress-up kit. It has been completely gone through.
I bet you still have your wife too!😉
@maxr4448 No, she ran off with a guy while I was in Japan while in the USAF, because, according to her friends, all the guys that went overseas had secret girlfriends. I was an exception. But, thanks for the reply.
@@Colorado_Native; Memories.
Yeah, I'd keep it too, what the hell.
T Birds are cool
That's quite a wedding gift! I have a red & white 1957. Had to buy it myself, but totally WITH my wife's support.
The first gen thunderbird is one of the most beautiful convertibles ever made. It's just stunning.
Such a handsome and well proportioned car
I'm too young to really appreciate 50's cars but the thunderbird of the 50's was one that I always liked. Absolutely beautiful!!!!
Had one didn't have good handling and just a regular passenger car V 8 .
I have always been a Thunderbird owner and I really appreciate the fact that you have covered this car. my very first car was a 59 T-Bird convertible. I still have it and I love it.
Your comments and knowledge are fantastic and I never miss your videos
Definitely one of the nicest designs of the 50's. I had a 57 Fairlane with the T-Bird engine....great car!
Was that the 312ci, with the 4bblcarb? Those Y-block engines were ponderous, but sounded very nasty!
I love the pastel colors they used to employ back in that era!
I SO miss cars like this! Thanks for posting!
That turquoise color is awesome!! Would like one in the hard top !!
All 55 through 57 T-Birds were convertibles with an option for a fiberglass detachable top.
Beautiful cars. All 3 are gorgeous.
Wife's Cousin had a 57 Bird and I loved it, my favorite Ford from the 50s.
Great info, as a kid in the 70s I remember how the 2 seater T-Bird was very collectible. Suzanne Somers in American Graffiti, Hot Wheels Redlines, and Robert Urich in Vegas were some examples. The interior of the ‘57 is beautiful.
Back in the 90s my neighbour was selling a 55 for 12 grand that he fully restored in his garage and I did not jump at the chance to grab it. Still kicking my self about that. He did a beautiful job too it was just gorgeous red exterior with a white and red interior.
A friend of mine has his mother's 55' after she passed away and since he's 6'5" 285lbs, he can't fit behind the steering wheel. I got it running and drove it around for him so he could see it driving down the road...lol
A correctly sized steering wheel was too costly. Henry II wouldn't fit in one either, same as early Corvettes. We work on restored examples regularly, it's real tight in there.
That orange-pink color was so great! You don't see that any more.
" Sunset Coral " was the name of the color.
Modern cars are so incredibly drab!
That “orange pink” color was exclusive to the 1956 Thunderbird and is known as Fiesta Red. 1955s were painted a more traditional “blue-red” known as Torch Red (as pictured later in the video).
@@gregt8638 actually it’s Fiesta Red. Sunset Coral is more pink. 🙂
Adam, This may be the purest Thunderbird but when it comes to style, the 1960s 4 doors are my favourites. 🤩
The Baby Birds are very attractive.
My dad had a 56 T-bird as a young man. He loved to talk about it. Thank you for this very interesting video!
My Dad liked his T-birds and restored a few over the years. The two-seaters looked fantastic but were quite uncomfortable to drive. With the tops in place, visibility was terrible if you were even moderately tall. For those of you that like these cars, they are getting more affordable each year as their most avid owners are passing on. They were once blue chip collectables, but have lost well over half the value they once had for common models. This trend downward is unlikely to change. The later four seat models are also worth much less than they once were as well. A shame as the '58 to '66 models are all interesting and competent vehicles. Adam, you could do a video on the sweet interiors found in the T-birds of that era. All were very stylish.
I agree with you on the valuations. They are now selling for prices far cheaper than I remember 5-10 years ago. They may actually be the collectible that’s lost the most $$ in recent history as I can’t really think of another that has plummeted so fast.
And, I do agree with you that while these are great looking cars, they generally aren’t rewarding to drive. Hence why even I don’t desire one. I do enjoy the 67 TBird best because it looks great and drives great.
While the Vette was marketed as a sports car from the start, this was marketed as a 'sporty' car...it's really a baby Lincoln. BTW, Chevrolet was going to cancel the Vette due to low sales when this car came along and spanked the Vette in sales volume. GM wasn't going to allow Ford to eat its lunch so they reworked the Vette. The rest is history.
Yes, the Thunderbird kind of exists because of the Corvette, and then GM upgraded the Corvette because of the TBird. Motor Trend magazine of the time had a great article, available online, comparing the two cars. It's a great story. I have owned both.
A better prize than the third place prize in Glengarry Glen Ross.
I believe the tail light assembly is also from the full size fords.
It is interesting that the competitive split between the Thunderbird and Corvette occurred in the very next generation (1958) when Ford fully embraced the personal luxury coupe by adding rear seats and the Corvette stayed with the 2-seat sports car. Loved the instrument panels in the 1st generation, all three years.
The Cimmaron probably only took a week-end to get from idea to production - Chevy already had all the parts! 🤣
Such nice looking cars for the time, but I prefer the "57 T-bird over the '56-'57 - looks more "refined' IMO. I also like the '60 T-bird over the '58-'59 T-Bird because of the extra taillight - just seemed to fill in the space back there better than those two HUGE taillights did!
My dad told me that when ford tried to sell safety in their cars , people thought that the cars were not as safe as the competition .
Chevrolet didn't need seat belts so they must be safer
GM was adamant that any injuries suffered while riding in a GM car were the result of driver error, or were caused by a lessor make of car on the road. For decades this was GM's official position as regards the safety of their cars. GM would threaten to sue anyone who suggested that their cars were improperly designed or manufactured. GM products were perfection in metal. When Ford tried to sell safety in the 50s GM mercilessly mocked Ford. Of course Ford products require safety belts and padded dashboards, Ford vehicles are poorly designed and manufactured death traps. The public bought into GM's lies forcing Ford to quietly drop marketing of safety features. This kind of evil was par for the course at GM management. After all, GM was the company that pushed use of leaded gasoline (along with DuPont) even though they KNEW that tetraethyl lead was a neurotoxin that was especially dangerous to children.
I think the entire line-up for 1956 got the Safety Make-over. I believe it was in the "Thunderbird book" that came out in 1974 or 75 that explains how padded dashes, seat belts, dished steering wheels and an improved door latch were all part of a move towards safety.
The 1955-57 Ford Thunderbird taillights are the same as the other '55-57 Ford cars. Ford also used this cost-saving technique on other cars that are based on different platforms such as the taillights on the '70 Ford Maverick and '71 Ford Pinto.
What a great car! You did an excellent job covering the history and design of the car.
Love those first gens!!!!😀
Some Gr8 Facts about the Legendary Early Thunderbirds....Looks much better without the check-mark and made it standout against the Corvette at that time, Adam....The '57 my fav Thunderbird with a number of improvements and the best-seller of the early models...Cheers fm Damo.
Adam,
Another great video but I'm surprised that you didn't mention that the Power Dome was actually functional.
It had a coverplate mounted inside the chrome inlet scoop that could be removed for "summer use."
My cousin has a 55' red exterior with the white interior, hardtop with the small porthole windows. Nice car. One of my former bosses (R.I.P. L C) when he was a kid his dad had a Ford dealership in Eastern Montana (ranch country, sold mainly pickups and the only paved roads were the highways) back at that time when the T-birds came out. He said his dad's store was only allocated 3 cars (first M.Y.) he remembered his dad saying after they received the first one, " what the hell am l going to do with this." He said that his dad ended up "dealer trading" with dealers in Southern California for his allocation of T-birds. Very popular at the time in Southern California and Ford couldn't build them fast enough. The rest is history.
Thanks!
Thank you!
I never noticed this before, but there are no visible body seams! Karmann-Ghias used the same philosophy, where all seams where two or more panels meet were filled in for that smoooooooth look. Ford must have spent extra $$ for this, as it was all done by hand. Adam, thanks for the interesting tidbits of information that I did not know. I did know that Ford tried to sell safety in 56, and that it wasn't all that successful, according to Lee Iacocca. Iacocca also came up with the slogan of $56 for '56, which what your car payment could be. Love those early T-Birds!
I should add that the slogan was for the full size cars, not the T-Bird.
Back in 1968, I had a co-worker who was a strong member of the local 1950s T-Bird Club in Seattle. He was pretty snobbish...but he "allowed" me to drive his 1955 Bird for a few minutes. I eagerly agreed, and was overall let down, by the rather "boat-like" sensation that the car exhibited, when it came to handling...even the V8 engine seemed lethargic. But is was so beautiful, that I did not negatively comment to the owner concerning my impressions. I would bet that a 1955 Vette would run circles around that T-Bird.
They had no pretensions of being anything other than boulevard cruisers
I've always thought that the 57 bird was the best looking of the 2 seaters.
agree!
Excellent
On the subject of interior/exterior design, have you noticed on the 1960 Ford that the rear taillight and bumper design matches the interior dashboard design? Easy to see from the rear of the convertible. I've never noticed that on any other car.
Beautiful car. The 1955 Lincoln Continental Mark was also a refreshing design, but on a larger scale.
Absolutely the best looking car of the 50s
The 1956 Thunderbirds are the easiest to tell apart since they were the only ones of the first generation to have the rear spare tire on the bumper as standard equipment.
That was a horrible idea.. No car looks better with a continental kit.
Adam, very neat and educational video. We have learned from you things we would never have known. Thanks!!
SUCH a beautiful car!!!
A minor bit of trivia here: the 55 hardtop did not have portholes, while the 56 and 57 did, due to poor visibility. While I'm at it, the 55 had a 6v/pos ground, while the 56 had 12v/neg ground. Lastly, 55s did not have the side air vents (kind of like Studebaker used for years), but the 56 and 57 did.
Positive ground? I thought that was only the English.
@@soaringvulture Nope, virtually all American cars used pos ground up to 56. I think GM switched in 55.
Giberson should at least have received a trip to London for a new suit from Savile Row. From what I read, the suit was from Saks Fifth Avenue, which is a luxury store but not bespoke.
Love all Thunderbirds through 1966 but the 1955-1957 are the most beautiful cars Ford ever made. And I’d say the 57 Thunderbird and 37 Cord are the most beautiful American cars ever made
Great content Adam, Happy new year to you and yours.
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually liked the retro Thunderbirds sold from 2001-2003. I thought it was a cool way to pay homage to the original.
I think that 1955 was a pinnacle year for the entire American automotive industry. The US economy was at a peak, it was a very unique time. I don’t think that it was ever equalled.
More from this!! Great. ...and without the rust exaust change fom 55 to 56 which we all know. Great stuff, Adam👍
Merry Christmas , Mr. Wade. Another GREAT video. Very informative discussion about economy of scales re the then new Thunderbird and the other Ford lineup. Never knew about the same bumper front and rear for the ‘56 model as well as the dashboard evolution. Here is a question: did the name winners’s suit come from England’s Sevile Row?😊😊😊😊
I always thought that the full sized Ford had a classy dash for the kind of car it was.
Very interesting episode. Thank you.
Great video, Adam! Probably my favorite 50’s car. I like how Ford managed to use obvious 50’s styling yet the car still looks lean and trim, unlike the doughy look that 50’s cars typically have.
Thanks Adam. I love this car. ❤
Great video! Learned a lot. 👍👍
Merry Christmas, Adam! You ARE the GOAT.... Your subconscious is working overtime for your benefit 🙌
So, your entire vid shows the original design's features: the hardtop sans porthole, the rear fender without the fender-skirt, and the trunk bereft of a continental kit.
Without clichés in place to distract the eye, IMHO, the 55 Thunderbird is a far more lighthearted 'young' design than it's given credit for.
Thanks for all the beautiful pictures of my dream version of a Thunderbird.
🖖🙏
Glad Ford went with the Thunderbird name. Wish we had a Thunderbird model today.
My dad used to get his suits from Saville Row in the 60's, everyone work suits back then. I remember the fancy wooden hangers with the tailors name and address on them
Wooden garment hangers aren't "fancy".. just proper..
I remember reading somewhere that the redesign of the thunderbird in 1957 was supposed to carry on through 1959 until Robert Macnamara decided to make it a high volume seller by turning it into a 4 seater.
This is one of those cars I would describe as "cherry". Not the "new" meaning of the word, but the "stellar" meaning. There are very few cars that achieve that level.
I love thunder birds. I remember being at the Woodward dream cruise sitting with a Thunderbird club. Someone had put a remote start on it. He did it from a restaurant. It just kept cranking and cranking. I thought it was going to catch on fire. Every old man came out and was like take that off now.
I love how the interior design team got equal billing. The architecture from outside to inside is seamless. Now, if I could just have a ‘57 dash on a ‘55, that would be great.
The 55 Tbird is the most beautiful one(as far as I’m concerned)great video Adam. Shame you don’t listen to your subscribers as I’ve asked repeatedly for something on the 62 Dodge and Plymouth cars. But still your videos are amazing.
I’ve already done a walk around on the 62 Plymouth. Search my channel
That was a Plymouth not the more let’s say unlikable Dodge. I’m just asking for your take on it as you are the best car guy(I think) and know that you can do that car justice.
A fun list, Adam.
He named the car and was rewarded with --- a SUIT? Was it a Savile suit?
The reward Should have been a new T-Bird! Jeeez.
Corporations are usually known for their excesses on one side and pithy thrift on the other.
Dan Tanna’s car!
Just this person's opinion; the 1956 Thunderbird with the spare tire standard on the rear decklid (one year only standard, though available on the '55 and '57 T-birds), and the port holes on the removable hardtop, combined with the speedometer and gauge layout was, if not the most beautiful, certainly one of the top ten best looking American-made vehicles ever produced. It's too bad that Ford didn't get it quite right when they brought it back for the 2002-2005 model years; the idea was correct, but the execution not so great.
Those photos that lack the rear fender skirts are off-putting. The "Early 'Bird" was obviously not meant to have open arches at the rear. Otherwise, they would have repeated the front fender flares back there, and the openings would not be so elevated. Maybe some of these owners prefer them open, or their cars have bondoed arches, but it just doesn't work. That notwithstanding, Adam gives us more insider facts and gossip!
I like design being a subset of engineering.
Back when Ford was not full of bullshit.
The first 55 pictured is painted 1956 Fiesta Red, and NOT 1955 Torch Red. And they never had real wire wheels as pictured. The 55s did not have sun visors either. The wire hubcaps on the blue 55 pictured are original. But the hardtop on the blue one should have Ford crests in the lower forward corner. The non-porthole hardtop on 1956 Thunderbirds would be plan like the one on the blue 55. Ah I see the driver's side DOES have that Ford crest on the hardtop!
Good eyes!
Did I miss you saying that the rear of the '57 was lengthend, so the spare tire could be mounted in the trunk, instead of "Continental" style? To me, that made the '57 look ill proportioned, although I liked the front bumper and grille better than the earlier style. I have since grown to like the earlier, more cohesive design, and I'm still on the fence, about the fins on the '57.
16:05 There were no collapsible steering columns in domestic cars until 1967.
True, they weren't collapsible, but on the TBird they were adjustable fore/aft for about two inches.
Annette Funicello looked real good getting out of her perfect yellow 57' convertible, which she was driving in about in 1962.
Nancy Sinatra looked damn good driving her 57' convertible T-Bird too, which was in the mid-Sixties.
But I think that car was gifted to both Nancy and Frank Jr. by Frank Sr.
Before they sold it, Nancy had it painted burgandy and 383 Mopar engine swaped by some guy down the the street whom she cared for..
She was wonderful as my babysitter, but used to steal gas out of my mini-bike for her Honda 90 while watching over Betty Davis's watefront home.
The Betty Davis House had a heated salt water pool out front, we used to hit it regularly while in high school.
Everybody respected everybody, we didn't wreck anything, but we'll hit hit your pool, baby..
Yes, but was Alan's new suit from Savile Row? 😄
Probably from Robert Hall.
Amazing looking cars, especially the '57.
I think my Dad's old 1955 dealer brochure shows that same illustration w/the ✅"checkmark" chrome strip. Stil have a stack of his old brochures.
Could be wrong, but have seen it ☑before somewhere.
I love these years of Thunderbird, many others as well. I want to buy one and have my wife dress period...😋
I hope that it was a Saville Row Suit!
Puttin’ on the Ritz!
Probably a mass producer like Hart Schaffner & Marx
Was it a Savile suit?
In Hollywood in the 1970s, an agent had a Thunderbird that had been "Mercurized." Either a 1955 or 1956 in two tone green, it had all Mercury emblems inside and out , including a "big M" on the trunk lid and Mercury taillights. I don't know who built it. I do remember writing to Ford of Canada asking if they ever made such a model (they've done a few interesting things with their models over the years) and they denied making it. The owner who had the car in the 1970s would be in her 90s now.
The suit that the guy got for naming the T-bird was probably what we call today a "power suit" and was likely "fully tailored" and I imagine it also was MUCH more expensive than an "off the rack" suit from Sears.
Great video. I hope this means you'll have a video on each generation 😉 f Third!
I thought it was interesting that the T-bird had a 150 Mi per hour speedometer. I saw one at an event a few years ago and kind of laughed about that knowing that most cars could not achieve it but the owner and his friend, both octogenarians, said oh yes absolutely these would go 150. I'll choose to believe them. If I recall it had a 2-speed automatic and pretty long gears and a 324 cubic inch 4 Barrel motor that's all from memory could be off
The Tri-Five T-Bird series was easy for Ford to design in short order because they were basically Ford sedans of the period with a different form factor - they were basically just two-door, two-place, lowered versions of Ford sedans with various performance and aesthetic enhancements: juiced up Y-block engines, suspension tweaks, hood scoop, porthole windows, “Continental” spare tire, etc. The body panels were easy to tool, being based on already existing molds. I recall seeing one back in the late 1950s which someone had customized by installing ‘55 Mercury taillights in place of the standard Ford taillights. The original T-Bird was a much easier project for Ford to bring to fruition than the Corvette, which was a completely new car designed from scratch.
Sixty-nine years later, the 1955 Thuderbird still looks hip.
Sixty-nine years before the Thunderbird was what?
A horseless carriage with maybe five or eight horse power from 1886 would be a huge win. if we had it, which we did not.
Technology does not move linerally, apparently.
People who witnessed the Civil War saw the 1955 Thunderbird roll out, and that's just crazy to me.
Thunderbird was a Fairlane washed in hot water. From the front headlight bezels to the dash cluster to the tail lights. Much more of a parts bin car than the Mustang. Well, maybe comparable.
I don't know if it's a year difference or an option difference, but I strongly prefer the ones shown without the rear fender skirts.
I thought the Thunderbird was named after a legendary mythical creature in Northwest American Indian mythology- or was that what the Condor was called ? Kootenai ?
Exquisite cars (the first series)
i do believe the 57 tbird had an option where the radio would lower its volume as speed decreased
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The original and only Tbird. Anything after that isn't a Tbird.
I would love to have a 55 to go with my 55 Sunliner but I can not fit in them very well,I would have to put in 60s Mustang bucket seats and a tilt column.
Very interesting video. The only thing I knew about was Ford's safety push in the 1950s. Ford offered lap seat belts as an option, but people did not buy them. I always think it is sad (my opinion) that Ford ruined the Thunderbird (and the Mercury Cougar) by making them giant land yachts in the 1970s. The Mustang was kind of headed that way until Lee Iacocca saved it with the Mustang II. The Mustang II is not popular today, although Ford over 1,000,000 of them, but it did stop the growth in size of the Mustang.
I'm not sure making the Mustang II based on the Pinto was any sort of improvement.
@@MarinCipollina At the very least, it stopped the Mustang from going the way of the Couger and Thunderbird,. Also, with the oil shortages of the 1970s, cars with big engines quit selling. Also remember, the first Mustang was based on the Ford Falcon, another economy car.
Adam,was the suit he won tailored at Savile Row?Mike the Greek
Was it a savile row suite.
When will the 1967 Cougar XR-7 get some love ??
There are THOUSANDS of different cars from the early 1900's till now, he won't live long enough to cover everybody's "favorite car" for everyone - be realistic!
@@TomSnyder-gx5ru Well, since he often asks for episode suggestions in his comment section, I'll listen to him and ignore you.
Wasn't Corvette not even offering a V8 at the time? The Thunderbird would run circles around it. I believe they were out selling the Corvette 2 or 3 to 1.
They had a V8 in 1955
And TBird outsold Vette 20x in 1955
@@RareClassicCars the Corvette had a V8 in 55?
@RareClassicCars I see they did. First year, I suppose.
@@RareClassicCars In 1955 Chevrolet only sold 700 units of the Vette for the entire year. 693 cars were equipped with the V8 and the remaining units were stove-bolts.
The classic Checker used the same bumpers front and rear.
I recall hearing that Franklin Q. Hershey was largely responsible for the 55 T-Bitd design. No mention of him here.
He moved over to make candy bars.
I have a 56 T Bird.