55 thunderbird price manual#

55 thunderbird price manual#

Buyers could choose a three-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic transmission. Only one engine was available for the Thunderbird in 1955, a 4-barrel 292 Y-block V8 that was rated at 193 horsepower. The final 1955 Thunderbird, which began production on September 9, 1954, was slightly different from the concept version unveiled at the aforementioned Detroit Auto Show. “Although the Thunderbird has the performance and attributes of most sports cars, management also felt that it should have a few more comforts to make it more appealing to a wider segment of the public.” Burnett, explained the thought behind the styling, and was perhaps attempting to distance the car even more from the Corvette. Speaking with Motor Trend when the car debuted, chief passenger car engineer at Ford, W.R. The name Thunderbird was chosen from over 5,000 suggestions, and the name “Whizzer” also was in strong contention for the name. Rather than using a fiberglass body, which was popular at the time, the car was made of steel, though a removable fiberglass roof was offered (along with a fabric-top convertible).

Chevrolet had beaten Ford to the punch in the market by two years with the Corvette, but the Thunderbird was designed to distinguish itself form that model.įrom the beginning, the car was built as a “personal luxury” car rather than a sports car.

The Thunderbird was designed by Ford to be answer to the rising want of many American car buyers for a smaller, two-seater sports car similar to cars that were on European roads at the time, like the MGs and Jaguars.