Ford built the T-Bird to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette that was introduced a few years earlier by GM. Known as the “Early Birds,” the first generation of the Ford Thunderbird lasted from 1955–1957. First Generation Ford Thunderbird Credit: Greg Gjerdingen/Wikipedia (1957 Ford Thunderbird) It was the largest Thunderbird ever, weighing over 5,000 pounds and featuring only 429 or massive 460 cid V8s. The sixth generation lasted from 1972–1976, and sold relatively steadily. From 1968–1971, Ford released the high performance variant, the ThunderJet, which had a 429 cid V8 that was similar to the iconic Super Cobra Jet 429 V8. Ford closed the decade with the fifth generation T-Bird, which lasted from 1967–1971. The Thunderbird Continuesįord created the fourth generation from 1964–1966, keeping the 390 cid V8 and introducing a 428 cid V8, too. The third generation lasted from 1961–1963, and production stayed relatively steady as did performance, with a 390 cid V8 now the base power plant. The car got some slight restyling and added a convertible option in 1958, and production soured. The T-Bird quickly became popular with racing enthusiasts, they were a staple of 1950s and 1960s drag racing.įord produced the second generation of the Thunderbird from 1958–1960, and in 1959 Ford gave the T-Bird its first big-block V8 engine, a 430 cid V8 making 350 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. The Thunderbird vastly outsold the Corvette even though they sold for similar prices. Ford created the Thunderbird to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette that General Motors had released a few years earlier in 1953. Available engines were either a 292 or 312 cid V8, and in 1957 a supercharger was added to increase horsepower and torque. The first generation of the Thunderbird lasted from 1955–1957. In 1967, Ford brought out the first four-door T-Bird in history, which was very successful at first, but sales soon slumped. Originally, Ford only made the Thunderbird available as a two-door convertible with a removable fiberglass top, but soon they added a Rayon-top option, and in 1958 Ford introduced a four-seater version. The Thunderbird sold well, almost eclipsing 100,000 cars annually for a few model years.

The first six generations of the Ford Thunderbird spanned 22 model years from 1955–1976. Make sure to check out our other article for the 1977–2005 Ford Thunderbird. This article will cover the first six generations of the Thunderbird, from 1955–1976. From 1968–1971, Ford released the ThunderJet variant, which was essentially a muscle car with its 429 cid V8 engine pumping out 360 horsepower and almost 500 lb-ft of torque. The 1950s T-Birds are some of the most recognizable American cars of all-time, with their classic tailfins and headlights. It did make one last comeback from 2002–2005 for an 11th generation, but Ford has since retired the moniker again.Īlso known as the “T-Bird,” in 1957 the Thunderbird became one of the first production cars with a factory equipped supercharger.

The original run of the Thunderbird lasted for 10 generations from the 1955–1997 model years, before Ford briefly halted production. First introduced for the 1955 model year, Ford marketed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car that featured outstanding performance from big-block V8s. Spanning 50 years, the Ford Thunderbird is one of the most iconic cars in American history.

1963 thunderbird convertible