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Thunderbird: derived from southwest American Indian lore for a mythical bird glimpsed only briefly in the clouds and responsible for thunder and lightning, a symbol of power, speed and good fortune. After seeing GM's first Corvette falter in popularity and sales, the Ford men set to planning a radically different personal car; all-steel body rather than fiberglass, equipped with a new and powerful V-8 rather than a warmed-over old fashioned 6-cylinder, roll-up windows with power assist optional rather than plastic side curtains, and a well-fitting cloth top with hard top optional rather than Corvette's clumsy cloth top. And, the choice of a manual 3-speed transmission or optional Ford-O-Matic rather than only a 2-speed autoshifter, high style interior and selection of exterior colors rather than only white and red, and much better performance.
Thunderbird for 1955 was a much more exciting car priced almost $600 less than Corvette and sales took off; 16,155 sold in its first year compared to 315 in Corvette's first year and 3,640 its second year. The new Thunderbird was described in the automotive press as 'a revolution in personal transportation...a genuinely new idea in cars that will influence the shape of things to come.' Even when priced comparably in 1955 when both Thunderbird and Corvette were equipped with V-8 engines, T-Bird sales far exceeded Corvette that saw only 674 produced.
This 43,000 original mile California car in Golden Rod Yellow is an example of what made Thunderbird so popular a half-century ago; beautifully restored to as-built configuration with its original body, chassis and driveline.
Thunderbird for 1955 was a much more exciting car priced almost $600 less than Corvette and sales took off; 16,155 sold in its first year compared to 315 in Corvette's first year and 3,640 its second year. The new Thunderbird was described in the automotive press as 'a revolution in personal transportation...a genuinely new idea in cars that will influence the shape of things to come.' Even when priced comparably in 1955 when both Thunderbird and Corvette were equipped with V-8 engines, T-Bird sales far exceeded Corvette that saw only 674 produced.
This 43,000 original mile California car in Golden Rod Yellow is an example of what made Thunderbird so popular a half-century ago; beautifully restored to as-built configuration with its original body, chassis and driveline.
No auction information available for this vehicle at this time.
1955 Ford Thunderbird Auction Sales
Recent Sales of the Ford Thunderbird
(Data based on Model Year 1955 sales)
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh218715 Sold for USD$30,800 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh194423 Sold for USD$55,000 2024 Mecum : Glendale | |
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE Chassis#: P5FH171103 Sold for USD$44,000 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale AZ | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh114063 Sold for USD$44,000 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh137091 Sold for USD$30,800 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh132858 Sold for USD$16,500 2023 Mecum : Kansas City | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh101263 Sold for USD$15,400 2023 Mecum : Chattanooga | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh183876 Sold for USD$29,700 2023 Mecum : Dallas | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh114519 Sold for USD$15,950 2023 Mecum : Dallas | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Chassis#: p5fh220772 Sold for USD$82,500 2023 Mecum : Monterey | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh239903 Sold for USD$33,000 2023 Mecum : Harrisburg | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible Chassis#: p5fh101263 Sold for USD$20,900 2023 Mecum : Kissimmee Summer Special 2023 | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Chassis#: p5fh253114 Sold for USD$44,000 2023 Mecum : Indy | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Chassis#: P5FH233187 Sold for USD$22,500 2023 Spring Carlisle | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Chassis#: p5fh189195 Sold for USD$40,700 2023 Mecum : Houston | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Chassis#: p5fh217773 Sold for USD$33,000 2023 Mecum : Houston | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Sold for USD$36,300 2023 Mecum : Glendale | |
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD Chassis#: P5FH162552 Sold for USD$56,000 2023 Gooding & Company : Amelia Island Auction | |
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE Chassis#: P5FH178354 Sold for USD$44,000 2023 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, Az. | |
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE Chassis#: P5FH158946 Sold for USD$170,500 2023 Barrett-Jackson : Scottsdale, Az. |
Ford Thunderbirds That Failed To Sell At Auction
1955 Ford Thunderbird's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | P5FH129465 | 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Enthusiast Auction | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | P5FH108197 | 2024 Worldwide Auctioneers : Enthusiast Auction | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | p5fh112493 | 2024 Mecum : Kissimmee | $35,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | p5fh240625 | 2023 Mecum : Dallas | $20,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible | p5fh189468 | 2023 Mecum : Harrisburg | $20,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | p5fh179762 | 2023 Mecum : Indy | $28,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | p5fh144594 | 2023 Mecum : Indy | $19,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird Custom | 2023 Mecum : Indy | $90,000 | $150,000 | $175,000 | |
1955 Ford Thunderbird Custom | 2023 Mecum : Glendale | $90,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2023 Mecum : Kissimmee | $33,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2022 Mecum : Las Vegas | $60,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | P5FH159388 | 2022 GAA : November 2022 | $25,000 | ||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2022 Mecum : Chattanooga | $40,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2022 Mecum : Orlando | $28,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2022 Mecum : Orlando | $37,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2022 Mecum Indy | $32,000 | |||
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE | P5FH214898 | 2022 BarrettJackson : Scottsdale, Arizona | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2021 Mecum : Kansas City | $28,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2021 Mecum : Chicago | $30,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2021 Mecum : Orlando | $30,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2021 Mecum : Glendale | $28,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 Mecum : Las Vegas | $25,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 GAA : November 2020 | $21,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 Mecum : Dallas | ||||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 GAA : July 2020 | $17,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 Mecum : Glendale | $47,000 | |||
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD CVTBLE | 2020 McCormick's Auction # 68 | $32,500 | |||
1955 FORD THUNDERBIRD ROADSTER | 2020 McCormick's Auction # 68 | $30,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 GAA : February 2020 | $42,000 | |||
1955 Ford Thunderbird | 2020 Mecum Auctions : Kissimmee | $28,000 |
Vehicles With Comparable Market Values
Similar sales to the $36,195 range.
1969 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA MOD TOP Chassis#:BH23F9B189216 Sold for $36,300 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
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1967 CHEVROLET CAMARO CUSTOM COUPE Chassis#:124377L105209 Sold for $36,300 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
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1961 RENAULT 4CV RESORT SPECIAL Chassis#:3607757 Sold for $36,300 2024 Barrett-Jackson : Palm Beach | |
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1970 Ford Mustang Fastback Chassis#:0f02f161131 Sold for $36,300 2024 Mecum : Houston | |
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1955 Ford Thunderbird
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