1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

Chevrolet beat Ford to the punch when General Motors introduced their own two-seater, the Corvette, at the Waldorf Astoria Motorama in January 1953. A year later, at the February 20th, 1954 Detroit Auto Show, Ford introduced their mass-produced two-seat sports car - the Thunderbird. The first production Thunderbird rolled-off the assembly line on September 9th of 1954, and was introduced to the public on October 22nd.

Standard features found on the early Thunderbirds included power steering, brakes, windows, and a four-way seat with options, including a radio, heater, and choice of a three-speed manual or Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. Under the hood was a 292 cubic-inch V8 engine.

The Thunderbirds styling and V8 power triumphed over the early Corvette's fiberglass construction and anemic six-cylinder engine. Sales of the Thunderbird in its first year of production totaled 16,155 units, wildly surpassing the Corvette's 700.

This particular example is finished in Torch Red over a red and white interior. It is equipped with a black folding soft top, power windows, full polished wheel covers, wide whitewall tires, and an AM radio.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2017