The Thunderbird’s spare tire went back inside the trunk in 1957 and the rear body was lengthened about 6 inches. After a slight dip to 15,631 in ‘56, production of the last - and in many minds the best - two-seat T-bird reached 21,380 in 1957. Additional updates for 1956 included available “portholes” for the removable hardtop and a Continental-style spare tire carrier out back.įord officials initially had their sights set on building 10,000 Thunderbirds for 1955. Optional dual carburetors were introduced later that year to help the 312 reach 260 horsepower. More power increases followed in 1956 as the standard 292 V-8 was up-rated to 202 horsepower and an optional 312 cid Y-block appeared with either 215 or 225 horses. Output was 193 horsepower with the standard 3-speed manual, and 198 horses when the Ford-O-Matic automatic was installed.

The Thunderbird V-8 was a 292 cubic-inch Y-block topped by a single four-barrel carburetor. Save for some early applications, a removable fiberglass hardtop was standard, as were roll-up windows and V-8 power, all features unavailable to Corvette customers early on. Like Chevy’s fiberglass sports car, the steel-bodied 1955 T-bird rolled on a 102-inch wheelbase, but the similarities ended there. A beautiful and desirable first-year Baby Bird.Ford’s original two-seat Thunderbird, inspired by Chevrolet’s Corvette, went into production on September 9, 1954. It is powered by Ford’s Thunderbird V-8 engine, in this case augmented with a floor-shifted automatic transmission and power steering and brakes. 1955 Ford Thunderbird – sold for $31,000. Small wonder this good-looking 1955 Ford Thunderbird was recently invited to participate in a local Concours d’Elegance: a completely rust free car from Florida, it is a rare, all-matching-numbers original Raven Black example fitted with a matching Black soft top and authentic chromed wire wheels with wide Whitewall tires.

Tbird 1955