This motif was repeated on the '55 Ford passenger cars but was dropped from the T'bird when it went into production. When Ford announced its sensational Thunderbird in '54, the prototypes bore a chrome spear on its sides which began at the headlamp, swooped down through the front fender, started upwards, and continued horizontally through the door and fender to the rear. Read how Vinson explaned its acquisition and signifigance in his unpublished "Auto-biography":: All copies of this catalog were reportedly destroyed, making this item among the rarest in Vinson's collection. The chrome spear seen running along the side of the car in the catalog above was dropped from the design when it went into production. The cover of the 1955 Ford Thunrderbird catalog Taylor Vinson heard a rumor of the rare catalog but only confirmed its existence when he obtained two copies of it at an antiques show in the 1980s. The rarer of the two was thought to have been destroyed by the Ford Company when they modified the design of the car after producing the sales literature but prior to production of the car.
1955 thunderbird windows#
Painted Goldenrod Yellow - one of five colors available for that year's T-Birds - it is equipped with automatic transmission, power windows and seat, a radio, and a heater.The story of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird catalog is actually the story of two catalogs. It is the product of a two-year restoration completed in 2002.
Ray Scherr, of Westlake Village, California, owns the 1955 Thunderbird featured here. Though great numbers for the market class, they were small by Ford Motor Company standards come 1958, a far more popular four-seat Thunderbird replaced the winsome two-place cars of 1955-1957.
sold in small numbers, the first-year T-Bird managed to win over 16,155 customers. While other sports cars for sale in the U.S. Optional power assists cradled passengers in the lap of luxury.
1955 thunderbird drivers#
A standard telescoping steering column helped drivers find an optimal position behind the wheel. Roll-up windows and the availability of a removable fiberglass top lent more all-weather comfort than the folding tops and snap-in curtains associated with most other two-seaters. Its family car-like suspension delivered a softer ride than "pure" sports cars (and would be made softer still in 1956). Though it was inspired by the many - mostly foreign-built - sports cars that were capturing the imagination of American enthusiasts in the early 1950s, the Thunderbird was built like a little luxury car. Overdrive was also available for stickshift cars.
1955 thunderbird manual#
Equipped with a Holley four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, it made 193 bhp at 4,400 rpm in cars built with the standard three-speed manual transmission, or 198 bhp in those fitted with the extra-cost Fordomatic automatic gearbox. The power part of the equation came from the 292-cid version of the corporate "Y-block" ohv V-8 shared with Mercury. The Thunderbird managed to avoid being cluttered with excessive chrome trim or outlandish two-tone paint schemes. (Ford pointed out in advertising that the Thunderbird's height from the cowl to the ground was just slightly more than three feet.) It had a 102-inch wheelbase - more than a foot shorter than a 1955 Ford sedan - yet borrowed heavily from the many new styling touches adopted for the year's full-size Fords. The introductory T-Bird had style in spades, owing to its low, two-seat bodywork.
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