The first Ford Thunderbird two-seater arrived about 50 years ago for the 1955 model year as a Chevrolet Corvette rival and is almost as iconic a car as the first Ford Mustang.
General Motors made the 'Vette for car buffs, but the T-Bird was hastily created by a Ford committee for a wider audience and to help sell regular Fords.
The Thunderbird remained a two-seater until 1958, when a four-seat version was introduced for higher sales. The next two-seat T-Bird didn't arrive until the 2002 model year, and Ford hints it might keep the car in production beyond its official expiration date of 2005.
History repeats itself with the 2004 Thunderbird two-seater. It's designed to be more of a classy cruiser than a sports car, although revised steering, more power and a firmer suspension made it sportier for 2003. The current Corvette is every inch a genuine sports car.
The 2002 Thunderbird was the top-selling two-seater convertible, with sales of 19,356 cars. It beat other two-seaters, including the Corvette, Lexus SC 430, Mercedes-Benz SL and Mazda Miata. Last year, the T-Bird finished second in the two-seat market behind the BMW Z4 sports car.
Thunderbird sales have totaled about 18,000 annually -- a respectable number for a rather costly two-seater. List prices go from $37,435 to $43,390.
A Thunderbird prototype actually was displayed at the Chicago Auto Show in March 1954. That's because Chevy got a jump on Ford by offering the first Corvette in late 1953 and archrival Ford was scrambling to make up for lost time and to take some edge off the 'Vette, which had 1954 sales of 3,640 cars.
The 1955 Thunderbird had slick European long-hood/short-rear-deck clean styling. It also had a host of power-assist options not found on the Corvette or foreign sports cars, such as power windows and a power driver's seat.
The Corvette had auto show car styling, but lacked outside door handles and roll-up windows -- it just had bolt-on plastic side curtains like low-priced British sports cars. The Thunderbird had a snugger soft top, and you could get a handsome removable hard top.
Most Americans couldn't figure out the Corvette, but they sure understood the 1955 Thunderbird. Ford called it a "personal car'' -- not a sports car, partly to broaden its market. The 1955 T-Bird had a 198-horsepower V-8 with its automatic transmission and fast straight-line acceleration. It had average handling, but T-Bird drivers didn't go fast around corners anyway.
The 1955 Thunderbird thus found 16,155 buyers, while production of that year's Corvette totaled only 674 cars. Only GM's pride and hurried improvements kept the 'Vette alive.
The 1955-57 T-Bird was an upper-middle-class car that often was used as a family's second car. Many were given to wives or girlfriends to show off in.
Ford spokesman Miles Johnson said many T-Bird buyers use the car for daily transportation and that 25 percent of buyers are women. That's a fairly high percentage, considering 40 percent of buyers of the more practical and less costly four-seat Mustang convertible are women.
The 1955 Thunderbird used lots of regular Ford family car mechanical components, which gave it good reliability. It also shared headlights, taillights and instruments with conventional Ford models and was featured in advertisements with standard Fords.
The 1955 T-Bird two-seater wasn't cheap. Its $2,944 basic price was almost identical to the Corvette's, but many T-Birds were ordered with options that raised the price to nearly $4,000. That was a good chunk of money in 1955, when a flashy Ford Sunliner four-seat convertible cost $2,224. By 1957, the base price of a Thunderbird two-seater was $3,408, when the Sunliner convertible was $2,505.
The current Thunderbird is well equipped, with standard comfort, convenience and safety features that didn't exist in the 1950s. Even the base $37,435 Deluxe version has such items as anti-lock brakes, traction control, side air bags dual-zone climate controls and remote keyless entry -- besides power everything.
The $38,480 Premium version adds heated seats and chrome alloy wheels, while the $43,390 Pacific Coast Roadster version has the removable hard top, leather-suede interior trim and manual-shift capability for the automatic transmission, which costs $130 for the other versions.
Options on my Premium version test car included the $1,000 light sand package, which consists of cream-colored gauges and unique interior trim.
The 2004 Thunderbird has the same long-hood/short-rear-deck styling theme of the 1950s two-seat models. It also has a similar egg crate-style grille, hood scoop, simulated air vents and 1950s-style T-Bird portholes for the removable $2,500 hard top. Like the original, the current Thunderbird has a front-engine, rear-drive layout.
The 1950s two-seat T-Bird was heavy, and so is the current model at nearly 3,800 pounds. However, the 280-horsepower V-8 and responsive five-speed automatic transmission work to whisk the car to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and there's strong acceleration for merging and passing.
With all that weight and power, fuel economy is so-so: an estimated 17 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway.
Long, heavy doors make entry and exit difficult in tight spots, but it's otherwise easy to slide in and out. Gauges can be easily read, and controls are within convenient reach, although radio and climate controls are rather small. The ignition switch is on the dashboard, not out of sight on the steering column. Large console cupholders help prevent spills.
Thick windshield posts and the soft top's wide rear sections compromise rear visibility. The console is rather large, and those with long legs and large shoes might want roomier footwells. But a power tilt-telescoping steering wheel and supportive power seat make it easy to find a comfortable driving position.
The long trunk has a wide opening, but is shallow. There's a small storage area behind the seats.
The thick power top works quickly and helps keep the interior pretty quiet when raised. There's minimal wind buffeting with the top down at highway speeds, but some cowl shake occurs with the top lowered on rough roads.
The power steering feels a bit heavy, but is fast and preferable to too-light steering. While it's no sports car, the rear-drive T-Bird has above-average handling, with the engine set back for good weight distribution. Brakes are powerful and have good pedal feel. The ride is smooth, although the suspension sometimes allows a little "float'' over uneven roads.
Driving a 1955 Thunderbird reminded me of piloting a motor boat. I sat high and experienced lots of wind buffeting with the top down while peering over its long hood and listening to its prominent exhaust. The ride wasn't supple and steering and handling were marginal.
But the car was stylish and reasonably fast by today's standards. It also was in a class by itself, as is the case with the current Thunderbird.
2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD
Prices
$37,435-$43,390
Likes
Stylish cruiser. Fast. Comfortable. Decent handling. Smooth ride.
Dislikes
Long, heavy doors. Rear blind spots. No fuel miser. |