![]() Sales of the second-generation Thunderbird were placed for September of 1957, but due to delays, sales were pushed back to December 20th. Stopping power was provided by drum brakes at the front and rear. The rear suspension, which was designed to accommodate the air springs, was later replaced by leaf springs in 1959. Ford had planned to offered air springs for the rear, but this never made it into production. In the back was a live axle with trailing arms and coil springs. The suspension setup was conventional with the front being independent, with coil springs and unequal-length A-arms. It was backed by a three-speed manual transmission, with overdrive or Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission optional. The engine offered 300 horsepower at 4,600 RPM making it one of the most potent production engines of its era. Power was sourced from Ford's new 352 cubic-inch FE-series V8 engine with a cast-iron block, overhead valves, a 10.2:1 compression ratio, and a Holley four-barrel carburetor. The console housed minor controls, switches, and ashtrays. Due to its lower stance, it received a higher drivetrain tunnel that was incorporated into a center console dividing front and rear seats. ![]() It stood 52.5-inches tall and its ground clearance measured 5.8-inches. View info and historyTo accommodate the rear seats and to provide maximum interior space, the '2nd Gen' Thunderbird used modern unibody construction with a wheelbase size of 112-inches, an overall length of 205.4 inches, and a width of 77 inches. ![]() Following minor revisions, it would later become the 1961 Lincoln Continental. Elwood Engel had also presented a design but it was rejected. The styling of the all-new Thunderbird, known as the 'Square Bird', was attributed primarily to Joe Oros, whose talents were later applied to the 1964 Ford Mustang. To this end, the Thunderbird gained rear seats. With their fingers on the pulse of change throughout the industry, Ford management and especially Robert McNamara felt the Thunderbird sales could reach new plateaus if it could appeal to families. The amount of available horsepower on production engines began to exceed 300 bhp, with displacement growing to equally impressive sizes, complemented by the use of fuel injection and other modern advancements. Change was a popular theme through the 1950s within the automotive industry, with designs emulating the accomplishments of the space race, with aircraft-inspired interiors, towering tail fins, and plentiful amounts of chrome highlighting and accenting design cues. The first-generation Thunderbird had been very successful, especially when compared to the Corvette, but rather than rest on their laurels, management approved a major redesign for the second generation. Two additional seats were added to the rear and the amenities reserved for full-sized vehicles were bestowed upon the mid-sized Thunderbird. An all-new design was introduced for 1958, pushing the 'personal luxury' theme even further. The luxurious sporty car featured round simple gauges with chrome details and even power windows with the controls placed on the central console.View info and historyThe first generation of the Thunderbird lasted from 1955 through 1957 with mild updates along the way. Inside, the Thunderbird looked way ahead of its time with the front bucket seats and the stylish rear seats. The unit cranked out 300 hp and was mated with a 3-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic transmission. The square bird was equipped with a V8 engine, with 4 barrels carburettors and a dual exhaust. Later seen with most muscle cars, the Thunderbird had a hood scoop. We could say it featured lots of chrome accents, but it was rather a vehicle showered in chrome, a note of luxury at the time. Besides that, the sales even doubled overnight.Īesthetically, the Thunderbird had a beautiful loose square styling. While Ford’s vehicles featured only 2 seats by then, McNamara realised that adding a back seat would increase the vehicle’s appeal and practicality. Not only the Thunderbird was highly successful, so were the Lincoln Continental and the Ford Falcon that were later released. Robert McNamara, president of Ford Motor company, was the first automotive executive to study trends, having a great ability to anticipate customer’s needs and wishes. The 1958 Thunderbird was one of them, Ford’s first 2-door personal luxury car. People were looking for more luxurious cars with distinctive exterior designs. But by the end of the 50’s, things seemed to change. There was a time when cars were just cars.
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