![]() ![]() ![]() Was lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had a hand in designing the future series of Manager of Thunderbird Studio in spring of 1955, and Bill Burnett, chief engineer. Crusoe,Ī retired GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vicepresident Frank Hershey, chief stylist for Ford Division Bill Boyer, designer Body Development Studio who became The men and their teams generally credited with the creation of the original Thunderbird are: Lewis D. The Thunderbird was similar in concept, but would be more American in style, more One-off generated interest at the time, but had meager power, European looks, and a correspondingly high cost, so it As a result of this design, the trunks ofĬonvertible models were notorious for leaking.Ī smaller two-seater sports roadster was created at the behest of Henry Ford II in 1953 called the Vega. The trunk opening and closing within the convertible top operating system. Unlike hardtop models that utilized a conventional key-secured, forward hinged design, the convertibles combined Failure of any of the relays, motors or limit switches will prevent the convertible system from While the hydraulics are not often a cause for trouble, the electrical relaysĪre known to fail. System consists of a spiderweb of solenoids, relays, limit switches, electric motors, a hydraulic pump/reservoir, hydraulic directional valves and cylinders. However, this design could present a challenge to one who is troubleshooting a convertible top malfunction. The overall appearance was a sleek look with no trace of a convertible top at all. With the top down and the trunk lid lowered, there is no sight of the soft top. The forward end of the trunk lid contained a metal plate that extended upward to cover the area that the top is stowed The trunk lid was rear-hinged raised and lowered via hydraulic cylinders during the top raising or lowering cycle. This design reduced available trunk space While these Thunderbird models had a trueĬonvertible soft top, the top was lowered to stow in the forward trunk area. The time and borrowed from earlier Ford hardtop/convertible designs. The Second to Fourth Generation Thunderbird convertibles were similar in design to the Lincoln convertible of From its introduction in 1955 to its phaseout in 2005, Ford produced over In 2002 production of the Thunderbird started again, a revived 2-seat model was launched, which was available Sales were good until the 1990s, when large 2-door coupes became unpopular production ceased at the end ofġ997. Succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again inġ983. In 1958, the Thunderbird gained a second row of In developing a new market segment, the personal luxury car. Ford positioned the Thunderbird as an upscale model and is credited Unlike the ChevroletĬorvette, it was not marketed as a sports car. The Thunderbird entered production for the 1955 model year as a sporty two-seat convertible. The Thunderbird created a market niche that eventually became known as the The Ford Thunderbird was an automobile that was manufactured by Ford in the United States over eleven model Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses ![]()
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