FORD THUNDERBIRD CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF HERITAGE
FORD THUNDERBIRD – AN AMERICAN ICON – CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The Ford Thunderbird, an American classic, became available to customers on Oct. 22, 1954.
In honor of the 50th Anniversary, Ford will commemorate the Thunderbird with a 50th anniversary fender chevron and special paint themes.
The Ford Thunderbird went on sale Oct. 22, 1954 – starting a legend that would grow with each generation of Thunderbird cars. Since then, the flight of the Thunderbird has included classic two-seaters, cherished roadsters, convertibles and four-door models, as well as exciting hardtops and sedans – more than 1.2 million of them. We’ve seen the "square" look, the "projectile" look, the jet aircraft look and the luxury look. Yet, through the years and through the many changes, Thunderbird’s original uniqueness and individuality managed to etch itself permanently into the hearts and memories of the American motoring public.
The Beginning
Two men, Lewis D. Crusoe and George Walker, are credited by historians with being primarily responsible for the birth of the Thunderbird. Both were devoted to the automobile and its constant development and refinement. Both were recognized by their peers as "geniuses" in their field.
Crusoe, a millionaire lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II, was a businessman with a solid "feel" for the automobile market. As a Ford Vice President and Ford Division general manager, it was his responsibility to strengthen a young Ford Division — give it an automobile that breathed excitement — a car that would add prestige to the Ford name. Walker, later a Ford Vice President and chief stylist, is described by contemporaries as a "stylist with the soul of an artist burning in his heart."
It was October, 1951. Their mission in mind, the two men were walking along the aisles of the Grand Palais in Paris when Crusoe gestured toward one of the sportier automobiles on display, turned to Walker and asked: "Why can’t we have something like that?"
"We have a job just like that in the works right now," was Walker’s quick response. Indeed, it was so – as soon as Walker found it convenient to get to a telephone to phone his aides back in Dearborn. When Crusoe returned to the United States, there was a "job just like that" in the works.
In the months that followed, there was a lot of talk about a "true Ford sports car." Some preparations were made. "Paper sports cars" took shape in the design studios. All hands had been instructed to go to work on a completely new Ford car for the 1955-model year.
The initial concept called for a two-passenger, canvas-topped open car. Design objectives included a weight of 2,525 pounds, an Interceptor V-8 engine, balanced weight distribution, acceleration better than the competition and a top speed of more than 100 miles per hour.
With no time for scale-model studies, the first sports car styling suggestions were full-profile airbrush renderings on paper of five different cars, cut out and mounted so they could be viewed like automobiles on the highway. It was an effective, if unorthodox, technique. None of these proposals led directly to a final car, but each provided ideas for the full-size clay model that was taking shape.
While the clay model was being developed, other decisions were being made:
· The grille design would be a combination of the typically Ford arched upper shape and a Ferrari-style, egg-crate mesh.
· A handsome hood scoop was executed to cover a bulge that was created to house the air cleaner.
· "Bullet-shaped" insets at the end of the bumpers carried twin exhaust tips, then the latest in styling and, hence, a must for the new Ford.
On May 18, 1953, Crusoe saw a complete painted clay model for the first time. It closely corresponded to the shape of the first production Thunderbird.
The decision came in September 1953 when Crusoe – in Paris to view renowned sports cars of the world and measure them against the clay models back in Dearborn – decided the Ford car was right.
Although production wouldn’t begin until the fall of 1954, making the new car a 1955 model, Ford was anxious to tell the world about it. Only one small detail remained – a name for the car.