![]() The generation one Thunderbird production volume rang up a total of 53K copies, so rarity is not the case but true to form there were differences from year to year so parts for one model year may not necessarily fit the next. Nevertheless, of the eleven generations of the Ford Thunderbird, many hold generation one, the ’55-’57, as the true, essential Thunderbird. ![]() But from Ford’s perspective, sales jumped from 21K in ’57 to almost 38K (81%) in ’58 – and that was a shortened model year, so yes, it did. Was it a make sense move? If you’re a real car guy or gal, you’d probably say no. The story goes that Robert McNamara, a Ford executive at the time, and later company president, was concerned about the marketing limitations imposed on the Thunderbird as a result of it not having a backseat so a redesign commenced, with the bigger “Square-Bird” debuting in February 1958. It one-upped the Corvette by being strictly a V8 engine-equipped car which the ‘Vette wasn’t in ’53 and ’54 and only moved to a V8, as an option, ostensibly due to the arrival of the Thunderbird for ’55. The Corvette was billed out as a sports car, whereas the Thunderbird was more of a two-seat personal car that emphasized refinement, power, and an upscale bearing. Where some may say that it was a competitor to Chevrolet’s recently introduced Corvette, it really wasn’t. The first generation of Ford’s Thunderbird is an interesting tale as the production run barely got started before it ended with an entirely new car that still bore the Thunderbird name, and seemingly, little else. This treasure trove of 1955-1957 Ford Thunderbird parts and bodies is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is available, here on Barn Finds Classifieds for $45,000. That being the case, let’s see what we have here. As the seller states, “ Almost enough parts to complete several project cars“. It’s not exactly Amos Minter’s ’55-’57 Thunderbird restoration business, but it’s an impressive collection of Baby-Bird parts and partial cars, nevertheless.
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