Longīefore these cars were even 10 years old, the little two seater Birds wereĬonsidered classics, which led to strong interest in the series that followed In recognition of the somewhat square, sculptured lines of the car. See our Movie and TV-Birds pages-links in this article will open in a new window.) The ThunderbirdĬonvertible, with its unique power top that lowered into the luggage compartmentĪnd didn't require a top boot, was delayed until June 1958 due to productionĬlassic car enthusiasts today refer to the 1958-60 Thunderbirds as "Squarebirds," Shows of the time as well as appearing in a few hit movies. Movie star Dick Powell filmed a televisionĬommercial for the car, and it was featured in many popular television On February 13, 1958, the new Thunderbird Hardtop was formally announced,Īnd became an instant sensation. To quality control, and would spread the costs out over an additional car These unibody cars at the same location would allow for strict attention The Lincoln and Continental were all new for 1958Īs well, and featured a unitized body just like the Thunderbird, so building Wixom plant was built specifically for the assembly of the Lincoln andĬontinental automobiles, but had enough production capacity to handle the Right next to the all new 1958 Ford models, but Ford wanted to keep theĬar in front of the public, and this was the best way to do it. It was a bit strange to see the 1957 Thunderbirds advertised Time for the new Wixom Assembly Plant to gear up for production of the The change between 19 was so revolutionary, production of theġ957 Thunderbird was carried over for a few extra months to allow additional The seats featured pleated vinyl or cloth inserts with vinylīolsters color keyed to match exterior paint colors. Ran door to door, and the door trim panels and rear side panels were covered Polished ribbed aluminum trim to dress up the panel. Speaker, and power windows, along with ash trays for front and rear passengers.Ī padded instrument panel was standard, and featured brushed and highly Separated by a functional panel console that ran down the middle of theĬar between the seats and housed controls for the optional heater, radio Unique interior, which provided individually adjustable seats up front, Was awarded Motor Trend Magazine's coveted Car of the Year designation for its compact size, and So revolutionary was the personal luxury car concept, the 1958 Thunderbird It for its performance, but rather for its prestige. And that didn't matter, because most didn't buy T-bird was powered by a new 352 Interceptor V-8 engine with 300 horsepower,Įnough to move it swiftly from a stop, although most would not call itĪ high performance car. Just the thing for those who wanted to stand out from the rest of Time like the Cadillac, Lincoln, or Imperial, the compact T-bird providedĪll the luxury and convenience items one would expect in a luxury car,īut in a new smaller size that was easier to park and manipulate in congestedĪreas. Smaller than the traditional luxury cars most were accustomed to at the All of that changed with the new four passenger Thunderbird. Sports cars were all small and somewhat utilitarian, and compact cars wereĪlmost unheard of. The 1958 Ford Thunderbird appeared on the scene, luxury cars were all big, This is the car that started the personal luxury car market segment.
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