An Iconic Bird - 1957 Ford Thunderbird
This 1957 Ford Thunderbird was a gem, a real eye catcher. I have never seen one in this color but this Bird wears it well. This iconic classic was displayed at the 2021 Basehor-Linwood High School Car Show held in Basehor Kansas.
Both the Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette were built during the post-war economic boom of the 1950s, and initially, both had sporty-looking bodywork despite their lack of sports car-like characteristics. Both were initially built on passenger car underpinnings and were fairly expensive, but compared to the Corvette, the Thunderbird was endowed with luxury in sports car clothing.
The Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1955, and during its first year, a total of 16,155 examples were sold against the Corvette's 700. The Thunderbird had V-8 performance, elegance, and class. For 1956, the Thunderbird received slight refinements and for 1957 it grew a fin. For 1958, the Thunderbird was completely redesigned and built as a four-seater personal luxury car. The 1957 Thunderbird was the final year for the original concept of Ford's Corvette competitor.
The 1955 Thunderbird was a two-seater based on production sedan components. It was built for cruising and personal transportation with no pretensions of being a sports car. The 1957 Ford Thunderbird was the most popular of all the Thunderbird two-seaters, with 21,350 examples built. Of those, 997 (some sources state 1,499 examples) were high-performance E-code cars. The E-Code had the 312 cubic-inch overhead valve V-8 engine with dual Holley four-barrel carburetors and delivered 275 horsepower. They had a unique dual air cleaner, aluminum intake manifold, modified heads and cam, and heavy-duty Ford-O-Matic transmission. Braking was provided by power-assisted hydraulic four-wheel drums. Cars with this option are often known as 'E-Birds' and 997 were built in 1957.
The 1957 Ford models were introduced on October 1st of 1956.
With the additional 6.1-inch length, the Ford designer's returned the spare tire to the trunk, and it rode on 14-inch wheels. This gave the 1957 Thunderbird a lower riding stance. The interior received a new engine-turned dash, a safety-oriented 'Lifeguard Design,' a padded dashboard, a dished steering wheel, and updated upholstery treatments. Six engine options were offered, an additional leaf was added to the rear springs, 14-inch wheels, and larger front brakes were among numerous engineering changes.
NASCAR relaxed its engine rules for 1957, allowing the use of enhanced induction systems including superchargers and fuel injection. In a letter dated November 26, 1965, to the Ford Executive Committee, Ford Division General Manager Robert S. McNamara championed an internal engine development program 'deemed essential to the maintenance of the Ford car and Thunderbird performance reputation.' As Chevrolet was developing its fuel injection system, McNamara recommended, on behalf of the Ford Engineering Office, 'the installation on the 312 cubic-inch 4-valve carburetor engine of a new design McColluch supercharger for use on the Ford car and Thunderbird....which would provide operational characteristics equal to or better than any fuel injection system at present-day development. The supercharger option would carry a rating of 300 horsepower.'
An initial production run of just one hundred vehicles was proposed by McNamara to satisfy NASCAR homologation requirements, and the Daytona Beach speed Trials of early February 1957 were selected for its competition debut. This was the birth of the Ford Motor Company Supercharger Program, which mandated the production of 65 Ford Custom Two-Door Sedans, 20 Ford Convertibles, and 15 Thunderbirds. All 15 Thunderbirds were hand-built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant on January 25th of 1957, fitted with the 312 cubic-inch single carburetor engine, McCulloch VR57 Phase 1 supercharger, a heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission, seat belts, and a fiberglass hardtop.
One of the Phase 1 Thunderbirds set a new record for American sports cars with a speed of 138.755 mph, a 6 mph improvement over the previous year's record set by Corvette.
Having proven the performance potential of the supercharger, Ford management approved a milder version for regular production and a total of 194 examples were built. These became known as 'F-Birds' for the letter in the serial number denoting a supercharged engine. Although identified within Ford as the 'Phase 1 Supercharger Thunderbirds,' the supercharged racing versions were equipped with a single-carburetor engine resulting in its popular identification as the 'D/F Bird.' Of the 15 original examples built, eight are known to exist.
Source: Conceptcarz
An Iconic Bird - 1957 Ford Thunderbird
This 1957 Ford Thunderbird was a gem, a real eye catcher. I have never seen one in this color but this Bird wears it well. This iconic classic was displayed at the 2021 Basehor-Linwood High School Car Show held in Basehor Kansas.
Both the Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette were built during the post-war economic boom of the 1950s, and initially, both had sporty-looking bodywork despite their lack of sports car-like characteristics. Both were initially built on passenger car underpinnings and were fairly expensive, but compared to the Corvette, the Thunderbird was endowed with luxury in sports car clothing.
The Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1955, and during its first year, a total of 16,155 examples were sold against the Corvette's 700. The Thunderbird had V-8 performance, elegance, and class. For 1956, the Thunderbird received slight refinements and for 1957 it grew a fin. For 1958, the Thunderbird was completely redesigned and built as a four-seater personal luxury car. The 1957 Thunderbird was the final year for the original concept of Ford's Corvette competitor.
The 1955 Thunderbird was a two-seater based on production sedan components. It was built for cruising and personal transportation with no pretensions of being a sports car. The 1957 Ford Thunderbird was the most popular of all the Thunderbird two-seaters, with 21,350 examples built. Of those, 997 (some sources state 1,499 examples) were high-performance E-code cars. The E-Code had the 312 cubic-inch overhead valve V-8 engine with dual Holley four-barrel carburetors and delivered 275 horsepower. They had a unique dual air cleaner, aluminum intake manifold, modified heads and cam, and heavy-duty Ford-O-Matic transmission. Braking was provided by power-assisted hydraulic four-wheel drums. Cars with this option are often known as 'E-Birds' and 997 were built in 1957.
The 1957 Ford models were introduced on October 1st of 1956.
With the additional 6.1-inch length, the Ford designer's returned the spare tire to the trunk, and it rode on 14-inch wheels. This gave the 1957 Thunderbird a lower riding stance. The interior received a new engine-turned dash, a safety-oriented 'Lifeguard Design,' a padded dashboard, a dished steering wheel, and updated upholstery treatments. Six engine options were offered, an additional leaf was added to the rear springs, 14-inch wheels, and larger front brakes were among numerous engineering changes.
NASCAR relaxed its engine rules for 1957, allowing the use of enhanced induction systems including superchargers and fuel injection. In a letter dated November 26, 1965, to the Ford Executive Committee, Ford Division General Manager Robert S. McNamara championed an internal engine development program 'deemed essential to the maintenance of the Ford car and Thunderbird performance reputation.' As Chevrolet was developing its fuel injection system, McNamara recommended, on behalf of the Ford Engineering Office, 'the installation on the 312 cubic-inch 4-valve carburetor engine of a new design McColluch supercharger for use on the Ford car and Thunderbird....which would provide operational characteristics equal to or better than any fuel injection system at present-day development. The supercharger option would carry a rating of 300 horsepower.'
An initial production run of just one hundred vehicles was proposed by McNamara to satisfy NASCAR homologation requirements, and the Daytona Beach speed Trials of early February 1957 were selected for its competition debut. This was the birth of the Ford Motor Company Supercharger Program, which mandated the production of 65 Ford Custom Two-Door Sedans, 20 Ford Convertibles, and 15 Thunderbirds. All 15 Thunderbirds were hand-built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant on January 25th of 1957, fitted with the 312 cubic-inch single carburetor engine, McCulloch VR57 Phase 1 supercharger, a heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission, seat belts, and a fiberglass hardtop.
One of the Phase 1 Thunderbirds set a new record for American sports cars with a speed of 138.755 mph, a 6 mph improvement over the previous year's record set by Corvette.
Having proven the performance potential of the supercharger, Ford management approved a milder version for regular production and a total of 194 examples were built. These became known as 'F-Birds' for the letter in the serial number denoting a supercharged engine. Although identified within Ford as the 'Phase 1 Supercharger Thunderbirds,' the supercharged racing versions were equipped with a single-carburetor engine resulting in its popular identification as the 'D/F Bird.' Of the 15 original examples built, eight are known to exist.
Source: Conceptcarz