Vehicle Description
The year is 1955, The popular Western show "Gunsmoke" debuts on
television., while this gorgeous black T-Bird Convertible rolls
into showrooms for sale. This two-owner convertible now only has
77,854 actual miles. And was recently rebuilt in 2012. The Ford
Thunderbird began life in February 1953 in direct response to
Chevrolet's new sports car, the Corvette, which was publicly
unveiled in prototype form just a month before. Under rapid
development, the Thunderbird went from idea to prototype in about a
year, being unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show on
February 20, 1954. It was a two-seat design available with a
detachable fiber glass hard top and a folding fabric top.
Production of the Thunderbird began later in 1954 on September 9
with the car beginning sales as a 1955 model on October 22, 1954.
Though sharing some design characteristics with other Fords of the
time, such as single, circular headlamps and tail lamps and modest
tailfins, the Thunderbird was sleeker and more athletic in shape,
and had features like a hood scoop and a 150-mph speedometer
hinting a higher performance nature that other Fords didn't
possess. Mechanically though, the Thunderbird could trace its roots
to other mainstream Fords. Though inspired by, and positioned
directly against, the Corvette, Ford billed the Thunderbird as a
personal car, putting a greater emphasis on the car's comfort and
convenience features rather than its inherent sportiness. The
Thunderbird sold exceptionally well in its first year. In fact, the
Thunderbird outsold the Corvette by more than 23-to-one for 1955
with 16,155 Thunderbirds sold against 700 Corvettes. With the
Thunderbird considered a success, few changes were made to the car
for 1956. To view the car in greater detail, including an HD video
and 100+ HD pictures please visit www.gatewayclassiccars.com or our
Denver showroom. Call 303-872-4722 for more information.
