Vehicle Description
1957 Ford Thunderbird Dammerman
Ford introduced the Thunderbird in response to General Motor's
Corvette after it was shown at the 1953 Motorama exhibit at the New
York Auto Show. Both cars were intended to compete with the new
European sports cars now entering the U.S. such as Jaguars, MGs and
Austin Healeys.
Called a "personal car" by Ford the two seat Thunderbird evolved
more as a personal luxury car than the Corvette which aspired to be
creditable as a performance-oriented sports car so the T-bird
focused on comfort rather than speed.
The last year of the two seat Thunderbird came in 1957 with that
year seen by collectors as the best of the "baby birds." In this
model year the larger rear fins featured a subtle curve, larger
tail lights and the front bumper was redesigned to provide a larger
grill. The spare tire was moved back into the trunk doing away with
the awkward looking continental kit.
This car is in rare Willow Green with green and white upholstery
and includes a green detachable hard top as well as a convertible
top. Fender skitrs cover the rear wheels which helps further smooth
the lines of the car.
As a D-code car this T-bird has the optional 312 cu. in. V8 with
the Fordomatic automatic transmission. So, while the Thunderbird is
not seen as a real sports car it could still hit 110mph.
After the 1957 model Thunderbirds became luxury four seaters and
lost any pretense of being a sports car.
Today, often seen as one of the best U.S. automotive designs of all
time, the 1957 Thunderbird has proven highly collectable.
Estimate: $50,000-$65,000
