Vehicle Description
FROM THE MISSOULA AUTO MUSEUM COLLECTION: Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Based on a February 1954 show car, Ford's sporty two-seat Thunderbird was introduced on October 22 that year, crowning a very successful year with Ford posting its second- best year in company history. Launched nearly two years after Chevrolet introduced its fiberglass-bodied Corvette, the Thunderbird was intended from the beginning as a stylish and powerful two-seater for cruising enjoyment and personal transportation with no sporting pretensions. Ford's product planners were correct, with the Thunderbird far more popular on the showroom floor than the competitor from Chevrolet; so much so that Thunderbird sales outpaced those for the Corvette by a stunning factor of 23 to one for 1955!
Compared to Chevrolet's early Corvette, with its six-cylinder engine and flapping side-curtains, the T-Bird was of all-metal construction with a powerful V-8 engine, roll-up windows, and a removable hardtop standard. A total of 16,155 were sold for 1955, versus just 700 Corvettes. While not intended for racing glory, the Thunderbird was in fact a highly competent road car, as exposed by legendary early road tester "Uncle" Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated. In his typically colorful style, McCahill wrote, "This new car represents a great achievement and a fantastic departure from former Detroit prissiness." In fact, McCahill was so impressed with his Thunderbird test car, especially its 130-mph speed potential with overdrive that he called his local Ford dealer and ordered one for his own.
An outstanding opportunity and offered without reserve, this Snowshoe White Thunderbird is fitted with a black convertible top and beautifully accented by a black and white two-tone interior and distinctive Astra-Dial Control Panel dash and instrument panel. Ample power is delivered by a 190-horsepower, 292 cubic-inch V-8 engine mated to a floor-mounted manual transmission. An older restoration, this Thunderbird is further equipped with full wheel covers, white sidewall tires, a four-way power seat, and a radio. A great example of one of the most iconic American cars ever built, this historic first-year Thunderbird is an essential component of any serious collection of automotive legends
