|
While the two seater Thunderbird was born as Ford’s
answer to the Corvette, the two cars were actually
quite different. While the Corvette was trying to be
America’s sports car, Thunderbird chose to forge a
new path as a personal luxury car. With more power
and a comfortable ride, the Thunderbird seemed more
sophisticated.
1957 was the third and final year for the classic
two seater Thunderbird, and many believe it to be
the best. Styling was freshened with an updated
grille and front end, and a snappy new rear quarter
treatment with sporty looking fins. The rear deck
was restyled once more with the spare tire returning
to the trunk. Since Ford had redesigned the trunk
layout, the spare could be stored in a vertical
position leaving enough space for storage – a weak
spot on the earlier Thunderbirds.
Ford offered naturally aspired Thunderbird V-8s in
four horsepower ratings, ranging from 212 to 300 bhp.
The rarest – and most desirable of these is the 300
bhp, four barrel carburetor with a factory fitted a
Paxton-McCulloch turbocharger. Known as the “F”
series after the engine code, this model offered
more horsepower than any other small block V-8,
beating even Chevrolet’s fuel injected 283ci, albeit
by only two horsepower. The “F Series” Thunderbirds
could accelerate from 0-60 in 6 seconds.
In 1957 Ford produced 21,380 Thunderbirds of which
only 208 were “F Series.” |
