ford thunderbird
... name for it. Ford’s advertising agency had come up with names like Beaver, Flag Liner, Hep Cat, Savile, and Wheelaway. Ford felt that none of those names captured the spirit of the new car or the public’s imagination. Ford had a competition for naming the model, and one of their own stylists had come up with the name ‘Thunderbird’. America’s Southwest Indians had worshiped the bird. It was the soaring bird from the very top of the totem pole that was revered to as the bringer of rain and prosperity. Officially launched on October 22, 1954 as a 1955 model Ford’s Thunderbird was a dramatic success. Soon the Thunderbird or now known as the “T-Bird” outsold its rival the Chevrolet Corvette by a huge amount. Chevrolet had also given their sports car a V-6 under its fiberglass body, while Ford’s ’55 T-Bird, (also referred to as the “Littlebird”), had a lusty V-8 under the steel body. The T-Bird also had the choice of having a convertible or a hard top. In 1956 only a few changes were made. The 6-volt electrical system was later replaced with a 12-volt system. Since the ’55 model had a rear blind spot, a change to have ‘porthole window’ top was offered to improve three-quarter visibility. Again almost 16,000 of Ford’s Thunderbirds. (“Littlebirds”), were sold that year. By the end of 1957, 21,000 T-Birds were bought, but there was about to become a big change. Ford’s management had decided that the car’s sales volume must be increased. So after just three full years and only 40,000 cars had been made, production was stopped in favor of a larger four-seat design. For some the “Littlebird” had sadly died, but its replacement the “Squarebird” was ready to take off. Between 1958 and 1960 Ford’s T-Bird, (now the newly remodeled “Squarebird”)...