Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Classic Thunderbird


Look! It's a bird! No, it's a plane! No, it's Ford Thunderbird. Cheesy you say? Well, it isn't really cheesy at all especially when Thunderbird's performance can be compared to Superman's powers. Seriously, the Thunderbird is classified as one of the unique muscle cars of its generation. By the year 1955, it served as an American automotive icon for the United States and was supported by the automobile manufacturers, thinking it would boost car sales. But much to their surprise, the sales turned the other way around. The car did not have strong selling power but continued to be produced until 2005.

In spite of the market disappointment, Ford Thunderbird managed to stand on its own and became one of the legendary muscle cars in the 50s through its subtle appearance. The boxy structure of the car and the wide-pillar roof made the car luxurious. It had four doors, and the rear was opened backwards unlike the traditional forward opening. It used the latest in motor engines called the V8, which were available in different horsepower. The elongated front design made the car more unique than other muscle cars. The car's interior was not very spacious but was just enough for two to three people. Even though the model was not improved by the company, a lot of color variants were still released to gratify the customers' needs.

While the Thunderbird was never quite as popular as the Mustang, Ford's top-selling muscle car, it did find its own niche in American history. This car was marketed as the "personal luxury car", and over 4 million of these cars were produced in its 50 year history. There were over 10 generations of the Thunderbird, with each new generation being slightly better than the last one.

The original run of these cars stopped in 1997. In 2002 Ford decided to resurrect the Thunderbird one last time. However sales once again sagged, and in 2005 production finally ended, possibly for good.

If you are hungry for more articles on old school cars please visit William's blog, MuscleCarMonster.com.

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