The Thunderbird is finished in Thunderbird Bronze Metallic paint over a Copper vinyl interior. It’s backed by a Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. This Thunderbird is one of 1,499 E-Code cars, meaning it is powered by the 312 cubic-inch V8 topped with dual four-barrel carbs producing 270 horsepower. It has covered just 11,539 miles from new and has been the subject of a fastidious nut-and-bolt restoration. Today, our feature Ford Thunderbird is a beautifully kept example that has spent much of its life in the desert. The Thunderbird gave the guys at Chevy an ambitious target for the Corvette. From the start, it had a V8, could be had with either a manual or automatic transmission, an optional hard top, engine dress-up kit, wire wheel-style hubcaps, and more. When the Thunderbird arrived, it was far better equipped than the Corvette. And like that, Thunderbird wound up saving its direct competitor. Upon seeing Ford’s new personal luxury car, GM brass determined they had to improve the Corvette and keep it in production. Power improved greatly for the 1955 model year when the Corvette got the Chevy Small Block, but it took the Thunderbird to save the Plastic Fantastic.

The Thunderbird arrived just as GM executives were considering giving the Corvette the axe. The performance of the Corvette, along with its build quality, was so poor since its 1953 introduction, that Chevy had trouble getting them sold. Debuting in 1955, the Ford Thunderbird was The Blue Oval’s answer to the Chevrolet Corvette.

1957 ford tbird