Text by Patrick Bell.
A little over seventy years ago, Ford introduced the Thunderbird. It was their answer to Chevrolet’s Corvette, but not a direct competitor, with the emphasis being more on a ‘sporty car’ than a ‘sports car’. In ’58, it grew into a four-seater and began what later was known as the personal luxury car. The Studebaker Hawk and Avanti were the only competition (and it wasn’t much) until the Buick Riviera came on the scene for the ’63 model year. That segment continued to grow and eventually involved nearly all American automakers until it peaked in the late seventies or early eighties. Today, we are going to look at some examples from the first three generations.
Our first image is a ’61 hardtop from California, the first year of the third generation, which became known as the ‘Bullet Bird’. It was also the first year for the 390 V8, standard Cruise-O-Matic transmission, and optional ‘Swing-away Wheel’, which this car is equipped with, and which is swung away in the photo. At $4172, it was over $1000 more than the next most expensive Ford, the Country Squire 9-passenger wagon, and sales were less than both the previous and following years.
The lady in the photo is a good representation of the typical T-bird owner: upper middle class and middle age.
Here is a fine example of the first year ’55 model from New Jersey on a winter day. It listed for $2944 and was about $550 more than the Country Squire, and sold 23 times more than the Corvette.
The cowl vent and Continental kit shows this one is a ’56 model, which was at the bottom of the sales chart for the first generation. This is likely two couples in two cars with two cameras out for a drive and picture taking adventure.
This one is another red ’55 model with a hardtop in place. I don’t recognize the license plate, but I think this car is a few years old as the one in the background is a ’55 Oldsmobile 4-door sedan with a few years of use.
Out on a fall day in a ’56 model in a nice shade of green that is at least six years old, going by the Connecticut license plate.
A newly married couple leaving the wedding venue in a ’60 convertible from Ohio. Is that Mother-in-law in the back seat? With just under 12,000 units produced, the convertible for this year was the best seller of all the nine years of the four seaters. Overall, at just over 90,000 units ’60 had the best sales until the ’64 model year.
A family outing in a ’60 hardtop. This was the last year of the second generation known as the ‘Square Bird’. The 352 V8 was standard all three years, and for ’59 and ’60, the 430 V8 was optional. A 3-speed manual transmission was standard with overdrive and the Cruise-O-Matic optional.
A gentleman with a sharp two-tone ’60 hardtop with the optional fender skirts.
Now we are chasing ghosts in Nevada with a ’58 hardtop registered in Clark County, home of Las Vegas.
If this hard working ’59 hardtop looks familiar you are correct as it was featured in a different pose last year in another Vintage Photos Thunderbird gallery. It is carrying its load well and is likely from Michigan, as that is where the boat is registered.
A lady with a clipboard and a camera on a tripod behind her is standing near a clean ’59 convertible from New Hampshire registered in Sullivan County, where the seat is Newport. Perhaps they are bird watchers.
Here we have a young sailor giving the photographer a wink while posing with likely his mother and little brother and a ’59 hardtop. It is a Ford and GM neighborhood with nine cars visible Ford leads six to three. The white ’57 Sunliner stands out the most, but any one of them would do.
Four young gentleman (including the photographer) taking a pit stop in a ’59 hardtop while traveling somewhere. The old bird is rusty around the edges and may have a bug screen on the front. The tan ’66 Plymouth Valiant heading this way on the street in the center of the photo appears to be the newest car, so the bird is at least seven years old.
Mr. Dingus and likely his wife and mother posing with a new looking ’61 hardtop in front of his office in Hudson, Florida. The wagon on the left is a ’49 Plymouth Suburban with an extra set of tail lights and bumper guards. It is an overcast day and looks a bit windy.
Thanks for going bird watching with us and have a great day!
Wonderful photos. It looks to me like the black 59 just has driven through mud, as opposed to being rusty.
Rich, how about a short bio on ‘Text by Patrick Bell’. His ability to identify cars in the background is amazing!
I knew of a guy when I was in high school who owned a local gas station. He had a 59 or 60 Bird with the 430. It had a 3 speed stick (!) but I don’t remember if it was on the tree or the floor. Anyone know if the 430 came with a stick shift?
My favorites here are the one of the sailor kid and his mom, and the black & white image of Mr. Dingus. Both convey a great sense of their subjects’ character.
Surprisingly, it seems that the Dingus building is still standing – now occupied by a used car dealer. Looks to me that this is the same building:
Google StreetView link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/LoTE2G2FAaz8vzpk7
Young sailor (channeling Popeye) isn’t giving his father a wink…he’s squinting in the light, since his dad is forcing him to stare into the sun for the photo. I’ll bet there’s a whole album of pictures of that kid with similar expressions. Just like my family had of me.
Great photos!
The photo of the young gentlemen and their ’59 hardtop at a gas station appears to have been taken at a Sohio station. The gas pump appears to be labeled Extron, which was a Sohio brand.
Also, the banner behind them is advertising a promotion called “Super Cash in a Flash” – looks like that was offered at Sohio stations in 1967-68.
I was wondering if that was a Sohio station! I grew up a block down the street from one.
Here is a very happy driver at the wheel of his father’s 1961 model.
Lovely cars, I like the ’55/’56s best .
Somewhere there’s a black and white picture of little me in a sailor suit, one of my siblings grabbed it when pops died, I’d never seen it until then .
-Nate
Isn’t the “’59 hardtop” with the boat and trailer a ’58? The grille insert is for a ’58 not a ’59.
You and Alfred are correct, I missed on that one. I don’t know whether to blame my brain or finger. Anyway, thanks for the correction!
The T-Bird previously owned by Eddy Haskell from leave it to Beaver shows up at our local cruise occasionally.
I love T-Birds. The Bird with the boat is a 1958 (see grill & side door trim). After 1957, no T-Birds had a floor shift. My history with T-Birds started at age six, Penny our next door neighbor to the left had a new pink 1957 and remember her occasionally driving me to school. Dad had an affair with Penny, as well as our other next door lady to the right, parents divorced in 1958 (he was the stud of the cul-de-sac). Mom bought a new white 1960 T-Bird convertible when we moved to San Francisco. Mom & Dad remarried each other in 1961, Dad bought a new 1963 T-Bird hardtop that was given to me on my 16th birthday, early 1967. Dad took me with him car shopping in 1966 and he thought he wanted a Mustang for a second car. He bought a 1966 T-Bird which was later given to me in 1969, we were a two T-Bird family. Ten years ago I had my second middle age crisis and what did I do? Bought a 1966 T-Bird convertible that I still enjoy to this day. My Bird is in my will to make sure it goes to a good home.
Side story: When my parents divorced we were living in a new development with a canyon in the backyard. Quickly our house and the houses to the left and right were listed for sale. Rumor started the houses were going to slide into the canyon. The developer put a stop to the rumor by putting an article in the newspaper that the houses were not broken, just the marriages.
This is me playing car show hostess (circa 1967) with my mother’s 1960 T-bird.
She loved the car and kept it for a few more years, finally replacing it with an MB.
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I would say the “Bullet-‘Birds” are my favorite style here, although the clap-door variants of the 5th-gen ‘Birds would tie for that status. Although it’s never acknowledged in any historical accounts, I can see numerous details in its design that have to have been pulled from Elwood Engel’s T-Bird concept that became the ’61 Lincoln.
My gran used to have a ’62 “Bullet-‘Bird,” a ‘vert; and she once told me a funny story that my mother verified. They were driving in the car–my gran in the back seat and complaining how cramped it was back there and how she needed help to get out–when a fuel leak in the engine bay sparked an under hood fire. They pulled over and opened the hood to see what was causing the smoke and discovered the fire. My mother and uncle (who was also with them) moved around quickly to get my gran out of the car, and she was already out and yards away from the car! The fire was put out fast and the car repaired. My gran later gave it to my mother and father after they got married; my father hocked it in short order.
I had a1959 hardtop in high school. Pink with a cream colored top. How I loved that car.
I was born in October of’54, the month and year my aunt and uncle bought a new Thunderbird. As far as I know the car is still in the family ( after they died, one of their sons kept it).
I’ve owned two but age & health keep me from buying any more. Yet seeing the pictures gives me an ‘armchair travelogue’ . Great pictures, thanks for posting them for us.
The lady posed in the first photo reminds me of Mama. She was that size and had exactly same hairstyle. Sweet memories of the 60s and those big beautiful fast Fords 💖
I was 21, saving money like a lunatic for my first car. I could’ve bought a car earlier, BUT I knew it had to be a SquareBird convertible. I had $1100 saved up when I found a white 1960 T-Bird for sale by a guy who owned a string of Amoco gas stations in Hartford, CT., and I knew that meant the car would’ve had perfect maintenance so I bought it. WHITE WITH A WHITE CONVERTIBLE TOP AND AN ALL RED INTERIOR!!! EVEN COOLER = it had the power window controls centrally located on the back of the center console, just behind the speaker in the center of the console so everybody could hear it. That was 54 years ago. Osigh. Great daze…er, days….
The “Swing Away” steering wheel was optional ($25.12) on Thunderbirds in 1961 and very early ’62 models, and became standard early in model year ’62 production through 1966 models, according to automotivemileposts.com. It was also optional on Galaxies, though I’m not sure of the years it was offered. 1963 models at least.
Most of the wedding “venues” back in those days were probably churches.