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 it 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. The 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.