This is a well cared for example of an American icon. Originally purchased the day of Kennedy's Assassination, this car has been around for a number of other historical events, and as a Thunderbird has made its mark on automotive history as well. To be sure you access all the photographs, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)Īfter 56 years of ownership, our client is parting ways with this classic second generation Thunderbird. (Please note: If you happen to be viewing this vehicle on a website other than our main website, it's possible that only some of our many photographs of this car are not presented due to website limitations. Sales increased again with 92,843 sold for 1960.Long Term Ownership - 352ci V8 - Restored Approximately 15 years ago.
Dual-unit round taillights from 1958 to 1959 were changed to triple-units after the fashion of the Chevrolet Impala. It was the first individual model line (as opposed to an entire company) to earn Motor Trend "Car of the Year" honors.įor 1959, the car received a new grille and a newly optional, 350 hp (261 kW) 430 cu in (7.0 L) MEL V, sales climbed even higher to 67,456 units.įor 1960, the Thunderbird was given another new grille and other minor styling changes along with a newly optional manually operated sunroof for hardtop models. This success spawned a new market segment, the personal luxury car. The new Thunderbird began a sales momentum previously unseen with the car, selling 200,000 units in three years, four times the result of the two-seat model. As a result, the car was redesigned as a four-seater for 1958. From 1968 to 1998, Lincoln-Mercury marketed rebadged variants of the Thunderbird as the Continental Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Mark VII, and Lincoln Mark VIII.Īlthough the 1955–57 Thunderbird was a success, Ford executives-particularly Robert McNamara-were concerned that the car's position as a two-seater limited its sales potential.
An American interpretation of the grand tourer, personal luxury cars were built with a higher emphasis on driving comfort and convenience features over handling and high-speed performance. These included a four-seat hardtop coupe, four-seat convertible, five-seat convertible and hardtop, four-door pillared hardtop sedan, six-passenger hardtop coupe, and five-passenger pillared coupe, with the final generation designed again as a two-seat convertible.įord targeted the two-seat Thunderbird as an upscale model, but the design introduced for 1958 featured a rear seat and arguably marked expansion of a market segment eventually known as personal luxury cars. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was produced in a variety of body configurations. THIS 1960 FORD THUNDERBIRD IS LOCATED IN: NORTH BILLERICA, MA 01862įord Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car produced by Ford from model years 1955 to 19 to 2005 throughout eleven distinct generations.
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