The ITC continues with its low dues for the Thunderbird enthusiast

$26/year US & Canada
$35/year for all other countries!
Want to become a member of the ITC? Download our application or
Created by serious people just for fun . . .

The Legend of the Thunderbird

Provided by : Dave Marchand

It started in Paris nearly a half-century ago. Since then, the flight of the Thunderbird has included classic two-seaters, cherished roadsters, convertibles and four-door models, as well as exciting hardtops and sedans -- more than 4 million of them. There has been the “square” look, the “projectile” look, the jet aircraft look and the luxury look. Yet, through the years, through the many changes and near extinction, Thunderbird’s uniqueness, individuality and engineering innovations have been retained.

The First Thunderbird

Two men, Louis D. Crusoe and George Walker, were primarily responsible for the birth of the Thunderbird. Both were devoted to the automobile and its constant development and refinement.

Crusoe, a millionaire lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II, was a businessman with a solid “feel” for the automobile market. As a Ford vice president and Ford Division general manager, it was his responsibility to strengthen a young Ford Division. His goal was to give it a car that breathed excitement, a car that would add prestige to the Ford name.

Walker, later a Ford vice president and chief stylist, is described by contemporaries as a “stylist with the soul of an artist burning in his heart.”

It was October 1951. With their mission in mind, the two men were walking along the aisles of the Grand Palais in Paris when Crusoe gestured toward one of the sportier automobiles on display, turned to Walker and asked: “Why can’t we have something like that?”

“We have a job just like that in the works right now,” was Walker’s quick response. It was not quite so, until Walker found it convenient to get to a telephone and talk with his aides back in Dearborn. But, by the time Crusoe returned to the United States, there was indeed a “job just like that” in the works.

In the months that followed, there was a lot of talk about a “true Ford sports car.” Some preparations were made. “Paper sports cars” took shape in the design studios. All hands had been instructed to go to work on a completely new Ford car for the 1955 model year.

Official approval of a crash program to develop the Ford sports car came in a product letter dated Feb. 9, 1953. In it, May 1, 1953, was set as the target date for a full-size clay model. The letter also authorized parallel work by the engineers on a suitable chassis. The initial guidelines called for a two-passenger, canvas-topped open car that “would make maximum use of standard production components.” Design objectives included a weight of 2,525 pounds, an Interceptor V-8 engine, a balanced weight distribution, acceleration better than the competition, and a top speed of more than 100 miles per hour.
The new Ford sports car also was “to retain Ford product characteristics and identification to the extent necessary for a ready association with the standard production car.” The Ford Design Studio was given basic styling responsibilities. With no time for scale-model studies and the like, the first sports car styling suggestions were full-profile, full-sized air-brush renderings on paper of five different cars, cut out and mounted so they could be viewed like automobiles on the highway. It was an effective, if unorthodox, technique. None of these proposals led directly to a final car, but each provided ideas for the full-size clay model that was taking shape.

While the clay model was being developed, other decisions were being made:

The grille design would be a combination of the typically Ford arched upper shape and a Ferrari-style, egg-crate mesh. For cost reasons, the new car would use the same taillights and headlamp bezels as the 1955 Ford. A handsome hood scoop was executed to cover a bulge that was created to house the air cleaner. “Bullet-shaped” insets at the end of the bumpers carried twin exhaust tips, then the latest in styling and, hence, a must for the new Ford.

On May 18, 1953 - 17 days after his deadline - Crusoe saw a complete, painted clay model for the first time. It closely corresponded to the shape of the final first Thunderbird.

Meanwhile, Chief Engineer Bill Burnett had cut a Ford two-door sedan to the 102-inch wheelbase of the sports car in order to test some ideas about problems such as handling and brake balance.

By the summer of 1953, the car was far enough along for a decision to be made about building it. The decision came in September when Crusoe - in Paris to view the renowned sports cars of the world and measure them against the clay models back in Dearborn - decided the Ford car was right.

Although production wouldn’t begin until the fall of 1954, making the new car a 1955 model, Ford was anxious to tell the world about it. Only one small detail remained - a name for the car.

There were 5,000 names considered. Hep Cat, Beaver and Detroiter were early, yet undistinguished, front-runners. Also suggested were Runabout, Arcturus, Savile, El Tigre and Coronado.

To Be Continued …