![]() Ford continued to mine the personal luxury category over the next four decades with eight more generations of four-and-five-place Thunderbirds, then finally returned to the original two-seater theme with the 2002 Retro-‘Bird. With the Squarebird, Ford general manager Robert McNamara and crew had shrewdly identified both the original T-Bird’s most endearing feature, its sporty, youthful character, and its greatest handicap in sales volume, the lack of a rear seat. The 113-inch wheelbase chassis and squared-off styling by Bill Boyer remained virtually unchanged over the three-year product cycle, as the grille and side trim received very minor tweaks each season, and for 1960 the four tail lamps were replaced by six. Set an alert to be notified of new listings. In other ways the T-Bird was a fairly conventional Motor City offering, though it was the first Fomoco product (along with the ’58 Lincoln) to employ unit construction. Instruments were closely clustered around the driver, while a full-length center console and bucket seats set the ‘Bird apart from the herd of family sedans and wagons that then dominated the industry. One signifying feature of the personal luxury car, as the market segment developed, was a sporty and elegant cockpit, and in this department the Thunderbird did not disappoint. “Oh, caught us, and we didn’t have a four-passenger, and that thing took off.” “By God, out comes the Thunderbird,” Mitchell remembered. When the four-place Thunderbird was rolled out in February of 1958, Mitchell knew GM had missed its opportunity. Meanwhile, the Ford guys would stop by the GM display with their tape measures and carefully inspect the sporty touring cars. Get the best deals on Ford Thunderbird 1958 Cars & Trucks when you shop the largest online selection at. Original equipment and alternative options. (One example was the 1956 Corvette Impala.) Wheel size, PCD, offset, and other specifications such as bolt pattern, thread size (THD), center bore (CB), trim levels for 1958 Ford Thunderbird. In the mid-’50s, he and his design staff had developed a number of sporty four-place coupes and sedans for the Motorama car show circuit, but none ever got the green light for production. Years later, in an interview with historian David Crippen, General Motors styling VP Bill Mitchell would express his annoyance with this development. Gateway Classic Cars is proud to show off this 1959 Ford Thunderbird for sale. ![]() 1966 Ford Thunderbird) Product Categories: Search for the product category (e.g. With the four-passenger Squarebird, essentially they had invented a new vehicle category: the personal luxury car. Select Year/Make/Model: Enter the year, make and model (e.g. The ’58 Thunderbird checked in at about 4060 lbs. But in this instance the Ford product and marketing team was really onto something. Ford soft tops available in Pinpoint Vinyl and. From there, sales continued to climb in in 1959 to 67,000, and then blew past the 90,000-unit mark in 1960.įar more often, the opposite occurs: Sales tend to be strongest early in the cycle, then trail off as the limited market demand is satisfied. sells replacement convertible tops for 1958, 1959, and 1960 Ford Thunderbird (T Bird). The Squarebird, as enthusiasts call the second-generation Thunderbird today, sold almost 38,000 units in 1958, nearly doubling the volume of the original two-seat ’55-’57 Thunderbird-which had been a sensation everywhere but in the showrooms. With the rising popularity, prices for these cars have also increased. There are many people who love this car, and it’s estimated that nearly 25 of all Thunderbirds are now registered as classics. Interest in the Thunderbird has grown since it was first introduced. This seldom happens in the new car biz, but check this out: With the 1958-60 Ford Thunderbird, sales actually rose each year over the car’s three-year product cycle. 1959 Ford Thunderbirds for Sale 1959 Ford Thunderbird Price 19,995 1959 Ford Thunderbird Price. The 1958 Ford Thunderbird was the first of the 'Square Bird' era. The 1958 Ford T-Bird Remains Popular among Classic Car Collectors. auto market by being the first personal luxury (2-door) car. The '58 Thunderbird is a Hot Wheels casting debuting in the 2004 Affinity Kool & Kustom Series, then in 2005 appeared in the basic Hot Wheels, as the '58 Ford Thunderbird.The 1958-60 Ford Thunderbird was a master stroke in marketing, carving out a whole new vehicle category: the personal luxury car. The 1958-1960 Ford Thunderbird, carved out a special legacy in the U.S.
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