Ford Thunderbird

Price: - Item location: Westland, Michigan, United States
Description:

1957 Ford Thunderbird

When the Thunderbird was introduced it created a new market segment to become known as the “personal luxury car.” The sporty two-seat convertible took the marketplace by storm by combining the flair of a sports car with the comfort and elegance of a boulevard cruiser. The car was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 1954 to compete with Chevrolet’s Corvette and has been a collector car from it’s inception. Many auto enthusiasts consider the 1955-1957 Thunderbirds to be some of the best looking cars ever produced. The Thunderbird achieved instant success outselling the Corvette 23-1 in it’s first year.
In 1957 design and performance improvements were made on the already very successful model that created the iconic 1957 T-Bird. The ’57 T-Bird enjoyed a newly restyled grille, tretched rear sheet metal introducing the wings of the new Bird, fresh bumper design, arger taillights and improved seating. Performance improvements included larger openings for improved cooling, evised springs rate, arger brakes, tiffer cross-members, 12-volt battery system and new 14” wheels. These improvements made the car more desirable than the competition and created a more stable and capable driving experience.
One big improvement for the 1957 model was the introduction of a new engine selection. A “E” model with dual four-barrel carburetors boasting 270 horsepower. This matching numbers 1957 Ford Thunderbird, inished in Raven Black, ame from the factory equipped with the rare and coveted “E”-code options. It has the 312 cubic inch overhead valve V8 Engine with Dual Holley Four-Barrel Carburetors producing 270 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual gearbox with optional overdrive (available on only 4% of the T-Birds produced) and four-wheel drum brakes. These rare birds created more horsepower than contemporary Chevrolet’s fuel injected 283. Only 977 were produced to qualify to run in NASCAR Speed Weeks events at Daytona Beach where it won its class by beating a Corvette.