![]() although if anything existed at the time beyond casual dream-car sketches by members of the design staff, records of it have never come to light. Walking in the Grand Palais in Paris, Crusoe pointed at a sports car and asked Walker, "Why can't we have something like that?" Some versions of the story claim that Walker replied by telling Crusoe, "Oh, we're working on it". Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. Hershey's participation in the creation of the Thunderbird was more administrative than artistic. Boyer was the lead stylist on the original 1955 two-seater Thunderbird and also had input in the following series of Thunderbirds that included the 30th Anniversary Edition. The Thunderbird was similar in concept but was more American in style, more luxurious, and less sport-oriented.Ĭredit for the development of the original Thunderbird is given to Lewis Crusoe, a former GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice president Frank Hershey, chief stylist for the Ford Division Bill Boyer, designer for the Body Development Studio, who became the manager of the Thunderbird Studio in the spring of 1955 and Bill Burnett, chief engineer. The completed one-off generated interest at the time, but had meager power, European looks, and a correspondingly high cost, so it never proceeded to production. Development Ī smaller two-seater sports roadster, named the Vega, was developed in 1953 at the behest of Henry Ford II. ![]() Thunderbird production ended in 1997, then briefly resumed as a two-passenger, marketed from 2002 to 2005.įrom its introduction in 1955 to its final phaseout in 2005, Ford produced over 4.4 million Thunderbirds. Sales were good until the 1990s when large two-door coupes became unpopular. ![]() Succeeding generations became larger until the line was downsized in 1977, again in 1980, and once again in 1983. For 1958, the Thunderbird was redesigned with a second row of seats. ![]() Ford positioned the Thunderbird as an upscale model and it is credited in developing a new market segment, the personal luxury car. Unlike the Chevrolet Corvette, it was not marketed as a sports car. The Thunderbird entered production for the 1955 model year as a sporty two-seat convertible. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was offered variously as 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 1958 model year design introduced a rear seat and arguably marked the expansion of a market segment eventually known as personal luxury cars, positioned to emphasize comfort and convenience over handling and high-speed performance. The Ford Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford from model years 1955 to 2005 (with a 1997–2002 hiatus), across 11 generations. Sports car (first and eleventh generations).This increases the total efficiency of the A/C System by making the vehicle interior cooler much faster than other systems on the market. By using separate coils we improve the cooling and heating capacity of the total system. The Perfect Fit Smart Series™ 1962 Thunderbird air conditioning system is engineered to fit a 1962 Thunderbird It comes equipped with carefully sized, large, separate A/C and Heat coils just like factory (OE) systems, not combined A/C, Heat coils often found on aftermarket systems. Our RETROFIT designs give OE quality combined with better than original performance and reliability. Every component was chosen for its superior design and quality rather than a low cost. Not Just Aftermarket Air Conditioning!Ĭlassic Auto Air’s Perfect Fit Smart Series™ model specific systems are not your typical, one-size-fits-all, low-quality, aftermarket air conditioning system. Each kit comes with detailed, easy-to-follow installation instructions and mounting templates when needed. The 1962 Ford Thunderbird Perfect Fit Smart Series™ Kit is designed specifically to bolt into your 1962 Thunderbird with minimum modification to your vehicle. This will allow infinite adjustability over all modes, providing you with powerful air conditioning, heat on the floor, and dehumidified defrost. Our system is engineered specifically to use the original 1962 Thunderbird heater controls by providing you all new blower switch, brackets, cables and wiring to make your controls work like new. This model specific Perfect Fit Smart Series™ Kit allows you to retrofit an original, standard, 1962 Thunderbird with full air-conditioning.
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