The sleek fuselage-like styling of the 1961-1963 Thunderbird series inspired the nick name ‘Bullet Bird’. Marketing tag lines for the new ‘61 T-bird declared “Unique in all the world” and “The new adventure in elegance”. The third generation of the T-bird was released in 1961 with all new styling inspired by the space age. 1955 production of the first 2 seat was 16,155 while 1960 production, the final year of the ‘square bird’ 4 seat, was 92,843. To succeed it would need style and performance like never before…and succeed it did. It was to transform from a ‘sports car’ to a larger ‘personal luxury’ 4 seat car that would attract a larger customer base. 1959 Ford Thunderbird brochure pageġ958 saw the release of a new and different Thunderbird. The 2 seat market in the US was limited and Ford senior management did not see a bright future for their stylish ‘Baby Bird’, so a 4 seat version was contemplated. Its name was derived from the Native American legend of the ‘Thunderbird’ which spoke of beauty, power and light. Like the Corvette, the ’55 Thunderbird was also a 2 seater. The first Ford Thunderbird was released in the USA in 1955 as a competitor to Chevrolet’s 1953 Corvette 2 seat sports car.
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