The first and last of the Thunderbirds: Which one belongs in your garage?

There’s a span of exactly 50 years between the first Ford Thunderbird, introduced for the 1955 model year, and the last (so far), which came off the assembly lines in 2005. Ford surely didn’t plan for things to go that way — in fact, the corporation was somewhat surprised when demand for its retro-styled cruiser began drying up just two years after its introduction.

Time marches on, and the first year of the 11th generation Thunderbird will itself be eligible for display at Antique Automobile Club of America shows next year, when it reaches the age of 25. At the time of its introduction, Ford predicted that the “Retro Bird” would become a classic in its own right, and history seems to have proved them right. It’s become an attainable collectable, with some very nice examples to be found right here on Hemmings.com.

Like the Volkswagen New Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser that came just before it, the 2002-’05 Thunderbird tapped into nostalgia, echoing the styling cues of its earliest two-seat predecessor, the 1955-’57 Thunderbird, aka the “Early Bird” or “Baby Bird.” “Ford has done a masterful job of translating cues from the classic T-birds of the ’50s and early ’60s onto the modern Lincoln LS chassis,” Csaba Csere wrote in the July 2001 issue of Car and Driver magazine. “The resulting car fills a vacant marketing niche for a convertible in the mid-30s with more emphasis on style than on speed.”

For your consideration, we’ve found two Thunderbirds in the Hemmings Classifieds, one from 1955 and one from 2005, that have asking prices within $2,000 of each other. (The older car has an asking price of $32,900, and the newer is priced at $30,995.) Our question for you is: Which would you put down your hard-earned cash for? Do the modern conveniences and updated styling tip the scales in favor of the 11th-gen, or do you prefer the old-school look and feel of the original? Tell us in the comments.

The Original: 1955 Ford Thunderbird

Centerpiece of many a Fifties car collection and a bellwether of the collector-car market for decades, the first-generation Thunderbird remains in demand, even if its star has dimmed a bit in recent years. Two seats and a tidy, 102-inch wheelbase suggested “sports car,” but the Thunderbird was always meant for cruising, with a plush interior and standard V8 power. It was a car to be seen in, and still is.

The ’55s were equipped with a removable hardtop (a cloth top could be substituted or added for an additional cost) a tachometer, a telescoping steering wheel, and a full-width bench seat that was upholstered to look like a pair of buckets. A long options list included rear fender skirts (supplied on almost all Thunderbirds), power windows, a power seat, power steering, full wheel covers, and more. With a base price around $3,000, the Thunderbird was the most expensive car in Ford’s lineup.

The only engine offered was a 292-cu.in. Y-block V8. Equipped with a four-barrel carburetor, it was rated at 193 horsepower with a standard transmission and 198 with an automatic, thanks to a bump in compression from 8.1:1 to 8.5:1. Buyers had a choice of three transmissions: a three-speed manual, a three-speed manual with overdrive, and a three-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic.

Summary

For: Torquey V8, manual transmission, comfortable accommodations, Fifties dream car styling, well supported by the aftermarket

Against: Not truly a sports car, 6-volt system (for ’55), drum brakes

Why buy: The original Thunderbird is a style icon and a perfect vehicle for relaxed cruising

The Tribute: 2005 Ford Thunderbird

Drawing on its ancestor for inspiration, the 2002 Thunderbird’s designers — Ford design legend Jack Telnack and J Mays, the stylist of the New Beetle — incorporated design elements like a hood scoop, eggcrate grille, round headlights and taillights, driving lights that mimicked the earlier car’s bumper overriders, and a removable top featuring porthole windows. Built on a RWD platform shared with the Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S-Type, the new T-bird was elegant, modern, and sporty. It remained in production one year longer than the first-gen, and sold 15,000 more units.

The ’05 Thunderbird came equipped as you’d expect for a luxury cruiser, with power windows, a 180-watt AM/FM stereo, cruise control, chromed alloy wheels, a trip computer, traction control, and more as standard. Numerous special editions and exclusive paint colors were offered over the years; this 12,000-mile example is one of 1,500 50th Anniversary Edition versions produced, with exclusive Cashmere metallic tri-coat paintwork, a chromed hood scoop bezel, a body-colored grille, and a leather interior in a color that Ford called Stone.

Beneath the hood of all 1th-gen T-Birds was an all-aluminum, 32-valve, 4.0-liter V8 derived from the Jaguar AJ-V8. The horsepower rating rose from 252 to 280 in 2003, thanks to variable valve timing, extensive cylinder-head revisions, and an increase in compression from 10.6:1 to 10.8:1. Transmission choices included an electronically controlled five-speed automatic and a five-speed SelectShift (manumatic) automatic.

Summary

For: Modern conveniences, excellent crashworthiness, 100 horsepower more than its ancestor

Against: Still not really a sports car, hasn’t yet achieved the collector status of the first gen

Why buy: Retro-inspired looks and a modern platform are an appealing combination

The Thunderbird Market

We chose the two Thunderbirds for this comparison for their similar prices, but neither one is an average example. According to classic.com, the 1955 model sells at auction for an average price of $39,400, while the 2005 brings roughly half as much. These two cars represent the overlap of extremes, with the ’55 priced at the low end of the range, and the ’05 at the upper end of its range. There’s not much description of either car offered in the ads, but the photos show us a driver-quality ’55 that has some cosmetic needs, and a low-mileage, well-maintained, special-edition ’05. In the current market, this is where the 1st and 11th generations meet. Find the individual ads here:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/listing/1955-ford-thunderbird-mankato-mn-2952064

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/listing/2005-ford-thunderbird-lithia-springs-ga-2954065

Which one do you see yourself piloting on the open road? Let us know in the comments. And if you’re looking for more Thunderbirds, you’ll find another 300 or so on Hemmings.com.

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