1959 Ford Thunderbird

The late 1950s marked the beginning of a new era for Thunderbird. The 1959 Ford Thunderbird did well in sales, unlike the 1955-57 two-seat Thunderbirds, which were originally designed as Ford's answer to the Corvette. While handily outselling the Corvette, the famed "Little Bird" failed to make money for Ford.

The 1959 Ford Thunderbird convertible was also known as the "Square Bird."

Determined to make the next-generation Thunderbird profitable, Ford aimed for the broadest audience possible. By 1959 the addition of two rear seats, longer and dramatically lowered bodywork, and a hardtop model paid off. Ford sold more than 76,000 "Square Birds" that year, 19,000 of which were convertibles -- nearly as many convertibles as the Little Bird's best year.

But the convertible Square Bird almost never was. Because of the limited funding available for the 1958 Thunderbird redesign, a decision was made early in the process to eliminate the convertible body from the line. Design work had begun on a hardtop with power-retractable roof panels as an alternative to a true convertible. Engineering issues halted development of the retractable roof, and the convertible was resurrected.

The 1959 Ford Thunderbird's 300-horsepower V-8 performed
sluggishly for its time.

Though low and sleek, base Thunderbirds were not stellar performers, even by the standards of the day. Early tests with the standard 300-horsepower, 312-cubic-inch V-8-equipped Square Bird resulted in 0-60 mph times of 13.5 seconds. But by 1959 an optional 350-horsepower, 430-cubic-inch V-8 would propel the T-Bird to 60 in a livelier 9.9 seconds.

The 1959 Ford Thunderbird convertible is a real prize find for collectors today.

Though Thunderbird began life as a convertible, by 1958 the roofless T-Birds would account for less than a quarter of production. Later generations would see a continuing decline in convertible T-Birds until the coupe took over completely for 1967. Today however, it is the convertible Square Birds that are prized by collectors. 

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1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

Ford offered two convertibles for 1957: the usual cloth-roof Sunliner and the first "hardtop convertible" that really did convert -- the 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner. What's more, all '57 Fords were all new -- dramatically longer, lower, and wider, with "dream car" styling that looked like something from another brand. With all this, Ford exceeded its 1955 sales record while outproducing rival Chevrolet for the first time in decades.

The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner had the first-ever retractable hardtop roof.

That new "retractable hardtop" was called Skyliner, a name borrowed from Ford's 1954-56 plexi-roof hardtop. Offered like the Sunliner in a new top-line Fairline 500 series, it was the sort of technical wonder Americans expected as the "space age" beckoned. At the touch of a button, a bevy of motors, relays, and wires raised a rear-hinged panel on an elongated deck, slid the top into a deep well, then closed the deck over it. Though quite complex and far from foolproof, this system was more reliable than was once reported, and the top's stately passage up or down was a surefire crowd-pleaser.

The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner was a pricey but popular model for Ford.

Luggage space was limited to a small box in the "trunk," and the added hardware made the Skyliner pricey for a Ford at $2942- -- $437 more than the Sunliner. Even so, the '57 Skyliner sold reasonably well at 20,766, though that was well down on the conventional convertible's 77,726.

The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner had limited trunk space, thanks to
the retractable roof.

Sales then tapered off, so the Skyliner was dropped after 1959 as a costly indulgence by money-conscious Ford execs. Today, though, a "retrac" still pulls crowds like nothing else.

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1956 Ford Thunderbird

You still see two-seat 1956 Ford Thunderbirds on the boulevards of Beverly Hills, which is only fitting. Ford might have been inspired by European sports cars, but the Thunderbird ended up an all-American boulevardier convertible designed for comfort and smooth, powerful straightline performance. That the "Little Birds" were also uncommonly handsome only hastened their climb to "instant classic" status, one reason so many survive today.

The 1956 Ford Thunderbird was an instant classic, and remains so to this day

A sturdy steel body and amenities like roll-up windows were other appealing T-Bird virtues. As proof, the debut '55 outpolled Chevrolet's fiberglass Corvette by 23 to 1 at 16,155 units. The '56 slipped to 15,631, but that was hardly bad for a specialty car in a "fall-back" sales year.

The 1956 Ford Thunderbird offered up to 225 horsepower with its V-8 engine

The '56 T-Bird was much like the '55, but a standard "continental" spare tire opened up needed trunk space, front-fender ventilator doors enhanced cockpit comfort, and the available lift-off hardtop gained distinctive "porthole" windows that helped visibility. Typical of the time, the '56 also offered more power, courtesy of a new 312-cubic-inch V-8 packing 215 horsepower with optional stick-overdrive or 225 with self-shift Fordomatic. The previous year's 292 continued with the standard three-speed manual, but was upped to 202 bhp. Handling took a step backward, as springs and shocks were softened, but buyers loved the resulting smoother ride.

A deft restyle and even more power lifted sales to 21,380 for 1957, but any two-seat T-Bird is a car for the ages. Just ask those happy owners in Beverly Hills

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