1957 Ford Thunderbird

Why are all T-Bird’s so beautiful! We love all of our convertibles and drive them regularly.

1957 Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird began life in 1953 as a direct response to Chevrolet’s new sports car, the Corvette. The Thunderbird was developed quickly going from idea to prototype in about a year and it was unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show on February 20, 1954. As with the Corvette, the Thunderbird had a two-seat configuration but Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal luxury car rather than a sports car. It had clean styling creature comforts and V8 performance.
The 1957 Ford Thunderbird saw the first major restyling of the model. The T-bird was graced with a new front grille, and was as pretty going as coming; the style of the day mandated fat tailfins, and tailfins it had.
1957 also saw new, stronger engines, as it was the first year that Ford raced its new luxury mobile.

Design & Styling

1957 Ford Thunderbird

Thunderbird models had a true convertible soft top, the top was lowered to stow in the forward trunk area. This design reduced available trunk space when the top was down.
The trunk lid was rear-hinged; raised and lowered via hydraulic cylinders during the top raising or lowering cycle. The forward end of the trunk lid contained a metal plate that extended upward to cover the area that the top is stowed in. With the top down and the trunk lid lowered, there is no sight of the soft top.
The overall appearance was a sleek look with no trace of a convertible top at all. No cover boot was needed.
However, this design could present a challenge to one who is troubleshooting a convertible top malfunction. The system consists of a spiderweb of solenoids, relays, limit switches, electric motors, a hydraulic pump/reservoir, hydraulic directional valves and cylinders. While the hydraulics are not often a cause for trouble, the electrical relays are known to fail. Failure of any of the relays, motors or limit switches will prevent the convertible system from completing the cycle.

Interior


Technical Specs

Technical Specifications

The 312 cu in (5.1 L) V8 became the Thunderbird’s standard engine, and now produced 245 horsepower (183 kW). Other, even more powerful versions of the 312 cu in (5.1 L) V8 were available including one with two four-barrel Holley carburetors and another with a Paxton supercharger delivering 300 horsepower (220 kW).

  • Year:
    1957

  • Color:
    Light Blue

  • Engine
    312 cu in (5.1 L)

  • Type:
    1957 Ford Thunderbird

  • 0-60 mph:

  • Top Speed:
    150 mph (240 km/h)

  • Transmission
    Ford-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission

  • Body/Chassis
    2 door convertible

Cool Facts

Ford was pleased to see sales of the Thunderbird rise to a record-breaking 21,380 units for 1957, company executives felt the car could do even better, leading to a substantial redesign of the car for 1958.