The Ford Thunderbird was a beautiful luxury car which saw eleven generations from its launch in 1955 until the last model rolled off the production line in 2005. This was the first luxury car of its kind and with it was created a whole new market, one which thrives in the modern era.

The initial model was only a two seater convertible, though differentiated from the Corvette by its luxury status, as opposed to raw power. The Ford Thunderbird underwent a variety of changes throughout its life and was remodelled in 1958 to add a rear set of seats and enlarge the overall car. In 1977 however the size of the car was reduced due to an increasing market for large two door coupes, though this market dwindled in the 1990's.

Production of the car actually halted due to the decline of its market, with manufacturing paused in 1997. In 2002 the car was relaunched for a further three years with a retro design and going back to the original concept of a two seater coupe and convertible. The car had a phenomenal life span over six decades which saw over four million Thunderbirds produced during this time.

The first generation Thunderbird came with the option of a manual or automatic transmission. The three speed manual transmission produced 215 bhp whilst the two speed automatic gave 225 bhp. The car had a 102 inch wheelbase and came complete with white walled tyres to standout from the competition. The car was streamlined and featured wings to give it a very unique and iconic styling.

In 1967 the fifth generation of the Thunderbird was introduced, which marked a redesign of the car to one resembling the American muscle cars of yesteryear. The change in styling was as a direct result of the Mustang entering the same market in 1964. The Mustang was essentially cheaper, therefore the decision was made to increase the specification of the Thunderbird so that they no longer directly competed. The grill of the fifth generation was jet inspired and swept across the entire front of the car. It also concealed the headlights giving a very sporty and menacing look to the car.

As part of an American tradition the Ford Thunderbird featured in NASCAR, making its debut in 1977. Despite not being seen as an out and out sports coupe the car did well in its first three seasons in clocking up thirteen wins. It also set a trend for coupe inclusion in NASCAR. From 1981 the Thunderbird was quite successful on the track, winning a title in 1988 and regularly registering speeds of over 200 mph. The highest speed recorded was 212 mph.