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It would be hard to do a better job of visually defining the very essence of mid- 50's American Cool than by simply displaying an original Ford Thunderbird two-seater. Of course, the '55 thru '57 T-Birds really need no introduction> the familiar little 'birds exude what this country thought of itself as we grew to the syncopated rhythms of continued, explosive post-War economic growth laced with the invincible feeling of Eisenhower-era Manifest Destiny. And all that from a little two-seater...
Benchmark Classics, America's Hot Rod, Custom, Specialty and Muscle Car Playground, newly located in Middleton, Wisconsin, has a wonderful classic Thunderbird, a 1957, the model many feel to be the best looking Thunderbird of all time. In it, you could be Eddie Fisher, driving from Hollywood to Las Vegas for a weekend with your bride, Elizabeth Taylor. Or, you could be Dean Martin, cruising The Strip, heading out on a night with The Rat Pack. A '57 Thunderbird is a time machine like few others.
This one is finished in Raven Black over a Flame Red interior and comes with both tops: A new white convertible rag top and, lucky for the new owner, one of those iconic porthole Thunderbird hardtops, in matching Raven Black.
While the original T-Bird was certainly sporty, Ford wanted to position the car in a new way:
the familiar little 'birds exude what this country thought of itself as we grew to the syncopated rhythms of continued, explosive post-War economic growth laced with the invincible feeling of Eisenhower-era Manifest Destiny. And all that from a little two-seater...
Benchmark Classics, America's Hot Rod, Custom, Specialty and Muscle Car Playground, newly located in Middleton, Wisconsin, has a wonderful classic Thunderbird, a 1957, the model many feel to be the best looking Thunderbird of all time. In it, you could be Eddie Fisher, driving from Hollywood to Las Vegas for a weekend with your bride, Elizabeth Taylor. Or, you could be Dean Martin, cruising The Strip, heading out on a night with The Rat Pack. A '57 Thunderbird is a time machine like few others.
This one is finished in Raven Black over a Flame Red interior and comes with both tops: A new white convertible rag top and, lucky for the new owner, one of those iconic porthole Thunderbird hardtops, in matching Raven Black.
While the original T-Bird was certainly sporty, Ford wanted to position the car in a new way:
"Ford prefers to call it a 'personal car,'" explained Motor Trend Magazine. "The thinking behind this, as brought out in a discussion with W.R. Burnett, chief passenger car engineer for Ford, is that 'although the Thunderbird has the performance and attributes of most sports cars, management also felt that it should have a few more comforts to make it more appealing to a wider segment of the public.'"
Indeed, the sharpened styling and comforts of the '57 did appeal to a wider audience, selling more than 21,000 of the beauties, the most of the any year in the '55-'57 model run. People loved the car then...and continue to love it today.
Benchmark Classics' appealing two-seater 'Bird rides on wide-whitewall tires mounted on a set of sparkling chrome wheels. You'd need to get really close to see anything less than very good chrome and badging on the entire car. It has a Ford-O-Matic 3-Speed automatic, with a floor-mounted shifter and, because of the automatic, the 245 H.P. version of the 312 c.i. "Y-Block" Ford V-8.
When the marketing brainiacs at Ford Motor Company first used the term, "Personal Luxury Car" to describe the two-seat T-Bird, they probably thought that it was a throwaway term. How wrong they were. The idea of a personal luxury car has remained an industry standard ever since. Yet, in spite of the more than half a century that has passed since its introduction, no car has ever done a better job of defining that goal than the original, oh-so-classic, Ford Thunderbird. Black Beauty is waiting for you at Benchmark Classics, newly located in Middleton, Wisconsin. Where will your time machine take you?