When Ford first saw the new Corvette at the January, 1953 Motorama, Ford’s own sports car project was quickly moved to the front burner. Now considered a ‘crash program,’ Ford’s sports car took shape between February and May of 1953. A look at the design brief is interesting – it had to look like a Ford, be an open two-seater with a canvas top, maximize the use of production parts including the Interceptor V-8, and have a top speed of over 100-mph.

Unlike the Corvette design, Ford placed greater emphasis on ‘personal’ than ‘sports’ car. When the Thunderbird was finally released in 1955, it was wisely equipped with glass wind-up windows, a removable hardtop and options like power brakes, steering, seats and windows – all features that helped it outsell GM’s Corvette by a ratio of 20 to 1. One could consider the fact that the Thunderbird had a stout five-liter V-8 under the hood, as opposed to the Corvette’s Blue Flame Six, as an added bonus.

The 1955 Ford Thunderbird presented here is finished in red with a red and white interior was the recipient of a “100-point restoration” completed to concours-quality condition. This stunning example is reported to have over $100,000 invested in the restoration alone. The detail throughout the car, including the undercarriage, is outstanding.

The Y-block V-8 engine measures 292-cid with 193-hp and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Nicely equipped, the Thunderbird possesses both the hard and soft-tops and four-way power seat. Additionally, there is a factory radio, wire basket wheel covers, fender skirts with stone guards, wide whitewall tires and an engine dress-up kit.