Thunderbird Fans Hated the 1958. It Saved the Name !

📘 Think you know your car? Check the VIN first. Full decoding guide for Classic Cars → https://classiccarshistory.com/ Thunderbird fans hated the 1958 Ford Thunderbird. They called it the Squarebird, blamed Robert McNamara for ruining it, and never forgave Ford for adding a back seat. But the sales numbers tell a very different story. The two-seat Thunderbird that enthusiasts still mourn was a commercial dead end, and the four-seat car they hated is the reason the Thunderbird name survived at all. In this video, we go back to where it started: an October 1951 walk through the Paris auto show, where Ford executive Lewis Crusoe pointed at a European sports car and asked, "Why can't we have something like that?" We follow the 1955 Thunderbird from that moment to its launch as Ford's answer to the Chevrolet Corvette. Ford sold it as a "personal car of distinction" instead of a sports car, and it outsold the Corvette every single year. Then we look at why that still wasn't enough for Ford Division chief Robert McNamara, and how he decided to add a back seat, switch to unibody construction, and build the car alongside the 1958 Lincoln at the new Wixom, Michigan plant. The 1958 Thunderbird launched late, into a recession, in the same year the Edsel collapsed. It nearly doubled the sales of the 1957 two-seater and was one of only two American cars to sell more that year. It also became the first single model line to win Motor Trend Car of the Year. By 1960, one year of Squarebird production outsold all three years of two-seaters combined. We also cover how the Squarebird created the personal luxury car segment, which pushed General Motors to answer with the Pontiac Grand Prix and the Buick Riviera. We look at how the Thunderbird rivalry helped keep the Corvette alive in its early years, and why the retro two-seat Thunderbird of 2002 lasted just four model years. Whether you love the classic 1955 to 1957 Thunderbird, own a 1958 to 1960 Squarebird, or just enjoy American automotive history, this is the story of how the most resented Thunderbird ended up saving the name. Which Thunderbird would you park in your garage? Let us know in the comments, and tell us which classic car you want us to cover next. The comment with the most likes becomes our next video. #FordThunderbird #Thunderbird #Squarebird #ClassicCars #1958Thunderbird #1957Thunderbird #TBird #FordHistory #AmericanCars #CarHistory #ClassicCarHistory #Corvette #PersonalLuxuryCar #VintageCars #1950sCars #AutomotiveHistory #Ford #Detroit Sources: Ford Motor Company historical archives: Thunderbird nameplate history and origin of the Thunderbird name Alan H. Tast and David Newhardt, Thunderbird Fifty Years (Motorbooks) J. "Kelly" Flory Jr., American Cars, 1946–1959: Every Model, Every Year (McFarland & Company) Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. I do not own some or all of the video materials used in this video. In the case of copyright issues, please contact me at [email protected] for credit or removal.