The Mythical 1955 Ford Thunderbird's Origins

When America fell in love with the Thunderbird back in 1954 it was a lively two seater. Yet the Ford Thunderbird has continued to evolve into many different auto market segments over its lifespan and miles of the product. Yet nothing seems to hold T-Bird fans attention and rapt attention at the original 1955 "bird"."Thunderbird" is undoubtedly a fine name for a motor car, with its connotations of power, flight with just a hint of mystery. Yet Ford Thunderbirds is also a truly American car badge and label, the icon being a magical one for the Pueblo Indians of the South-West United States. That is more than appropriate because the "T-bird" was and still remains the essence itself of the American car illustrating over it more than 50 year most of the foibles as well as many of the strengths of that particular breed. Every story on the Thunderbird begins with the idea that the car was conceived as an "answer" to the Chevrolet Corvette. This is not entirely true, for both designs evolved in response to the growing demand in the post-war American market for cars with more style and performance, cars best typified by the stunning Jaguar XK120.

The Story of 1958 Pontiac Bonneville

The 1957 had been a difficult year for Pontiac as it had lost of number of sales. To try and win back some of those lost sales, Pontiac introduced the '58 Pontiac Bonneville with some major changes. Prior, the Pontiac Bonneville was billed as a limited-production vehicle. This was no more as it hit full production. Also, in addition to a '58 Bonneville convertible, a hardtop Sport Coupe was added to make the Pontiac Bonneville a complete top-line series. In essence, the 1958 Pontiac Bonneville was a new automobile from the ground up, even the bodyshell was restyled; inspired from the X-member frame used on the Cadillac.

Much Improved
The 1958 Pontiac Bonneville had a number of improvements made to peek the interest of buyers. The trim was top grade and the price of the Bonneville was reduced by $2,300 by making much of the lavish equipment "optional". The '58 Bonneville was also put on a shorter platform, the "Chieftain", which gave the car better handling. Probably the most interesting feature that was added to the '58 Bonneville was the "Ever-Level" air suspension that was optional for an extra $175. Although a fascinating feature, the feature's setup and price proved hard to overcome and not many customer opted for it.