Two-Passenger Thunderbirds: 1955-56 Versus 1957

What was the best-looking Ford Thunderbird?

Not any of the four-passenger models, in my opinion, though the third-generation (1961-1963) design was pretty nice.

As for two-passenger Thunderbirds, they were all attractive.  I rank the final-generation (2002-2005) model in second place, it being a more consistent design than the 1955-1956 first generation T-birds despite some quirky details.

The best of the lot?  It's the 1957 facelifted first-generation design.  This is a fairly rare instance of a facelift being better than the original styling.  A styling rule-of-thumb is that the first version is more pure than the facelifts.  That's because facelifts often consist of changes in trim that are simply meant to be noticeably new, and not necessarily consistent with the basic body design.

In the Gallery below I compare the 1955-1956 design with the 1957 version.

Gallery

First, a 1957 Thunderbird, Barrett-Jackson auction photo.  Thunderbirds were basically convertibles with retractable soft tops.  Detachable hard tops were an option that was popular -- the cars shown below all sport that feature.

This is a 1955 Thunderbird, Mecum auction photo.  Compare its grille-bumper ensemble with the 1957 car below.

Another Mecum image.  The grille is deeper, and is partly framed by the re-shaped bumper.  Protection is diminished, but the appearance seems more organic compared to the tacked-on bumper seen above.

The side-view differences are in the rear fender area.  That porthole on the top is not a standard 1955 feature: it became so for the '56 model year.  However, the car itself is indeed a 1955 model.

For 1957, a canted tail fin was added.

The earlier rear end design is fussier than the '57 replacement.  Note the clutter below the trunk lid's aft fold, an indented panel with those twin exhausts.  The finned rear fender shaping combined with the items just mentioned creates a slightly "pinched" feeling that's more obvious when viewed in person as opposed to seeing a photo such as this.

The '57's aft is much cleaner looking because the shaping is simplified and the exhaust outlets have been moved to below the tail lights.  That placement, plus the outward-canted tail fins, make the rear design seem wider, eliminating the pinched appearance noted above.  Image is of a for-sale car.

Now for some views of a 1957 Thunderbird, more images via Mecum.

The car's color is not original, but it serves a useful purpose here because it enhances the body sculpting.

This is a very nicely styled car.