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| Lewis Crusoe, left, was the inspiration behind the Thunderbird |
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Like its early-days arch-rival the Chevrolet Corvette - which celebrated its 50th birthday last year (2003) - the Thunderbird was inspired by a new breed of lightweight sports cars becoming popular in Europe, such as the Jaguar XK120. Ford credits general manager Lewis D. Crusoe and designer George Walker with bringing it to fruition. The story goes that Crusoe - a millionaire businessman persuaded out of retirement by Henry Ford II to bring some excitement into the post-war Ford range - and Walker were at the 1951 Paris Motor Show. Crusoe saw the European sports cars on display and said to Walker: "Why can't we have something like that?" Walker replied: "We have a job just like that in the works right now" - and rushed off as soon as he could to phone his colleagues in Dearborn, Michigan to tell them to get started quickly.
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| Designer George Walker |
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The initial concept was for a two-seater roadster with canvas roof capable of 100mph and faster acceleration than its competition. The designers aimed for a target weight of 2,525lbs, and the decision was made to fit the Interceptor 256 cubic-inch (4.2 litre) V8 engine. The first clay model incorporated features which would appear on the final production car: a drop-head coupe bodystyle, an egg-crate mesh grille, a bonnet scoop to house the air cleaner and twin exhaust tips with bullet-shaped insets. In May 1953, Crusoe saw the first complete, painted clay model, and after a trip to the September 1953 Paris Motor Show to eye up the competition, he gave the green light for production.
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| A young designer came up with the name 'Thunderbird' in return for a $250 suit |
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The first prototype was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1954 to much acclaim. The next step was to name the car: unlikely monikers under consideration were said to include Beaver, Detroiter, Hep Cat, Runabout, Savile, El Tigre, Coronado and even the unwieldy Arcturus. Crusoe offered a new $250 suit to anyone who could do better, and a young designer, Alden Giberson, came up with 'Thunderbird'. In the legends of the Native American Indians of Arizona and New Mexico, the Thunderbird was a divine helper to man, the creator of the winds and storms, and provider of water in the desert. Now named, the first Thunderbird came off the Dearborn assembly lines on September 9th 1954, and sales started on October 22nd.
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