The Big Three have never been known for building true sports cars. Don’t get me wrong, they have all built some great cars throughout their history, but they haven’t ever captured the pure essence of a sports car. Chevy was the first to take the bold step of attempting the task with their Corvette and it didn’t take Ford long to respond with their own interpretation. The Thunderbird was more refined and comfortable to drive everyday, but it lacked the handling and performance of a true sports car. Today, the Thunderbird isn’t as desirable as the Corvette or the European cars it competes with, but it still has a dedicated following. The 1955 Thunderbird you see above was discovered in this garage after being off the road for the past 44 years. It needs a motor and lots of work, but will be a sweet machine when it’s done! Check it out here on eBay or in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Some would claim the Corvette was far closer to being a true sports car and that current resale value would indicate that the Vette was the better car. While I concede that the Corvette was more sporty, I would argue that the Thunderbird was the more successful car. In its first year of production, Ford sold over 16k Thunderbirds compared to 700 Corvettes that Chevy sold in the same time period. It even outsold its nearest European competitor, the Jaguar XK140, by nearly 4 times. Sales aren’t everything, but they say a lot about what people wanted at the time. It just happens that in ’55, Americans wanted a sporty looking car that was also comfortable, refined, and practical.

Speaking of the XK140, it was the T-Birds fiercest competitor. Chuck Berry even wrote a song about a Jaguar racing a Thunderbird. Comparing the T-Bird to an XK is probably a more accurate comparison. Both cars were sporty, but had more of an emphasis on luxury than the Vette. Ford was careful to not call the Thunderbird a sports car, but a personal luxury car instead. It was a smart marketing decision, as it decreased expectations and made any performance an added bonus. In a straight line, the 292 V8 gave the T-Bird a slight advantage over the Jag, but the moment the road got twisty that advantage was lost.

The Thunderbird has always been fascinating to me. It was meant to be a Corvette competitor and while it looked the part, it offered little in the way of actual sports car performance. These two are frequently compared, but the more I learn about both cars the more I question this comparison. Sure they both entered the market at the same time and both were meant to capture buyers who might otherwise buy a European car, but they really had nothing in common. Simply look at the interiors and you know they targeted completely different markets…

Performance aside, the Thunderbird really was a nice car. It offered the comfort and luxury Americans had grown accustom to, while still being reminiscent of something built in Europe. Today, early T-Birds are in demand, but not the kind of demand that Corvettes or XKs are in and values prove it. This particular car is going to need a motor and a lot of work, but could end up being a good buy. It will all come down to the seller’s reserve though. So if you had your pick between a T-Bird, an XK140, or a Vette, which would you go with and why?