Car of the Week: 1955 Ford Thunderbird

[dodgechargerfan]

He’s modest about it, but Ron Portland has all kinds of cool stories about his 1955 Ford Thunderbird. He can start with how it was one of the first 1,000 Thunderbirds ever built. Or he can recount how he actually got a ride in the car from Lee Iacocca the first time he ever saw a Thunderbird, or how he coincidentally wound up buying what he believes is the same car years later. Or he can just start with how he wound up parking the car in his parents’ garage for 30 years while he crisscrossed the country in a series of job moves.
Somehow, Portland and his Thunderbird never parted ways, and together they have quite a history.
“When I bought it [in June of 1965], I don’t know if I was really planning on keeping it, but it was fun and at the time it wasn’t all that unusual,” recalls Portland, a resident of Kansas City, Mo. “But I had a feeling that it was sort of iconic right from the beginning. Did I know that I was going to keep it this long? I didn’t even think I’d live this long!”
- See more at: http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/car-of-the-week/car-week-1955-ford-thunderbird#sthash.b9FjYwC7.dpuf

 

[Not A Duster]

Yuck. :dgt:

And we were doing so well for the past few weeks....

 

[dodgechargerfan]

Yeah, I go through phases with those things.

Sometimes, I see some I really like, but most times there's something that puts me off of them.

 

[restoman]

I like it.
They don't look like anything else, yet they're instantly recognizable as a Ford.

I've driven a couple '55 - '57 'Birds over the years. I didn't think they were comfortable to drive, or even sit in, for that matter. If you've got a bit of a belly or are larger than average, getting your legs under that steering wheel is fricking-near impossible.

But I do like the look of them.

 

[68R/T]

The '55 - '57 'birds do have a certain European/Italian look to them. After that they're down right ugly. Mechanically they were all pieces of (..........) Insert your own word meaning excrement, :dgt:

 

[J.C. Corbett]

The 57's make great looking gassers, and when done that way, sends the purists into a foaming rage. It's a win-win for me.

 

[Not A Duster]

Like most Fords, I think they look best:

Shredded, crushed, melted down and made into toasters.....

But that's just me.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Well, I agree for the most part but I wouldn't be offended if they were shredded, crushed, melted down and made into original Mark I-III GT40s.

 

[dodgechargerfan]

Yeah, I go through phases with those things.

Sometimes, I see some I really like, but most times there's something that puts me off of them.

The roof needs to go on this one. That's what I don't like in this case.