![]() Among the young design staff, the idea of Ford lacking a sports car could become a black eye for the company if that segment ever took off. thanks to its venerable flathead V8 (Chevy wouldn’t have a V8 until 1955), but these small, well-handling roadsters and coupes were a different animal altogether. ![]() Ford had long been the performance king in the U.S. Hundreds of GIs had fallen for the likes of MGs, Triumphs, and BMWs while stationed in Europe during and after World War II, and had begun importing and racing them. But by the early ’50s, a new phenomenon was beginning to take hold with American gearheads: sports cars. The introduction of its 1949 lineup - the first all-new postwar car from The Big Three - was a much-needed smash, with a sedan, coupe, and wagon offered. With an aging lineup and shrinking sales, Ford was in dire straits after World War II. ![]() But like most legends, the true story is a lot more complicated. To the casual observer, the Thunderbird is an icon: a sports car with a 50-year history that’s the rolling embodiment of nostalgia. That’s certainly the case with the Ford Thunderbird, The Blue Oval’s personal car that re-energized the company, came to embody an entire decade, and launched a segment that would go on to dominate the American landscape within a few decades. If the idea appeared too early or too late, it may not have happened at all. Legendary cars usually come from a time and place that can’t be replicated.
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