1960 Ford Thunderbird

edited by David Barth, 22 February 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Photos were taken in January 2009.

Ford had a hit when it introduced the Thunderbird in 1955. In 1958, the company redesigned the T-Bird, coming up with a style that was quickly dubbed "the Square Bird." Thse were 16 inches longer than the previous T-Bird, and were 1000 pounds heavier. The body styel took direct cues from the boxy Ford Fairlane, adding a massive front bumper, twin headlight houseings, and for the first time, a permanent hardtop. Another major change was the addition of a rear seat. The previous T-Birds were only two-seaters.

Like other American cars from 1958, tailfins were also more prominent that in the past. The new T-Birds proved even more popular than its predecessors. Sales doubled, and hardtops far outsold convertibles. Sales nearly doubled again in 1959, and the change made in the style were minor. The 1960 T-Bird was the last of the "Square Birds," because the 1961 Fords were totally restyled. The 1960 Birds changed little, other than the addition of extra taillights, along with a new option of a manually operated sunfroof. However, two 1960 Thunderbirds had the ultimate option: stainless steel bodies!

This particular Thunderbird (and its twin) rolled off the assembly line in Wixom, Michigan on July 11, 1960. Its body, skin, bumpers, and grille are made of Type 302 stainless steel. The car also features the first stainless steel muffler made for a production vehicle which is made of Type 409, an allow in common used on exhaust systems today. Both cars were used by Allegheny Ludlum as promotional vehicles, and were driven by company salesmen.

In 1999, Allegheny Ludlum donated a stainless 1936 Ford Sedan and a stainless 1960 Ford Thunderbird to the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania for display in the Senator John Heintz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. The Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania has loaned the Thunderbird to the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, making the Crawford the only automotive museum in the world able to show a complete set of Ford stainless steel cars: Ford sedan, Thunderbird, and Lincoln.

Model: Thunderbird
Body Style: 2-door, hardtop coupe
Wheelbase: 119 inches
Brake Horsepower: 350 at 4400 rpm
Displacement: 430 cubic inches
Bore: 4.30 inches
Stroke: 3.50 inches
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Location: Dearborn, Michigan
Original Factory Price: Not sold commercially