There have been 11 generations of this car. Although it is currently discontinued, it's a name you can expect Ford to revive at some point in the future. The generation spans and nicknames are the following:
- 1955 - 1957 Classic Bird or Little Birds
- 1958 - 1960 Square Birds
- 1961 - 1963 Bullet Birds
- 1964 - 1966 Flair Birds
- 1967 - 1971 Glamour Birds
- 1972 - 1976 Big Birds
- 1977 - 1979 Torino Birds
- 1980 - 1982 Box Birds
- 1983 - 1988 Aero Birds
- 1989 - 1997 Super Birds
- 2002 - 2005 Retro Birds
Although modeled after compact sports cars from Europe, performance was never the top concern for those in charge of creating each new Thunderbird. This car created a new class for itself: personal luxury. They were generally sold as 2 door coupes or convertibles with V8 engines. Despite the large engine in a small frame, these cars were never competitive with cars like the Corvette. The engines were generally not performance engines, just strong engines that wouldn't struggle on rough or steep roads.
These cars can be found all over the used car market, although specific generations may be rare. The first generation is particularly collectible, and the last generation Retro Birds were made in limited quantities, and they still had trouble selling them. I think the Retro Birds will be collectible some day. You can find these cars listed on eBay, along with thousands of listings for parts and other T-Bird memorabilia.
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