Ford Thunderbird (first generation) sport compact car. Ford Thunderbird (first generation) The first generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible produced by Ford for the 1955 to 1957 model year, the first 2-seat Ford since 1938. It was developed in response to the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, which showed the Chevrolet Corvette. The Corvette in turn was developed in response to the popularity of European sports cars among Americans. Dubbed a "personal car" by Ford, it built upon the heritage of the bespoke roadsters of the 1930s yet was constructed largely of existing components, marking the first
Ford Taunus TC in Argentina, and now with the "TC3" nose and its own unique taillights lay-out. These post 1980 Argentine Taunus fast-back coupès also featured improved performance and a refashioned interior: they used the name "Taunus SP" or "Taunus SP 5", the "5" referring to the five-speed manual gearbox now available as an option. Apart from the five speed option, the transmission choice, as for the European Taunus TCs, lay between a four speed manual and, for larger engined cars, a three speed automatic gear box. The Argentine Taunus TC models did not share the European engine range, instead using the similar