A collection of classic cars seen in use on Street View.

The intention is eventually list all pre 1975 cars seen on Street View, not just exotica.
If you find a pre 1975 car on Street View please send the details using the submission form in the column on the right.
Cars must be on the road or in another public place - please, no cars in gardens or private driveways.
Click on the "coordinates" link for each car to see the original Street View - but please note that the image may no longer be on the Streetview Database.

Ford Thunderbird 1956

Ford Thunderbird 1956

Coordinates 25.7768519,-80.1314248

Picture dated April 2011


The Ford Thunderbird was made in the United States between 1955 and 2005.

The Thunderbird was released in 1955 as a sporty two-seat convertible with a detachable glass-fibre hard top and a folding fabric top. Unlike its rivals it was not marketed as a sports car but as an upscale model luxury car. The Thunderbird was a sales success so few changes were made to the car for 1956. The most notable change was moving the spare tire to a continental-style rear bumper in order to make more storage room in the trunk, and an optional porthole in the removable roof. A further range of cosmetic changes were made in 1957 with a reshaped front bumper, a larger grille and tailfins, and larger tail lamps.

In 1958 the second generation of Thunderbirds was redesigned as a four-seater. It was offered in both hardtop and convertible body styles with dual headlights, more prominent tailfins, a bolder chrome grille, and a larger but non-functional hood scoop. 959s car was little different, and in 1960 the only major change was sun roof for the hardtop.

The Thunderbird was redesigned for 1961 with sleeker styling that gave the car a distinctively bullet-like appearance, but with styling cues from its contempory, the Falcon. A vinyl-roofed Landau option with simulated S-bars was added to the Thunderbird for 1962 as was a Sports Roadster package for convertible models.

For 1964 the Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off appearance, with minor revisions in 1965 and 1966

1967's fifth generation brought the second major change in the car's design direction since its debut in 1955, when the decision was taken to move the thunderbird up market. A pair of significant departures from the previous generation Thunderbird was the elimination of a convertible model and the addition a four-door model, which used suicide doors for rear seat access. The model was then little changed until 1972

In 1972 A new design for the thunderbird placed in firmly in the large car bracket, and although it also had very large engines (429 or 460 cubic inch V8), performance and fuel consumption were poor.

For more information see here.

Other streetview classic cars in this location
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