'64 Ford THunderbird vs. '04 Ford Thunderbird

Two classics meet up for the ultimate showdown. We are going to take an in depth look at the Ford Thunderbird from the '50's and the one released six years ago. I would first like to start out by telling you that this week is different than the previous weeks because we are dealing with a classic car instead of a muscle car. The grading scale this week will have more emphasis on looks more than performance. Anyways who cares about how your car performs when carries so much class and style with it.

Let's explore the 1955 Ford Thunderbird first. At first glance of this car I just think its a little old lady car. That is because I could see my grandma driving this car while listening to some Frank Sinatra. Now how much more class do you need? I find this car so intriguing because the design is one of a kind. The thing that catches my eye the most has to be the headlights. Theses headlights look like the car has eyes with eye lids. The front grille also makes this car look like a face. You have the eye headlights and the mouth looking grille now thats unique. The hood has a sporty non functional hod scoop for styling. Another styling feature is the removable hard top convertible, so there are no worries about a soft top convertible falling apart. The tail lights also have a unique look to them. They are circular with accent silver pieces in it. The Thunderbird has white wall tires with smooth chrome hubcaps. The bumpers are a one piece chrome bar across the front and back. The elongated body of this car is what defined the '50's culture and to how people perceive it. There are no special color schemes for this car, its just to classy. The grade that the Thunderbird deserves is an A.

The interior does not disappoint either. The Thunderbird's interior comes in many different colors such as red or green with accent colors like white or black. The popular '50's theme carries over into the interior. It has a large steering wheel with a chrome horn button.. The dash is one color but has a brushed aluminum center piece that goes across the middle of the dash horizontally. The gauges are very basic. There is only a speedometer that is the shape of a half circle in the center of the dash. There is a temperature gauge as well as a gas gauge and that is it. It has a basic radio with turn dials to tune in to your favorite station. The Thunderbird theme is also carried throughout, all the way down to putting the logo on the mats. The door panels match the interior with accent pieces inserted as well as the brushed aluminum pieces. The seats are a low rise, mid back seat with not a lot of support. And these seats do not decline, so if your taller than 5'5" your going to have some comfort problems. But I still give the grade of an A to the interior.

Now a quick look at the engine. The only option of the '55 is a V8. However, the factory option were a 2 barrel or 4 barrel carburetor. But if your like me I would get the 4 barrel supercharged option for some extra power. Like most cars you can get an automatic or a manual transmission. The engine is covered in chrome and very stylish. Overall an A grade.
I found an excerpt from Ford-Forums.com about the Ford Thunderbird:

Ford thought they'd take their own stab at the nostalgia business. There are quite a few last-century icons that wear the blue oval. For a revival subject, why not use a car famous enough to have been the subject of Beach Boys songs, starred in George Lucas movies, and has been gone long enough to be missed? Why not indeed. In 2002, the Thunderbird was reborn, as stated on the site.

The 2004 Ford Thunderbird is also unique. The '04 look almost exactly like the '55 but has smoother lines. By smoother lines I don't mean that it is a good thing or a bad thing. The Thunderbird has similar headlights but without the eye lid like the '55. It also has the front lower grill that looks like a grate just like the older version. Unlike the '55 the '04 has a soft top convertible option as well as just a hard top. the tail lights are round and nothing special. There are no chrome bumpers here only fiberglass for styling. The hood scoop was carried over to the remake as well. THe wheels are just a plain spoke wheel with black tires. The color options are only plain colors, no stripes or custom colors. I was really never impressed with this car ever since is came out in the early 2000's. So the grade I give the exterior is a B-.

The interior picks up some of the slack that the exterior created. The interior has all the basic amenities of a newer car would have, CD player, cup holders, and electric windows. The color scheme is similar to the '55 with the accent pieces and chrome. The steering wheel is a modern looking steering wheel with airbags. Who needs them, right? The seats are where Ford improved they are much more comfortable and supportive. The car seats only two passengers as well. The Thunderbird interior look good but not as good as the '55. The overall grade I give the '04 is a B+.

Spoil alert the 2004 Thunderbird does not have a supercharged option. Even though there is no supercharged option, the power is very good. The engine puts out 286 hp and it is a v8 and fuel injected. So no more of those cold starts on a cold mourning. The transmission option is only an automatic. The engine performs well for what it was equipped with, so I'll give it a B.

It is very tough to do a remake of a car that defined an era in American History. The 50's was defined as the baby boomer generation and a generation with big flashy cars. So I think Ford failed in the remake of the '55 Thunderbird. They probably agreed with me because they n longer produce them. So they'll just go back to the drawing board for this one.


From: http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/4253/December-13-1957-The-Last-Two-Seat-Ford-Thunderbird

"Instead of decorating the T-Bird's exterior with shiny but gaudy chrome, Hershey drew simple, tasteful lines that ran from fenders to fins. The real story, however, was under the hood. Whereas Corvette engineers had struggled to modify GM's stovebolt six, Ford designers simply dropped in their big V-8 engine."