Ford Thunderbird

The Thunderbird was a sports car first marketed by Ford from the fifties to nineties, revived in 2002. It was initially introduced as an attempt to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette when the Vette still used a V6. The original T-Bird, as it was nicknamed, featured a porthole rear window. By 1959 the T-Bird had been turned into a sedan and was being used in the Grand National, later Winston Cup. It would become Ford's premier entry into stock car racing for decades. By its discontinuation the car had become more aerodynamic in order to become more competitive. The 2002 revival was based on the original Thunderbird, but due to a high price was not in production long. The Thunderbird was used in IMSA GTO and Trans Am in the eighties and nineties. The Thunderbird formed the basis for the Mercury Cougar from the seventies to nineties after it changed from the Ford Mustang platform, this generation of Cougar also competitive in IMSA and SCCA competition. The Cougar returned to the Mustang platform in the nineties.