Crusoe saw a painted clay model on May 18, 1953, which corresponded closely to the final car he gave the car the go-ahead in September after comparing it with current European trends. The concept was for a two-passenger open car, with a target weight of 2525 lb (1145 kg), an Interceptor V8 engine and a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Hershey took the idea and began working on the vehicle. Walker promptly telephoned Ford’s HQ in Dearborn and told designer Frank Hershey about the idea. Walking in the Grand Palais in Paris, Crusoe pointed at a sports car and asked Walker, ‘Why can’t we have something like that?’ Crusoe and Walker met in France in October 1951. Crusoe, a retired GM executive lured out of retirement by Henry Ford II George Walker, chief stylist and a Ford vice-president and Frank Hershey, a Ford designer. Three men are generally credited with creating the original Thunderbird: Lewis D.
![1963 ford thunderbird unibody 1963 ford thunderbird unibody](https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-temp/listing/106/9946/11155906-1963-ford-thunderbird-std.jpg)
The vehicle showed Ford Motor Company’s ability to carve out its own niche and build something unique. The Thunderbird or T-Bird was referenced in pop culture regularly showing the cultural significance of the vehicle. Yet the vehicle left a legacy for its speed, agility and then later its luxury and comfort. In that same year, Ford Motor Company announced that the Thunderbird would be discontinued and the nameplate put on hiatus. The vehicle celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005 despite not being fully produced for fifty years. The Thunderbird ceased production in the mid-1990s, but a Heritage Edition was created in the early 2000s. The design of the Thunderbird continued to be fine-tuned and evolved over the decades it was on the market. With a price tag of between $2,695 and $4,000 the vehicle was an immediate hit, with buyers describing the car as a “morale builder that is real fun and sport to drive.”
![1963 ford thunderbird unibody 1963 ford thunderbird unibody](https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-temp/listing/100/907/8763235-1963-ford-thunderbird-sports-roadster-std.jpg)
The first Thunderbird came off the line at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in September of that same year. The vehicle featured a more personal than sports car concept with its two-seater feature and build that would allow it to carve its own niche in the existing vehicle market. The first appearance of the Thunderbird was Februat Detroit’s first post-war auto show. Ford stylist Alden Giberson stepped up to the challenge and recommended the name that the team would go with-Thunderbird. Crusoe offered a $250 suit to anyone who could do better. These names were unimpressive to the team working on the sports car. 5,000 names for the vehicle were suggested including Beaver, Detroiter, Runabout, and Savile. While the production of the car was nearing completion, Ford had a problem-they lacked a name for their new sports car.