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There were 5,000 names considered for the all-new 1955 Thunderbird from Ford. Hep Cat, Beaver, and Detroiter were early, yet undistinguished frontrunners. Also suggested were Runabout, Arcturus, Savile, El Tigre, and Coronado. Ford executive Louis D. Crusoe was unimpressed and offered a $250 suit to anyone who could do better. A young Ford stylist, Alden “Gib” Giberson, submitted the name that would quickly earn approval and eventually acclaim: Thunderbird. He thought of the name because he had once lived in the Southwest, where the legend of the Thunderbird was well known. According to that legend, the Thunderbird ruled the sky and was a divine helper of man. The great wings — invisible to mortal man — created the winds and the thunder and provided rains in the arid desert, where fate had brought the Native Americans. The name was fitting for a car that has become an American icon. Chief Stylist Frank Hersey, also a Southwesterner and an enthusiast, spotted the name on Giberson’s list and picked it for the new car. When it came time for Giberson to claim his prize, the modest young designer passed on what would have been the equivalent of a $800-$1,000 suit today and settled for $95 and an extra pair of trousers from Saks Fifth Avenue. With the name selected and a couple of last-minute appearance changes made, the Ford Thunderbird was ready to go to market. Its initial public appearance took place on February 20, 1954, at Detroit’s first postwar auto show. Thunderbird No. 1 came off the line at Ford Motor Company’s Dearborn, Michigan, assembly plant on Sept. 9, 1954. The press announcement of the new Ford sports car was September 23. It went on sale Oct. 22, 1954, starting a legend that would grow with each new generation of Thunderbird cars.

The 1955 Thunderbird was more of a personal car concept than a sports car because of a decision that Crusoe made during the winter of 1953-1954. The car’s more luxurious character created the personal-luxury car segment of the automotive market where the Thunderbird would enjoy almost uninterrupted leadership for decades. The car was immediately a smash hit. Buyers of all ages and all walks of life described the car in terms such as “wonderful,” a “masterpiece,” “advanced automobile” and a “morale builder that is real fun and sport to drive.”

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