Power was sent back to the rear wheels via a race-prepared heavy-duty BorgWarner 3-speed manual transmission, the cars were all given seat belts for safety and a fiberglass hard top for better high-speed aerodynamics. single-carburetor V8 engine mated with a McCulloch VR57 Phase 1 supercharger. The supercharger option would carry a rating of 300 hp.”Ībove Image: The engine bay of the Phase One D/F Supercharged Thunderbird is dominated by that unusual side-mounted supercharger.Īt this time there was no plan to build a production version of the supercharged Thunderbird, however they would eventually be built due to the success of the original 15 skunkworks cars.Įach of these high-performance prototypes was fitted with a 312 cu. “The installation on the 312 CI 4V carburetor engine of a new design McCulloch supercharger for use on the Ford car and Thunderbird … which would provide operational characteristics equal to or better than any fuel injection system at present day development. When describing the program to the Ford Executive Committee he wrote:
This focus on luxury rather than all-out sporting ability was popular with many Americans, so much so that the new Thunderbird outsold the Corvette 23-to-, 16,155 Thunderbirds sold versus just 700 Corvettes.ĭue in no small part to the Chevrolet fuel-injection development program McNamara set the wheels in motion to develop a special version of the Thunderbird to ensure that Ford would remain out in front. Whereas the Corvette had been developed to compete with the sleek, fast sports cars coming out of Europe, the Thunderbird took a slightly different route – becoming the “personal luxury car” or essentially the American version of the European grand tourer.
When he saw the Chevrolet Corvette unveiled at the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show he knew Ford needed a competitor, and work began immediately. Years before he started working in the White House, McNamara had helped revolutionize Ford in the years after WW2. Kennedy to be the Secretary of Defense in 1961 and would remain in the role until 1968. McNamara sounds familiar, it may be because he was later tapped by President John F. If you’re thinking that the name Robert S. It’s one of just 15 hand-built, supercharged Thunderbirds developed for NASCAR and other competition purposes under the direct authority of Ford Division General Manager Robert S. In mid-20th century American car collector circles there are few vehicles more desirable than the car you see here.
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