![]() ![]() Succeeding generations became larger and more luxurious, until the line was downsized in 1977 and again in 1980. In 1958, the Thunderbird gained a second row of seats for greater practicality. Ford described it as a personal luxury car, a description which named a new market segment. It entered production for the 1955 model year as a two-seater sporty car unlike the superficially similar (and slightly earlier) Chevrolet Corvette, the Thunderbird was never sold as a full-blown sports car. “Being at the wheel for the first time was fun but the strange thing is, you feel like you’re flying.The Ford Thunderbird is a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company. On the dry lake bed he had the time and space to enjoy his achievement and to think about Suzie and the pleasure she’d have taken from seeing Thunderflite finished and on the move. This drive at El Mirage was another emotional debut for Dean - the first time he’d really driven Thunderflite. The 1961 T-Bird had a distinctly space-age interior Dean has simply enhanced it with contrasting red trim and a cut-down wheelīetter still, it took the top spot in a poll of the coolest cars on display. We couldn’t get near it for the duration of the show.” “It’s already one of the most photographed cars I’ve built and the response in Vegas was unbelievable. Thunderflite debuted at SEMA, where Dean has shown a new project every year since 1988. Rather than the factory 390, Dean used a mild 302 After 10 failures we found the Flex-A-Lite Corporation, which helped us get to where we are now.” ![]() But we actually have three months’ work in those things. “We thought they’d be a piece of cake I mean everyone’s done it. Money was tight throughout the project and the situation wasn’t helped by the canopies. ![]() No matter where you look, the design is effortless and faultless, and the House Of Kolor paint makes Thunderflite look like it was fashioned from a solid block of aluminium.ĭon Johnson’s final design sketches for ThunderfliteĪnd then there are those bubbletops. Not only did he find the focus to finish the car he’d dreamed up with Suzie but the dedication to do it perfectly. Obviously that was a crushing blow but with the help of his close friend Mark Schofield Dean managed to keep body and soul together. Tragically, Suzie unexpectedly passed away just as they got to that stage. “As time went by it started to become clear that we really could see the dream through,” Dean says. Stopping power comes courtesy of drums at the front and discs at the rear. The tranny is the original modified, and the independent rear is from a 1994 SHO Thunderbird. A Holley intake manifold and 650 carb sit on top while dual Cherry Bombs handle the exhaust. Unlike most concept cars, Thunderflite is a driver and runs a chromed 302ci V8 with red metalflake accents, Koolflex hoses and a Flex-A-Lite fan and radiator. I said: ‘Wait and see.’ Now everybody raves over it.” At the time people said the car didn’t need it and I was nuts for considering it. ![]() “The inspiration for that came from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Captain Nemo’s Nautilus. Take the drilled detail running between the bubbletops. Much of the car was handmade, including the fins and front bumper, Dean spending days shrinking, stretching and working with his English wheel to make his concept flawless and believable.Ī cursory glance tells you Thunderflite is as much about art as engineering. “Getting the panels smooth and flat is what took the time - and that’s before we got to the bubbletops!” Then he grimaces, remembers the thousands of hours that went into the build. “Getting the initial shape wasn’t the big issue.” A few years ago I built one using a ’61 Starliner roof - it was in all the magazines. MORE The story of Tailspin – the back-to-front FB Holden ![]()
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