Long drafting in the shadow of Corvette, Camaro, Mustang and Challenger — and now regrettably extinct — the Thunderbird was nonetheless Ford’s original post-war “sports car.” And at least until history passed it by, the T-bird forged a lasting presence in music and racing too.

Witness “Fun, Fun, Fun” by the Beach Boys (1964), Bob Seger’s “Makin’ Thunderbirds” (1982), Marc Cohn’s “Silver Thunderbird” (1991), and more recently, John Hiatt’s “Thunderbird” (2005). Sure, there have been some great Cobra, Corvette and GTO songs along the way too, but for some reason, the T-bird rang a bell with artists.

Thunderbirds also appeared in various films (“American Graffiti” and “Thelma & Louise” come to mind). One of two specially built ’57 Battlebirds raced on the sand at Daytona with Chuck Daigh, and T-birds competed in many drag-racing classes, took Bill Elliott to a NASCAR championship in 1988, and even occasionally went road racing.

Cars have consequences

So here’s a question: Given their robust credentials, why are Thunderbirds undervalued versus their contemporaries? Compared to the T-bird’s early heads-up rivals, the 1955–57 Corvettes, the 1955–57 first-series Fords (excluding the rare supercharged F-code ’57s) are generally worth less than half as much.

The 1958–60 “Square Bird” convertibles are worth only about one-third as much as the same year Corvettes, the typical 1961–63 “Bullet Bird” drop-tops are worth about 42% as much as 1961–62 Corvettes, and the 1964–66 “Jet Bird” convertibles pencil out at about 39% the value of 1964–66 Corvette convertibles. Averaging out these differentials, 1955–66 T-birds are worth 40% on the Corvette dollar.

A good argument why is that the T-bird’s long-term trajectory — first morphing into the 4-passenger “Square Birds” in ’58 and then into a long series of less and less sporty luxury coupes and sedans — now paints a cloud over the entire nameplate, including the early cars. The convertibles stopped after 1966, and after 1997, the nameplate fell away entirely until a short-lived reboot in 2002. Since 2006, it’s been nada, zip, zilch.

Climbing back up

After the gruesome decline through the 1970s, Detroit automakers started to climb out of the doldrums. By the mid-1980s, they were engineering some new excitement into their product lines. In 1983 — a year before Buick trotted out the mean, black, turbocharged Grand National — Ford equipped the nicely styled ninth-generation Thunderbird with a turbocharged 4-banger and presciently ushered in an era of turbo performance that is just now swinging into high gear across the brand.

Then, during the retro-renaissance of the late 1990s and early 2000s (which birthed homages such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser, VW New Beetle, et al), the Thunderbird re-emerged again, this time as the first T-bird convertible in 35 years. But its designers’ efforts to bridge the past and present fell short, and the 2002–05 Thunderbirds never looked like they had much game. (However, Ford has learned its lessons well, as evidenced by the latest Mustang Fastback and Ford GT, both dazzling reinterpretations of half-century old design language.)

All of the foregoing is to suggest that the vast majority of Thunderbirds are under the radar for collectors. Yet they can still represent a lot for the money in comparison with other sports and performances cars of their time — so long as you can find a good one to love. Here are five of my favorites.

1955 convertible: The original Thunderbird was a lovely and reserved execution reminiscent of a Pininfarina design. Minus the side air vents and Continental spare-tire kit of the 1956 models and the rocket fins of the 1957 models, it represents the original and purest version of the nameplate. The ACC Pocket Price Guide values them at a median of $28,600 today.

1963 coupe: Akin to the Chrysler Turbine Car in some ways, the “Bullet Birds” have a chiseled nose, rakish body sides, subtle rather than overemphatic tailfins and afterburner taillights. Inside was a sweeping console of stainless steel, a swing-away wheel, and a Sinatra-era cocktail of purposeful luxury. The chassis was unremarkable, but under the hood lived a 390-inch motor that could haul the mail. The 1961 through 1963 ’Birds can be quickly distinguished by the unique trim on their body sides — it’s on the rear fenders for the ’61 and ’62, and on the doors for the ’63. The median price for 1963 coupes is $15,000, according to the price guide.

1966 convertible: The year 1966 offered the last Thunderbird convertible until 2002, and the end of the line for any particularly laudable style. Highlights included a complex — but effective when properly sorted — retractable soft top that used a series of relays, motors and hydraulic cylinders to automatically stow inside the trunk. Although not boasting the most graceful front-end design, the tail end and interior are much better, with a wonderful wraparound rear seat reminiscent of a speedboat. Options such as air conditioning and power windows add a premium convertible experience, and today the median price for ’66 convertibles is $26,000 (add 10% for the optional 428-ci big block), according to the price guide.

1978 Diamond Jubilee Edition: Straight out of “American Hustle”, the 1977–79 ’Birds were festooned with more trinkets than the prize bin at Chuck E. Cheese’s. That and volumes of vinyl, woodgrain, and various engineering and design Band-Aids that made the end product reek with dysfunction. And after 40 years, that’s coming around nicely, by my reckoning. In fact, the wretched excess American cars of the 1970s seem like the perfect antidote for a PC world. The ACC Premium Auction Database shows a current average price of $3,500. Sign me up!

1987–88 turbo coupe: Leading up to Ford’s NASCAR championship with Elliott, the Thunderbird had come alive with its turbocharged four — a rarity in America at the time. Built from 1983 to ’88, the Turbo coupe had kick-ass performance for the day, looked great, and the final two years featured a factory intercooler. These cars aren’t in the ACC Pocket Guide and we rarely see them at auction, but the ACC Premium Auction Database shows an average price of $7,000.

“My daddy drove a DeSoto/I drive a Thunderbird,” purred the sanguine Hiatt in “Thunderbird.” At these great prices, maybe we should too.

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