

The suspension is much too soft for superior handling…steering is excessively slow.” Just while Chevrolet was turning the Corvette into a serious performance car, Ford had invented our father’s Olds before Oldsmobile did. One report alleged, “that while smooth and comfortable for freeway travel, it is not particularly maneuverable.

Then the first test reports came out, showing the two-ton sled to take 13.5 seconds to get to 60 miles per hour (as compared to 9.3 seconds for the ’57 T-Bird). We budding car nuts couldn’t believe that Ford had scrapped its sleek two-seater for a four-passenger barge with squared-off lines and too much chrome. I’ll never forget that night at the local drive-in, 45 years ago, when the first pictures of the’58 Thunderbird were passed around.

This represents a new record price for a “Square Bird.” Vintage Thunderbird Club International (VTCI) PO Box 2250, Dearborn, MI 48123 316/794-8132ġ961-66 Olds Starfire convertible, 1960-61 Chrysler New Yorker, 1964 Chrysler 300K convertibleĪt Christie’s Rockefeller Center auction on May 18, 2002, this T-Bird brought an amazingly high $47,000, including buyer’s premium.
