The passing of songwriting and harmonizing legend Brian Wilson on June 11, 2025, evoked a flood of nostalgia for hot summer days riding the waves and cool nights cruising the strip.
In 1963 Wilson and the rest of the Beach Boys cemented their place in car culture with the song “Little Deuce Coupe.” It was an ode to the modified 1932 Ford with a flathead mill that could, per the lyrics, “walk a Thunderbird like she’s standing still.”
A year later, Wilson would co-write “Fun, Fun, Fun,” a song about a hot-rodding girl who goes on full-throttle joy rides in her father’s Thunderbird rather than puttering to the library as promised—at least “till her daddy takes the T-Bird away.”
The song’s key takeaway: Hands off my Thunderbird, now study your algebra.
Brian Wilson’s brother Dennis, Beach Boys’ drummer and co-founder, actually owned a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, one of 16,155 sold that year. Ford would crank out 4.2 million T-Birds over eleven generations until executives would, well, take the T-Bird away. The final car rolled off the assembly line in July 2005 at Ford’s Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan. That’s a lot of memories…and fuzzy dice.
Seventy years after outselling the Corvette by more than two-to-one in its first year, the mighty V8-powered Thunderbird still captures the hearts of enthusiasts who enjoy the thrill of their rides—without threat of parental intervention. This was evident at the 67th Father’s Day Car Show at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, where around 30 Thunderbirds drew an appreciative crowd at the former estate of F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
Here are a few of our favorite Thunderbird photos from the event.
The 2025 Father’s Day Car Show at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio only about 20 minutes from Summit Racing Equipment headquarters, is one of the country’s longest-running car shows. Among the 400 vehicles on the grounds June 15, Thunderbirds representing several of its eleven generations—and a rainbow of plumages—were on full display. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)First-generation Thunderbirds (1955-57) were well-represented at the show. Here’s a 1955, the first two-seater Ford had produced since 1938. Retailing for $2,944, it featured a 292 cubic inch Ford Y-block V8, four-way power seats, telescoping steering wheel, and push-button interior door handles. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)Note the stick shift here. When Ford launched the T-Bird in 1955, a manual transmission was standard—something that was conspicuously absent when the rival Corvette debuted earlier in 1953. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The 1956 Thunderbird introduced several changes, including additional trunk space thanks to the spare now being mounted outside in a “Continental Kit.” (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The removable hardtop was standard in the first-gen. Thunderbird and easily identified by its iconic porthole side windows. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The T-Bird bowed with a more traditional tailfin and taillight treatment. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)But in the final year of its first generation (1957), the taillight transformed into a jet thruster-inspired nacelle with complementing fin—in keeping with the space-age styling trends of the era. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)Other changes for 1957 included a more streamlined grille and larger front bumper. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)And 1957 models are very easy to spot thanks to the script “Thunderbird” emblem ahead of the fender louvers. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)Ford executives thought T-bird sales were being restricted by its two-seat configuration, so it gave the second-generation “Square Bird” Thunderbirds (1958-60) a rear seat—essentially creating a new “personal luxury car” segment that would later spawn competitors like the Buick Riviera, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Dodge Charger. The 1960 mid-size four-seater in this pic also added a third taillight and set a record at the time for Thunderbird sales, moving more than 92,800 units. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)Here’s a 300 horsepower 352 CID FE engine in a 1960 Thunderbird. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The third-generation (1961-63) “Bullet Bird” Thunderbird offered a sleeker design and unique features. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)For example, the notable “swing away” steering wheel in this 1961 T-Bird could shift 18 inches to the right, making it easier for you to exit the car. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The restyled fourth-generation Thunderbird (1964-66), known as “Flair Birds,” offered enthusiasts a more formal, rounded-off look than its sportier predecessors. Above is a 1964 model—the best-seller of the fourth-gen T-Birds—in Rangoon Red. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)A Patrician Green 1964 hardtop. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)You can tell a 1964 T-Bird from other fourth-gens because it’s the only one with Thunderbird spelled out on the front hood. We dig the license plate too. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)Among other changes like new trim, front disc brakes became standard equipment with the introduction of the 1965 model. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The 1966 Town Landau T-Bird with 390 cubic-inch V8 and Cruise-O-Matic transmission was the best-selling of the 1966 T-Bird models, accounting for 35,105 of the 69,176 units sold. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)The seventh-generation (1977-79) Thunderbird reflects the model’s shift from full- to intermediate-size luxury car. Ten inches shorter and lighter than the preceding generation (sixth-gen models tipped the scales at an elephantine 5,000 lbs.), this was the best-selling generation in the 50-year history of the Thunderbird. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)(Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)This is the interior of a 1979 Thunderbird, complete with eight-track player. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)No Thunderbirds were built from 1998-2001, but Ford brought the car back with the retro-styled 2002-05 edition. This 2005 Thunderbird “50th Anniversary” Limited Edition model with Cashmere Tri-Coat Metallic paint is one of 1,500 made. It features matching cashmere-colored leather seats and a commemorative plaque on the dashboard. (Image/Summit Racing – Wayne Marks)
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