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Originally pitched as Ford’s true sports car (and an answer to the Chevy Corvette), the Thunderbird began life in the 1955 model year as a two-seat convertible with a comfortable interior and V8 power under the hood that pushed it past a top speed of 100mph. Immediately popular, the T-Bird roadster took “Car of the Year” honors from Motor Trend in 1958, the same year that Ford introduced a four-door version and began positioning it as a luxury car. At about the same time, the Thunderbird was also racking up wins on the NASCAR scene when it started racing in 1959. The transition to luxury vehicle continued in the ’60s as Ford began focusing on Mustang to lead the way in the sports car market. Thunderbird moved into its notable jet-era styling before heading into the 1970s as a sprawlingly large luxury hardtop coupe with a huge 429ci engine (with the option to upgrade to a 460ci version). As emissions standards began to settle in, the T-Bird trundled through the ’80s and ’90s bouncing between mid-size and full-size editions, while still remaining focused on being a luxury option for two-door purchasers before going dormant in 1997. After a five-year nap, the Thunderbird’s final blaze of glory came in 2002 when Ford re-introduced the vehicle with retro styling mimicking the look of the mid-1950s and early-1960s models with its mesh grille, porthole windows and rounded headlights. Powered by a modern Jaguar engine and built on the same platform as Jags and Lincolns, the modern T-Bird received a ton of great initial press (including its fourth Car of the Year award), but the attention passed quickly and the T-Bird was retired once again in 2005.