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The Thunderbird for 1958 was redesigned in concept to be a four-passenger vehicle with front bucket seats split by a console, and individual seating positions for the rear seat passengers. Granted, the new Thunderbird also carried sporty exterior lines that set it apart from other Ford products of the era. In contrast to the first-generation Thunderbird design, its features were bolder, larger and deeply sculpted in metal.
Single headlamps became duals while the frontal appearance still echoed the first generation T-Bird. Gone was the rounded and removable hardtop of the 1955-1957 design. In its place was a fixed, square-topped coupe that made the car look like a two-passenger car at a quick glance.
The car was also to be offered as a convertible. The Thunderbird’s wheelbase was stretched to 113 inches, nearly a foot longer than its original 102-inch span. Construction for the 1958 was unit-body form, a trendy move engulfing the thinking of American car companies at that time.
What was standard on that 1958 Thunderbird was a large, big-block eight of 352 cubic inches. The Lincoln version — with 430 cubic inches — was in store for the 1959 Thunderbird. The 1958 version cushioned riders with rear coil spring suspension, which was expected to be part of an air suspension system that never came to pass. For 1959, Thunderbird made a shift to rear leaf springs as the air idea dissipated.
read more: https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1958-1960-ford-thunderbirds
