Cool Cars with Dad and Bill - 1956 and 1957 Ford Thunderbird

Bill: "Hey, nice car. Wish it was blue.. like my eyes"

Dad: "Poof! It's blue!"




Bill: "That's crazy!"

Dad: "I know, right! And I changed your clothes and turned us around!"

Bill: "Waitaminute...."

Dad: "Ok ok. It's just two versions of the same car found in the exact same spot on separate days. You got me."

Bill: "How come one has bumper boobies and the other doesn't?"

Dad: "Those are bullets, not boobies. Fins, bumper bullets, and wheel spinners were the style at the time because they gave the cars a sense of speed even when they were sitting still. Like a bullet or a jet."

Bill: "Well I'm not big on the bumper boobies but I do like those vents in the front quarterpanels. Makes it look like a shark!"

Dad: "That it does."

Bill: "It even has a porthole window in the top. I'm assuming that's for underwater use."

Dad: "Nah, just another one of those things that were the style at the time. It actually offers very little visibility and doesn't really fit with the lines of the car. Most of the accoutrements were little more than shiny fluff serving no purpose."

Bill: "Tim Gunn would say they should use an editing eye."

Dad: "Probably. They are a little flamboyant by today's standards. But, compared to some of the other cars of the era, they're downright subdued and streamlined."

Bill: "So do they still make Thunderbirds?"

Dad: "Nah. After the 1957 models they got a little nuts with regards to size. In the 70s they were basically battleships on wheels. My dad had one of those models. Terrible cars. Though, it did stand up well when tested against a smaller car head on."

Bill: "He wrecked it?"

Dad: "Kinda! A little car came around a blind curve onto the one lane bridge we were on and hit us. I broke the windshield with my head."

Bill: "Oh... that explains it. Any damage besides the obvious brain injury?"

Dad: "Not really. Wrinkled the fender and pinched the frame a little. He fixed it the Missouri way."

Bill: "Professional body shop?"

Dad: "Log chain tied between the right side of the frame and a sturdy tree. A couple of short trips in reverse gear straightened it up enough."

Bill: "Missouri people."

Dad: "A part of your heritage, son. Now tighten your seatbelt.