![]() The Thunderbird was designed as least in part to compete with the Corvette as the consumer interest in two-seater sports cars began to rise in the early 1950s. The base price for the car was $3,151, which was about $450 more than the base price of the 1955 models. Total production of the 1956 models was down slightly from 1955 to 15,631, which was just over 500 less cars than the year before. Options included four-way power seats, power brakes, power windows, power steering, rear fender shields, radio and heater. Other standard features included courtesy interior lights with automatic door switches, dual horns and a glove box. Cowl side vents became a standard feature in 1956, as did new glass wind deflectors. The carpet and steering wheel were color-keyed to each interior color choice. Once again, only one model of the Thunderbird was available, though many options were available. There were five two-tone color combinations to choose from for the interior of the car. As had been the case in 1955, there were two roof options, a fabric convertible top and a removable hard top, now complete with the portholes that provided much better visibility. A hardtop that matched the body color had to be custom ordered from Ford, though it didn’t cost extra. Seven body colors were available: Colonial White, Thunderbird Gray, Raven Black, Peacock Blue, Buckskin Tan, Thunderbird Green and Fiesta Red. An additional change to the 1956 model was that the electrical system was bumped up from six volts to 12.įor 1956, the exterior color options increased to 13 two-tone combinations. ![]() With the Ford-O-Matic option, the horsepower for that engine was increased to 198. The base engine was the same engine found in all 1955 models, a 4-barrel 292 V8 rated at 193 horsepower. The new 4-barrel 312 V8 produced 215 horsepower, and that number was increased to 225 if the optional Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission was chosen. This was particularly true since the car’s main competition, the Corvette, had eliminated its inline six standard motor option and also offered two V8 engines in 1956. While the Thunderbird was still (and always would be) marketed as a “personal luxury” car rather than a sports car, the higher performance option was a nice touch. Other than the aforementioned Continental Kit, the main visual changes were found in more numerous color options on the interior and exterior of the car.īut the biggest news for the 1956 models was the new more powerful V8 engine options. After the success of the 1955 Thunderbirds, very few changes were made to the 1956 models.
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