Classic Car Comparison | '59 Corvette vs '55 Thunderbird | Driving.ca

[@vogmar1]

Last weekend, I was cruising in my '55 T-bird and came up on a '59 Corvette. We exchanged friendly waves. Mutual respect and admiration for both cars :)

[@FastCarsNoRules220]

I would like to see an alternate timeline where the Thunderbird remained as a two seat sports car instead of turning into a luxury car and continued being a competitor to the Corvette from 1958 to the present.

[@wblk]

Why didn't they use a 56 Corvette with the 4.3L 210 HP

[@johnhansen4550]

I agree with Jeremy Thompson, the comparison should be 1957 to 1957. The '59 Corvette was more expensive....3,900 to 2,700. If you give me $10,500 in 2019 dollars and I could build a great T-bird for the difference. That is how $1200 in 1959 is now! One of 205 factory-supercharged F-Code Thunderbirds. California Car, Hard top, Power brakes, power steering, power windows, signal seek radio, automatic transmission. Comes with Thunderbird handbook an original copy of window sticker showing price of $3702.57. The two-seater Thunderbird went out in 1957 with its head held high, thanks to refreshed styling and a host of new engine options. Most desirable of the new mills was the magical F-Code V-8. An F-Bird, as they are lovingly known by enthusiasts, came with a Thunderbird Special 312-cubic inch V-8, to which was added a McCulloch/Paxton supercharger, a hot cam, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and unique cylinder heads, to keep the compression ratio at a reasonably sane 8.5:1. Either a manual or automatic transmission was available. All of this was a $340 factory option package on top of the '57 Thunderbird's $2,944 base price, but to the lead-footed T-Bird owner, it was worth its weight in gold. The 300 horsepower of the F-Code engine turned the Thunderbird from a reasonably quick cruiser into a dedicated quarter-mile contender, which was just the thing for trouncing those cocky Corvette owners. Should very compared apples with apples. Like comparing a stripped 1970 Ford Falcon with an Oldsmobile 442 W37.....

[@jeremythompson9122]

57 T-Bird vs 57 Corvette sounds more fair. I would take a supercharged 57 T-Bird over about any Corvette ever made...besides maybe an L88 or one of the three 69 ZL1 Vettes ever made

[@BEBNC1]

This is not even a close the comparison. The Corvette...all day long. Unless you're just a Ford homer.

[@RBZ06LT6]

U crazy as hell! 😄 typical Ford dude who still cant accept the Thunderbird never made it big even for its "comeback" in the early 2000s lol

[@CARSON441]

@@RBZ06LT6 More accurately "especially the comeback birds in the early 2000s. Now there Was Some weak sauce, Chip Foose's restyle helped some, But he should have been there at the start. The Ford Motor Company had lost the spirit that it had in 1957. To equal, the Corvette of this day is not a thing that the company has the spirit or ability to do.

[@sorshiaemms5959]

a fair comparison would have been if the corvette had a regular single 4 barrel carb setup instead of the high out put 2 four barrel setup . come on keep it oranges to oranges

[@kepelli1]

57 Thunderbird dual quad would have evened it out.

[@Arkeagood]

im willing to bet the comparison would be different if they compared closer years

[@DolphusRaymond]

not really a fair comparison, I'd say the 55 T-Bird was a nicer car than the 55 Corvette, by the time that 59 Vette came out, the T-Bird was already in its second year of the upscaled 'Square Bird' model. It would have been better to compare those.

[@Lookbusybuddy]

Thunderbird please. Thankyou.

[@youtubesecurity5702]

Why not compare it to a 59 tbird 430? Mine is extremely quick 0 to 60 in 6 sec. Leaves the corvette behind

[@jeffmiller7817]

IT's not a fair test... The Corvette is a 59 and the T-Bird is a 56... That is 3 year's worth of upgrades to the Corvette compared to the T-Bird... In 1956 the Corvette had just over 200 HP like the T-Bird, and it had a 3 speed manual not 275 HP with a 4 speed. like the 59 they used... Seems like they would at least throw in a disclaimer about the fact the 59 is 3 years newer and has newer options... Yep, not a really fair test, but considering the 55 T-Bird outsold the Corvette over 30 to 1 and the 56 outsold the Corvette by over 10 to 1, I guess they had to get a newer Corvette to make it a closer competition since all 3 years of the 2 seat T-Birds outsold the Corvettes by a 10-1 margin or more... So in reality, in 1956 when the T-Bird was new, it was the one that dominated the 2 seat American made sports car field, not the Corvette... Just My Humble Opinion...

[@joshuas8258]

55-57 Thunderbird from a style standpoint any day but the early Vettes are gorgeous too. This is an odd comparison. Do the 57 E Series or F Series Thunderbird vs the 57 Fuelie Vette. Those are true sports cars

[@eoggblaine9725]

I had a friend who drove at Mosport ( the Canadian race track) he drove a mini, and said he wiped the corvette with ease.

[@mikeanglada742]

Two Gorgeous Cars... Chevy Man myself,,, but nothing but Respect for Ford.

[@tbamagic]

Apples and oranges, guys. Foolish comparison. The Bird was designed as a "personal luxury touring car". The Vette was designed as a sports car. The only thing they have in common is that they are both 2 seaters. I've owned both and drove them for several years. Both had their strong and weak points.

[@drivingca]

What should we have compared the Vette or the T-Bird to instead?

[@saltyraidersfan1022]

🍎= 🍊Comparison 1953-54 Chevy Vette was a Straight 6 . (155hp 223TQ) Top Dog vette in 1959 was Ramjet fuel Inj. 283 V8 making 290hp. 290TQ . Meanwhile Ford decided to go racing Final year in 1957 with F code Supercharged 312 V8 300hp/439 TQ . Chevy and Ford had 3 options of V8 power in mid to late 50’s 🤓

[@GorillaCookies]

I don't think the 56 Thunderbird was the 59 Corvettes biggest rival . Maybe the 59 thunderbird but the 56 Corvette is a better comparison to the 56 Thunderbird.

[@thedamddino4893]

The answer is simple.... which one is still in production

[@ryanhunter130]

Thundebird's will always have a special place in my heart....she's like the pretty girl with high standards, meanwhile the Corvette is a bit sexier, and a touch more rebellious.

[@mikeanglada742]

Nailed It, Dude! and, oh yeah,,, Congratz! :D Oh, wait,, am I guilty of a Me Too infraction now?! :D Peace

[@ryanhunter130]

mike anglada they are gonna start running that shit next! Lmao

[@RBZ06LT6]

What high standards? Ford didnt didnt play by any high standards building the t-bird. They just needed to compete and they failed badly

[@kevinfitz89]

How did jessie eisenberg find the time to argue for the Thunderbird?

[@wblk]

That's a 1956 T-Bird not a 55.

[@jamiepark5707]

59 t bird vs 59 corvette sounds more fair

[@drivingca]

'59 T-Bird was a four seater and no longer a sports car...

[@jeremythompson9122]

Clearly both Chevy guys to begin with

[@MattMatt77]

I should take a shot everytime I hear 6'2

[@user-ts1fp4nm9y]

It would have been more realistic if you had compared it to a 56 or 57 Corvette.

[@1949coupe]

1959 Vette dual qual owner.."this car has power and corners really well". 1959 Porsche 356 Carrera owner....hold my beer. My brother in law has a 1960 Vette. I'm 6'3" and I don't fit to the point I can't drive the car properly with the top down. Top up, I can't get in.

[@bartdvorak5306]

But thunderbird isn't about speed as much, as like legend. For most people, he is forgotten. But how? In 50' he was absolut magnet for young people, who can afford more than Edsel. Corvette sounds better, drives better, and never became a boring sedan. But for me, T-Bird will be for ever!

[@yankee2yankee216]

Right, the Corvette is faster... could that be because it has 50% more HP? The T-bird can easily be made to have as much or more, and it’s not as expensive as the Corvette ($25K-$30K will buy a pretty good Bird, whereas a comparable ‘Vette would be $50K-$60K). There are extra bucks available to improve it! If we did that, would the Corvette STILL be the better (sports)car? NOT NECESSARILY! I for one LIKE the T-bird. I LIKE the way it looks, cleaner than the Vette, like an American car of the 50s, fins and all, but LITTLE! AND fast. I would put a bigger carb and a hotter cam, some stiffer springs and shocks, and a Tremec (?) 5-speed in the ‘bird, and I wager I would be extremely happy with it. In fact, I’d wager it would be a pretty good match for the Corvette...

[@RBZ06LT6]

If and if and excuses and more excuses and wahh wahhh.

[@joshuas8258]

You cannot buy a good 56 Thunderbird for $25k….maybe fiberglass fenders, bondo and the incorrect engine. A good driver 56 bird is at least $50-70k

[@StanHay-j6p]

Yes please ❤❤

[@Rizingpho]

But remember the corvette is 90k for a restored one.... thunderbird about 30-50k

[@johnhansen4550]

Look at the value on a '57 superchargered Tbird....it was cheaper new than the Corvette

[@youarein1ov3]

Anyone here from Agents of Shield? Lola vs Rosalind's car

[@jimbaroni1548]

Clearly, the truth is not included: The 1955 Corvette was a 6 cylinder car and the V8 1955 TBird sold 2 to every 1955 Corvette in 55. A 1959 Corvette and 1955 TBird is a waste of time comparison as it is not apples to apples. However, I love the classic Corvettes and would be proud to park one in my garage next to my 1955 TBird.

[@tuckersbaby]

More than double. The 1955 T-bird outsold Chevrolet 23 to 1 in the first year

[@thinkerly1]

Says 56 t-bird yet the title says 55. Not paying attention.

[@amadeonovoa1616]

Corvette forever!!!

[@MrAustinsomerset]

Good fun to review the early Thunderbird vs Corvette. But in all fairness, a 1959 Vette against the '56 TBird, mechanically identical to the '55 Bird is simply not fair. To compare a Corvette of the same vintage as the Thunderbird would be a different story. The TBird was introduced to the public in February 1954, with the first unit sold in October that year. The powerplant was the 292 cu in Y-Block V8 with Holley 4-barrel carb, developing 193hp. The Corvette of the same era was an inline 6 cyl, putting out 150Hp in its initial 2 years, to 155hp its 235 cu in through 195hp by the end of the 1955 production year. It wasn't until 1956 that the 265 cu in small block V8 was offered as an option in the Vette. More lessons were learned by both marques as larger engines were offered in both cars through '57. But the Corvette learned its early lessons from Thunderbird, whose sales far eclipsed the Vette's. Sadly there was no '59 two-seater Thunderbird to compare to the '59 Corvette, the ill-fated TBird ceasing to be a sports car.

[@drivingca]

A good point but tracking down cars like these for a comparison is pretty tricky.

[@SamuelReece-i5g]

Nice

[@zaszz]

cleidus!

[@drivingca]

Hello!

[@CARSON441]

​@@drivingca THE ONE big problem that FORD had was Zora Arkus-Duntov, Ford didn't have a ramrod like that until Henry Ford II hired Caroll Shelby. Had Shelby been around in '57 and had a hand in the T-Bird I believe we would have a 2 seat T-bird world-beater today! But that didn't happen, instead of car guys at Ford, we got passionless bean counters and marketing people that took the Thunderbird name and turned it into a joke with Landau bars on the roof,fer Christ's sake! Compare and contrast that with the C8 Corvette. Ford has no HALO car. While Corvette Racing ended a run of 20 consecutive years and eight wins at Le Mans that started in 2000. Ford surrendered in 1958! We know Ford has the talent to build Great Cars, think the latest Mustangs, constant development over a 60-year run their passion-driven assault on LeMan ending in victory. They are capable of building a car to equal the C8 Corvette they simply choose not to!