Pink 1957 Thunderbird, 2020

Description

American Classics: T-Bird and Vette Series

In 1954, Chevrolet launched a somewhat clunky fiberglass sports car that would evolve into a cultural icon—Barbie had a pink one—the Corvette.  The same year, Ford took a different route with the more luxurious and less brute Thunderbird.  While the “Vette” has stayed true to its sporting heritage ever since, the T-Bird has suffered from a loss of focus and ultimate demise, with 1957 recognized as the acme of the marque’s design lines.  Vette aficionados argue over the best year, but it is difficult to argue with the lines of the 1956 model.  There were other sporty cars of the late 1950s such as the elegant Lincoln Mark II, and several Studebakers, that all failed to stick.  It has been said that the Vette is masculine while the T-Bird was feminine.  If so, what does that in retrospect imply?