When it comes to iconic classic American metal, Ford’s Thunderbird has pretty much flown under the radar. Built to compete with General Motors’ Corvette, the original Thunderbird, named after a North American mythical creature, was built to be the Blue Oval’s answer to the emerging sports car market. It is said that Ford’s top brass saw the Corvette and asked, “Why haven’t we got something like that?
”As a result, the first-generation T-bird was designed as an actual sports car, with a two-seat layout, handsome lines, and a lively V8 engine, which in some