Miller says they started taking styling cues from the car itself, starting with grille. Overhangs were filled in, and the bumpers were tucked. For example, all the handles, emblems, and mounting hardware were shaved. While the square bird boasts new age technology, tons of good old fashioned hot rodding went into its design. A Retrosound stereo system provides the tunes, an A/C system allows Short to cruise in comfort, and an Accuair suspension system delivers a smooth ride. A custom made console holds an Ipad, and the stock dash features billet accents. Using the Coyote engine as inspiration, Short and Miller continued to incorporate more modern upgrades. The engine features a custom cold air system that routes air though a one-off cowl system. The Coyote gives the Thunderbird a combination of great fuel mileage and good power - a combination that simply wasn’t possible in 1958. Short already had a Ford 5.oL Coyote motor lined up for the bird. The modern touches start with what’s under the hood. So we thought we’d make a modern ‘square bird’ with the modern touches.” “And then we just started throwing ideas around, because the ‘square birds,’ especially these ones, aren’t super popular in the custom world, although they’re hot in the lowrider scene. “We were just going to do a clean, simple build,” Miller said. You’ll see a lot of really well done Thunderbirds around Reno, but there’s not a chance you’ll see another one like Alex Short’s ’58 Thunderbird. In fact, Short himself couldn’t envision how his Thunderbird would turn out when he took it to friend Cam Miller’s shop, HS Customs in Logan, UT. Ever since then, the center console, now usually with gear shift, has been an essential part of every personal luxury-type car.RENO, NV - Ford Thunderbirds are a popular car, especially at Hot August Nights. The split interior theme extended from the dual cockpit dash all the way through the rear deck to the rear bumper.

So Ford designers made it a part of the styling. The unit body, not having any frame, required a large driveline tunnel to provide rigidity to the body structure. This resulted from making a virtue out of a necessity.

This came about, because the ’58 T-Bird pioneered the use of a center console, which divided the passenger compartment and prevented seating room for the fifth and sixth passengers. The aim is to provide intimate, luxurious transport for two couples. Upholstery, trim, amenities and power compare with top-end luxury cars. These cars have a back seat, but only seat four, not five or six people. They are smaller than a full-sized and medium- or high-priced sedan. The definition of the new car type was established by the ’58 Thunderbird. This new style was eventually emulated by virtually every other volume car builder. This car created a whole new type of automobile, the “personal luxury” coupe. In spite of the occasional negative comments and the disappointment that the sporty two-passenger ’Bird was gone, there is no question that the ’58 Thunderbird was a huge success. This type of handling was par for the course in 1958. But the 50/50 weight distribution helped, and the power and acceleration was impressive. Road & Track magazine criticized all of these “unrelated curves, bulges and sharp edges.” The windshield wrapped so far around the corner, it was difficult for passengers to get their knees past it.Ĭar magazine road tests of the new Thunderbirds found the steering slow and numb, and body roll in turns and directional stability distinctly non-sports car. So, the rear had four large, round tail lamps inspired by jet exhausts, and the sides had a mix of projectile-like shapes capped by small tailfins on top of the rear fenders. Remember, this was the time of tailfins, wrap-around windshields and super low designs with lots of influence from rocket ships and jet engines.

Styling remains somewhat controversial, even today. Interestingly, the new car was only one inch higher than the ’57 T-Bird, because unit construction permitted more efficient space utilization. To accommodate a rear seat, wheelbase grew from 102 inches to 113, and overall length went from 181 inches to 205 inches. It was built with a unitized body in a new plant at Wixom, Mich., on the same production line as the 1958 Lincolns, which also used unitized bodies for the first time. The result was an entirely new Thunderbird design introduced in January 1958.

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