The 1955-57 Ford Thunderbird two-seater is one of the automaker's most revered models and has been rising significantly in value, although it's still pretty affordable.

The 1955 Thunderbird was only America's second mass-produced two-seater from a large automaker, behind the original 1953 Chevrolet Corvette.

Sports cars were strange territory for U.S. automakers in the early 1950s, but a growing number of Americans were finding them alluring. Some just thought any sporty looking car was a sports car. That's why Buick got away with calling its big, factory customized four-seat 1953 Buick Skylark with wire wheels a "sports car."

Sports cars were strange territory for U.S. automakers in the early 1950s, but a growing number of Americans were finding them alluring. Some just thought any sporty looking car was a sports car. That's why Buick got away with calling its big, factory customized four-seat 1953 Buick Skylark with wire wheels a "sports car."

The 1953 Corvette was a fairly nimble sports car, but sports car fans didn't accept it because it had jazzy General Motors show car styling, creaking fiberglass body and a lazy two-speed automatic transmission. European sports cars had purposeful metal bodies and manual transmissions. The Corvette also had an old Chevrolet six-cylinder engine because Chevy didn't get its first V-8 until 1955.

The story goes that the Thunderbird two-seater was built because Ford division general manager Lewis Crusoe was admiring European sports cars at the 1951 Paris auto show with Ford designer George Walker.

"Why can't we have something like that?" Crusoe asked Walker after examining a sporty European two-seater.

"Oh, but we do," the quick-witted Walker fibbed -- and then telephoned Ford headquarters in Michigan to get to work fast on a two-seater so Crusoe would have something to see when he returned from Europe.

That story wasn't entirely true. Ford had been working on a two-seater but wasn't serious about it because sports cars -- virtually all British -- accounted for a tiny percentage of the market. Most of the first Corvettes, which arrived in late 1953, were given to VIPs such as celebrities and dealers to reverse Chevrolet's stodgy image. Most VIPs didn't want them because they had a clumsy convertible top, no outside door handles and removable plastic side curtains instead of roll-up windows.

Only 315 Corvettes were built in 1953 because of assembly problems, and Chevy soon had a hard time giving the car to VIPs. Average people finally could get one by the summer of 1954. But the 'Vette cost about the same as the British Jaguar, which was regarded as a genuine sleek sports car. Corvette sales in 1954 thus totaled a dismal 3,640 cars.

Ford designed the 1955 Thunderbird to appeal to a much wider audience than the Corvette or any sports car could attract. It thus called the "T-Bird" a "personal car" and gave it items including roll-up windows and a standard removable hard top or optional power soft top -- or both. It never called the 1955-57 T-Bird a sports car. The 1955 Thunderbird cost $2,944, or virtually the same as a Corvette.

The Thunderbird had a V-8 from Ford Motor's Mercury division. The 292-cubic-inch engine produced 193 horsepower with a three-speed manual transmission and 198 horsepower with a three-speed automatic.

The steel-body Thunderbird's clean Euro-type styling was superb. The classic 1960 Ferrari 250GT coupe, styled by noted Italian designer Pininfarina, resembled the 1955 T-Bird.

Ford used the first Thunderbird to promote regular Fords and to keep T-Bird costs down. The Thunderbird thus shared items such as headlights, taillights and instruments with regular models. While fast, the T-Bird had average handling because it was mainly a stylish boulevard cruiser. Men liked the T-Bird, but it also seemed perfect for women because they found it sporty and comfortable. With nifty styling, comfort and convenience, it was better for 99 percent of the U.S. market than the Corvette.

Still, the Thunderbird was a serious car -- a privately entered model beat rivals in the production sports car class at the Daytona Speed Weeks in 1955. It hit 124.6 mph and topped every Porsche, Austin-Healey and all but one Jaguar XK-120.

The 1955 Corvette had the car's original styling, so the addition of a V-8 and manual gearbox came too late to help it that year. Sales totaled a dismal 674 units, causing GM to nearly drop the car. But the 1955 Thunderbird had sales of 16,155 units and thus forced GM to improve the restyled 1956 Corvette, which saw sales jump to 3,467 cars.

The 1956 Thunderbird's hardtop got circular rear side windows -- or "portholes" -- for better driver visibility. The spare tire was put in a metal case on the rear bumper for more trunk space, with dual exhaust outlets in the bumper tips. Ventilation was improved, and the suspension provided a more comfortable ride.

A 312-cubic-inch V-8 was available for 1956. It had 225 horsepower with an automatic transmission and 215 horsepower with the manual transmission and overdrive. (Stick shift models without overdrive retained the 292-cubic-inch V-8, which now had 202 horsepower.)

A production delay caused 1956 T-Bird sales to slip to 15,631 cars, but that still was more than four times the number of Corvettes built. Ford initially had figured on selling only 10,000 T-Birds a year, anyway. The price rose modestly to $3,151.

Many regard the 1957 T-Bird as the best 1950s T-Bird two-seater, although it lacked the clean lines of the first two models. It had a new combination front bumper/grille and longer rear end, which again enclosed the spare tire. Rear fenders had mild fins, as did conventional 1957 Fords, because Ford wanted to maintain the potent Thunderbird sales influence on regular models. The instrument panel was new, with gauges nestled under a cowl. A new Dial-O-Matic power seat automatically went to a preset position when the car was started, and radio volume rose as engine speed increased.

A manual-transmission Thunderbird still had the 292 V-8, but its power jumped to 212. Also offered was a 312-cubic-inch V-8 with 245, 270 or 285 horsepower. And there were 208 supercharged "F" T-Birds with a 312 V-8 producing 300-340 horsepower.

At $3,408, a 1957 Thunderbird still cost about the same as the 'Vette. That T-Bird was built through the end of the model year, so its production was the highest at 21,380 cars for the years the two-seater was made. The T-Bird again far outsold the 1957 Corvette. The 'Vette was becoming a formidable sports car rivaling top foreign makes, but 1957 production still totaled only 6,339 cars.

The 1955-57 Thunderbird had a relatively short, happy flight because it was replaced with a higher-volume T-Bird four-seater for 1958. But its attributes always have kept it in the collector class.

A 1955 Thunderbird in top condition is valued at $28,800 with a hard top and at $32,000 with both tops. A 1956 model is at $31,000 with a soft top and $34,500 with both tops. The 1957 T-Bird has the highest valuation, at $39,150 with a hardtop and at $43,500 with both tops. The rare supercharged 1957 Thunderbird goes from $60,000 to $112,500.

The 1950s Thunderbird two-seater never really has gone out of style. It probably will never cease being desirable.