It may look a bit ungainly, but we can see the basic form of the 1955 Thunderbird taking shape in this pieced-together Ford test mule called the Burnetti.
In the Motor City, ingenuity is the soul of product development, and the Burnetti is the proof of that. When the project that became the Ford Thunderbird got underway, it was decided to base the two-seat sports car on a shortened Ford passenger car chassis with its wheelbase reduced from 115 to 102 inches. This was a far more economical approach than creating an entirely new platform from scratch—and indeed, it was similar to the one employed by Chevrolet for the Corvette.
Naturally, a test mule was constructed to explore the problems and possibilities of this path, and the Burnetti was the result. The odd-looking auto was named after Ford engineer Bill Burnett, with some tongue in cheek, we imagine. His personal ’56 Thunderbird is now in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum.
A production ’53 Customline sedan was shortened, body and chassis, removing the entire rear seat area. Meanwhile, the front doghouse was lengthened, somewhat crudely it appears, but roughly approximating the desired dash-to-axle proportions. The Burnetti’s bodywork may have looked homely, but it provided all-weather comfort for the test engineers, and we have to admit it does have a certain charm.
Meanwhile, an all-star team of Ford stylists, including John Samsen, Frank Hershey, and Bill Boyer, was working out the actual exterior design for the Thunderbird, producing countless renderings and multiple clay and fiberglass models. Varous names were proposed, too, including Sportsman, Beaver, Detroiter, and Saville. It’s said the chief objection to the name Thunderbird came from Henry Ford II himself, the automaker’s undisputed boss of everything, but he was eventually convinced.
There were varying ideas about the exterior trim as well, including a gaudy Fairlane-style treatment than darned near made it to production (see our feature here). The final production version, or close to it, was finished just in time to make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in February of 1954. Henry Ford II and his youngest brother William Clay Ford, head of the Continental Division, were there to look it over, as seen below.
Credit the T-Bird for saving the Corvette’s life. Chevy sold just 700 in 1955, even with a V-8 engine, and GM would have killed the Vette except that would mean losing face via the intro of a Ford two-seater. This allowed Chevy to continue the Vette in ’56, with competitive features such as roll-up windows (replacing side curtains) and a nicely styled facelift, all of which p-ut Vette sales into the thousands and up from there.