An Insurance-Totaled 1955 Ford Thunderbird is Finally Transformed Into a Showstopper

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Richard married Jannie Dittrich that same day. A few more months of advanced training followed at bases in Nevada and Texas, and Richard was soon assigned as an instructor pilot for instrument training in the new T-33, the Air Force's first two-seat, jet-powered trainer. He also "gained currency" (earned military flight experience) in the cockpits of the F-80 Shooting Star and RF-84 Thunder Flashircrafts.

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The Corvette, which had already been on sale for two years, featured a sleek, open-cabin design with curvy body lines that distinguished it from its Chevrolet division siblings. However, the Corvette's build primarily using existing parts, particularly the Blue-Flame six-cylinder engine, was a major weakness - a sporty-looking car like the Corvette should have been able to perform like one. Although Chevy did upgrade the Corvette to a V-8 engine for the 1955 model, the car still struggled with an image problem due to its relatively long 102-inch wheelbase. Without the success of the Thunderbird, it's likely that the Corvette would not have made it to the 1956 model year.

Available with a durable three-speed manual transmission, both as standard equipment.

The Thunderbird was a car that was both sporty and, as the manufacturer's literature put it, "a personal car of distinction." That's what set it apart from the Corvette; the former wasn't marketed as a pure sports car, but rather as a luxurious car with plenty of performance features. Its first year was extremely popular, with 16,155 units produced, significantly outpacing the Corvette's 700 units at a staggering 23-to-1 ratio.

The new Thunderbird had everything Richard desired and even more. After taking a test drive of the two-seater at a Ford dealership, Richard was so impressed that he immediately decided to buy one. In addition to the standard features, Richard's car was delivered in Torch Red paint with a red and white vinyl interior, accompanied by a black vinyl folding soft top. His car was also equipped with a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive, power steering, four-way power seats, power windows, a push-button radio, a heater-defroster, and a cigarette lighter.

Richard taught new recruits in Houston, Texas, for the next three years, until a base closure necessitated a transfer to the Air National Guard base in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he took on full-time safety officer duties. The Air Force covered the cost of his relocation, but he still needed to transport his family and the Thunderbird to his new post.

"I can still picture the day when my mom, dad, my sister Jan, and I packed into that Ford Thunderbird for the long trip from Houston to Lincoln on a scorching summer day. With the standard hardtop on, the four of us were squished inside, but it was our family car during my childhood in Lincoln and also my dad's daily commute to the base, all year round," Shari says, who now lives in Lenox, Iowa.

Shari was still young when family fun with the Ford turned sour. According to her, “Dad came home furious one day because someone had smashed into the T-Bird in a T-bone collision, not his fault. The insurance company eventually declared it a total loss, but dad later bought it back with the intention of keeping it. He was able to find another identical 1955 T-Bird in California and immediately planned a one-way flight to California to drive it back home.”

After completing that mission, more memories of Thunderbird resumed.

"We used to cram our friends into the car whenever I was driving. I mean cram! During the summer, we had to be careful not to get sunburned on the tops of our legs when driving with the windows down. I loved the sound of the car going over Lincoln's brick streets on afternoon drives, especially on Sundays. One of the best things was learning to drive a three-speed manual transmission when I was 16 years old," Shari remembers.

Richard eventually started a complete overhaul of his first Thunderbird, but he eventually got sidetracked and never finished the job. Unfortunately, a few years later the second Thunderbird also got wrecked in a freak accident. “I don't remember the specifics, but dad decided to hold onto that one as well,” Shari says. “Both cars sat idle for several years; dad was planning to restore them both someday. How cool would that have been to have a pair of identical Thunderbirds?”

Richard retired from the Air National Guard in 1982 after accumulating 6,000 flight hours over a distinguished 30-year career. During this time, he piloted some of the Air Force's fastest and most iconic planes, including the F-86 Sabre, the F-102 Delta Dagger, and the RF-4 Phantom. As the years passed, the twin Thunderbirds stood idle.

The year was 1990, and Dad handed Jan and me our very own 'totaled' 1955 Thunderbirds," Shari says. "We knew it was eventually going to happen, but we had hoped that the restorations would be completed by then.

Shari's second Thunderbird sat idle in an enclosed trailer for years. The funding to restore the vehicle wasn't allocated, and there wasn't a suitable garage to keep the Ford in proper storage.

In 1998, I finally saved up enough money to pay for car repairs at Roberts Auto Body in Mount Ayr, Iowa, where they fixed the rust and damaged body and repainted the Ford its original color. When the car was done, though, I was out of funds and couldn't complete the project, so it was put back in storage, only to have the trailer's roof eventually leak and cause further damage to the interior.

My dad passed away in April 2021, but before he passed, he left us a nice inheritance to help cover the costs of restoring each of his T-Birds," Shari says. "I decided to get mine completed as soon as possible, meanwhile, my sister Jan chose to use her inheritance for different things. I hope she'll be able to get hers done someday.

In June 2021, Shari’s Thunderbird made the journey to Hill’s Classic Car Restorations, a renowned specialist for restoring 1955-’57 Thunderbirds located in Racine, Ohio. Under the direction of Marvin Hill, a thorough restoration process began. Both the number-matching 292-cu.in. engine and the three-speed overdrive transmission were overhauled, and the rear differential, equipped with a cruising-friendly 3.25:1 final drive ratio, was rebuilt as well. The chassis was returned to its original specifications. It was decided to do some subtle bodywork and apply a fresh coat of paint to take the exterior presentation to the next level. The interior and even the removable hardtop were also restored to pristine condition. The only significant changes were swapping to a 12-volt electrical system and installing an electric fan for the radiator.

In December of 2021, the Thunderbird was completed and given to a very pleased Shari. "The car turned out significantly better than I could have ever envisioned. I was eager to take it for a spin and show it off at some local car shows, but I had to wait until spring."

As soon as the chill of winter lifted, Shari spent the summer cruising around in her Thunderbird and showing it off at local events. She also planned to drive and display it at the International Thunderbird Convention in San Antonio in October of 2022. "Dad had been a member of the National Thunderbird Club for many years," Shari explains. "I thought it would be a great way to honor his memory if both Jan and I went with the car."

Shari and Jan drove the Ford to the site where the Thunderbird received top honors on the final night of the conference. It was both a proud and emotional moment.

There's a special place in my heart for both '55 Thunderbirds because they remind me greatly of my childhood in Lincoln and my strong connection with my dad. I'm thrilled to have finally had one restored, and now I get to continue making new memories with it. I know my dad would be proud.

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