Origin: Dearborn, MI
Engine: 8-Cylinder
Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
No auto collection would be complete without a Ford Thunderbird from 1955, the first year of the car’s production. The model’s name Thunderbird was chosen through a contest where the winner received $250. It was created in direct response to Chevrolet’s new sports car, the Corvette, which was unveiled in 1953. Rather than make it a carbon copy of the Corvette and dub it a sports car as well, Ford billed the Thunderbird as a personal (luxury) car, the first of its kind, and focused more on the car’s comfort and features rather than its speed. It still tops out at 110-120 mph though.
Mr. Rich acquired this car for his collection in 1985. With it’s yellow-and-black bumblebee interior, it reminded him of trips to the local Woolworth, which sold wall clocks featuring the exact same car. This specific Thunderbird has won an award in every car show it has entered. It is also what collectors call a “100-point car,” a car that is in better condition now than it was when it rolled off the assembly line. Since it is such a showpiece, Mr. Rich often lends it to organizations Rich Harvest Farms has a close partnership with for events.