The 1955-1957 Thunderbird was the first and last of its kind amongst Ford’s flagship. Ford chased after the new Corvette and didn’t do a bad job at all at first, but then suddenly changed course. After 1957, Ford went to the Squarebird, which stretched out to become a four-seater and lost the style and panache of the first-generation model. Arguably the cleanest lines of the bunch belong to the ’57, which eschewed the continental kit and rocket-style taillights for a cleaner tail, and did the same to the rocket-style bumper enhancements up front. This red one, seen in Warren last month, really is one of the cleanest examples I’ve seen, with its stunning Jersey tomato red finish and off-white steel wheels. Enjoy the photos.

-Albert S. Davis