Lot Watch: Ford's Thunderbird 'F-Code' - Telegraph.co.uk
The message is that while you can tweak small engines to produce more power, size is what you need to give you proper power that’s there when you need it - it’s all about the cubic inches. If you live by these rules, turbocharging and supercharging - two good ways of squeezing more oomph out of an engine - is best left to weak-kneed Europeans. The exception is the car you see here, the supercharged 1957 Ford Thunderbird “F-Code”. Luckily, before any supercharging occurred, the T-Bird also has the displacement to match, with a 312 cubic inch V8 under the power-bulged bonnet. The first Thunderbird was released in 1955, but the model was revised in 1957, with well-received changes including a bigger grill and, most importantly, the fabulous rear fins that give the impression of speed even when it is parked. Each engine specification became known by its Ford code name, and the F-Code, or “F-Bird”, as some called it, was the best of the best, producing 300 horsepower. Although only 200 or so F-Birds were made, the range-topper did a great deal to help secure the Thunderbird’s place as an American motoring legend. The example being sold here by RM Auctions was originally delivered to a Ford dealer in Detroit (where else. Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
