• The Thunderbird was a sporty, personal luxury automobile introduced by the Ford Motor Co. as a 1955 model. Production continued through 1997, but the car was transformed into a larger vehicle with a back seat in 1958. The Thunderbird remained on hiatus at Ford until it was re-introduced in 2002 as a two-seat roadster again. This time production only lasted to the end of the 2005 model year. A V-8 engine in a Thunderbird was usually a staple, but even larger V-8s were available as an option in some years.
  
  

1958 through 1960

• The 1958 to 1960 Thunderbirds came standard with a 352-cubic-inch V8 engine, but a 430-cubic-inch V8 from the Lincoln division was optional. The bore was 4.29 inches and the stroke was 3.7 inches. The 1958 and 1959 versions came with 375 horsepower, while the 1960 version came with 315 horsepower.
  
  

1966 and 1967

• A 390-cubic-inch V8 was standard in the 1966 and 1967 Thunderbirds, but a 428-cubic-inch engine was optional. The 428 had a bore and stroke of 4.13 and 3.98 inches, respectively, and 345 had horsepower.
  
  

1968

• The 390-cubic-inch engine was still standard in 1968 Thunderbirds, but a brand new 429-cubic-inch engine was optional. The bore and stroke was 4.36 and 3.59 inches, respectively, with an output of 360 horsepower.
  
  

1972 and 1973

• The 429-cubic-inch engine was standard for 1972 and 1973, but Lincoln's 460-cubic-inch V8 was an option for these Thunderbirds. The 460 had a bore and stroke of 4.36 and 3.85 inches, respectively, and a horsepower rating of 220. In 1972, American automakers began using a different standard to rate the horsepower of engines. Although on paper it may seem that engines have less horsepower than earlier versions, it is only the rating system that changed.
  
  

1977 through 1979

• The 302-cubic-inch V8 was standard in 1977 to 1979 Thunderbirds. The 351- and 400-cubic-inch V8 engines were optional in 1977 and 1978. The 351 was still available as an option is 1979, but the 400 was dropped from the options list that year. The 351W (Windsor) and the 351M (Modified or Michigan) both had a bore and stroke of 4 and 3.5 inches, respectively, and an output of 145 and 152 horsepower, respectively. The 400 had a bore and stroke that were both 4 inches and an output of 166 horsepower.
  
  

1980 through 1988

• Thunderbirds in these years were now standard with a six cylinder or a 255-cubic-inch V8, with the optional V8 being the Ford 302. Sometimes the 302 was referred to as the 5-liter V8. The bore and stroke was 4 and 3 inches, respectively, and the horsepower rating was between 134 and 150, depending on the year.
  
  

1994 through 1997

• The Thunderbirds in these years came standard with a 3.8-liter V6 engine, but a new 4.6-liter modular V8 was optional. This engine had single overhead cams (SOHC), one for each bank of cylinders. The bore and stroke was 90.2 and 90 mm, respectively. The 1994 and 1995 models came with 205 horsepower, while the 1996 and 1997 models came with 210 horsepower.