Don Ellis' 1955 Ford Thunderbird

A photo of Don's son, Ron, in the Thunderbird, taken when he was 16. Painted in a striking Candy Apple Red, the Thunderbird featured Italian Borrani wire wheels typically found on Ferraris. Built by Don and members of the Ramblers of Portland car club, the car underwent extensive modifications, including a custom nose fitted with a 1957 Ford Thunderbird bumper, quad headlights from a 1958 Chevrolet, and aluminum trim along the lower body. With multiple engines for street and strip, this Thunderbird was as versatile as it was stylish, turning heads wherever it went. Photo courtesy of Ron Ellis.

An early photo of the Thunderbird taken before Don started customizing it. The kitty belonged to Ron. Photo courtesy of Ron Ellis.

A photo of the 1956 Cadillac engine that Don built for the car. Ellis had two engines for the car, depending on the season. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird engine was used on the street, while the fully loaded Cadillac engine was installed for use on the strip. Photo courtesy of Ron Ellis.

A line up of Ramblers of Portland club cars. Don's Thunderbird can be seen all the way to the left in the photo. Photo courtesy of Ron Ellis.

Ellis' Thunderbird was featured in Rod & Custom June 1959. The story was named "Trimmed with Taste," and the author of the story compared the appearance of the car with the appearance of a limited production vehicle such as the Facel Vega. Photo courtesy of Dennis Bradford.

The old Portland, Oregon custom as it appeared in 2018 when Dennis Bradford bought it. Photo courtesy of Dennis Bradford.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Bradford.

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1955 Ford Thunderbird owned by Don Ellis of Portland, Oregon. Ellis was a member of the Ramblers of Portland car club, and the Thunderbird was restyled by several of the guys in the club.

An urge for speed

In 2020 Ron Ellis told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that he remembered well the day his dad bought the Thunderbird at Damerow Ford in Beaverton. "Randy Francis, George was his first name, and dad were mutual friends as Randy was a race car driver and so was my dad. We took the heads off the 55 Bird and had them ported and polished. The original motor was the 292 Y block. With a super tune, it turned 86 MPH in the 1/4, et of 16.1. Randy, in turn, had a 56 Bird with a McCullough blower with 5 # of boost. It had a 312 in it and was rated at 300 HP. Dad unhappy with his slow 55 Bird built a 56 Cad engine, blueprint that gave him the 110 in the 1/ 4 mile with ETs of 12.7, 12.9. He had a locked rear end and had a 60' time of 1.6 seconds."

Contemporary look

The build was started late in 1958 and completed early in 1959. A contemporary look was achieved by splitting and expanding the fenders to fit headlight doors from a 1958 Chevrolet. Quad headlights became legal in all states of the US in 1958, and it was one of the hottest custom trends of the year. The hood bubble was enlarged to accommodate various engine goodies before it was dressed up with wire mesh to match the grille. Ellis then reworked the area around the nose to fit the new grille and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird bumper. Combed aluminum was added to the lower edge of the body in order to give an illusion of greater length. It was also added behind the cockpit, turning the space into a package tray when a top was fitted. The rear of the car featured 1955 - 1956 Mercury station wagon taillights that Don had grafted on to the quarter panels. The exhaust was routed underneath the bumper, and aluminum was installed under the deck lid to cover the old exhaust outlets. The car was lowered approximately 3" and dressed up with Italian Borrani wire wheels typically found on Ferraris. It was painted in a striking Candy Apple Red.<ref name="re">

Street and Strip - An Engine for Every Occasion

Ellis had two engines for the car, depending on the season. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird engine was used on the street, while a fully loaded 1956 Cadillac engine was installed for use on the strip.

Trimmed With Taste

In 1959 Ellis' Thunderbird was featured in Rod & Custom June 1959. The story was named "Trimmed with taste," and the author of the story compared the appearance of the car with the appearance of a limited production vehicle such as the Facel Vega.

Looking for More Info

In 2018 Dennis Bradford of Washougal, Washington bought the car from a fellow named Del. Del who lived in Vancouver, Washington, Washington first bought the old custom in 1981 when it got traded in on a new car. He then sold it, and bought it back in early 2018. When Dennis bought the old custom from Del, he was told that the car was shown locally till 1962; "It has stayed in the northwest its whole life, and as far as I know the guys who built it are all dead." Dennis is currently looking for more info and photos of the old custom, so please get in touch with us at mail@kustomrama.com if you have any more info and photos to share of this tasteful custom.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Rod & Custom June 1959