1957 Ford Thunderbird

When Chevrolet launched its two-seater Corvette in 1953, it caught Ford slightly flat-footed. Dearborn was rocked back on its heels briefly before counterpunching with the Thunderbird for 1955.

At the time, neither car was a blood-in-the-eye sportster. The original 'Vette was powered by a moderately sportified version of Chevy's Stovebolt inline six, and Ford's riposte was a body-on-frame grand tourer riding on a chopped 102" wheelbase platform that owed much to the regular FoMoCo sedans of the era.

Of the original first generation T-birds, the '57 was the most numerous. The launch of the second generation 1958 models was delayed and so the 1957 models remained in production for an extra three months, until December '57, with a total of 21,380 units sold.

The base motor for the '57 model remained the 292 cubic inch Ford Y-block pushrod V-8. With a two-barrel carburetor and a 9.1:1 compression ratio, it was rated at 212 SAE gross horsepower. Optional were two different versions of the 312 cubic inch Y-block.

First was the Thunderbird 312 Special V-8, with a four-barrel carb and a 9.7:1 compression ratio, making 245 horsepower, and at the top of the pyramid was the Thunderbird 312 Super V-8, which added a second four-barrel and bumped the output to 270 ponies.

Weight distribution was aided by the engine being largely set back abaft the front axle.

The 292 cube motor could only be had with the 3-speed manual, while the bigger V-8s could also be equipped with the Fordmatic slushbox.

The Torch Red car in the photos has the 3-speed manual with optional overdrive.

Motor Trend tested a '57 with the 245-horse Thunderbird Special V-8 and the Fordmatic gearbox and recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 11.1 seconds. The quarter mile took 18.2 seconds with a trap speed of 77 miles per hour. Braking from sixty took 160 feet with the 11" drum brakes at each corner.

The top photo in this post was taken in August of 2021 using a Nikon D2X and 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens. The second one was snapped with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens in October of 2024, while the bottom two were taken in May of 2023 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1992 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

The fourth generation of Corvette was nearing a decade old in the early Nineties, and the next generation had originally been scheduled to debut as a 1995 model, but a soft economy affected sales and so the new 'Vette had to get pushed back another few years and the C4 would linger on.

For 1991 the car received a styling update, with the nose and rear fascia revised, new front fender panels with faux horizontal vent strakes, and new 17" turbine-styled aluminum wheels.

For the 1992 model year, the revised exterior was joined by underhood upgrades to match.

In the '92 Corvette, the L98 Tuned Port Injection 5.7L motor that had powered Chevy's flagship since the 1985 model year was replaced by the new LT1.

An evolution of the previous 350 small block V-8, the new second generation LT1 featured a host of changes, including a revised intake and exhaust, new free-flowing cylinder heads, new engine controls, and a reverse-flow cooling system that directed coolant from the radiator to the heads first which helped enable the 10.5:1 compression ratio.

All these changes bumped the output by twenty percent, from 250 to 300 SAE net horsepower.

Car and Driver's testing of a 6-speed 'Vette coupe with the new motor returned a zero-to-sixty time of 5.0 seconds flat and a quarter mile run of 13.6 seconds at 104 mph, with a top speed of 157. Base price for the coupe was $36,604, or the equivalent of about $83,250 in today's prices.

This one was snapped with a Nikon D7000 and 16-80mm f/2.8-4E in October of 2020.

1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS Convertible

1967 was the debut model year for the once and future arch rival of Ford's Mustang, the Camaro from Chevrolet.

We've actually seen a '67 Camaro convertible on these pages before, but it had the 155 horsepower 250 cubic inch Turbo-Thrift inline six.

Like that one, this droptop has the Rally Sport trim package, with its hidden headlights, special taillights, and other highlights, like chrome trim edging the wheel openings in the fenders. Unlike that one, this Ermine White example has the "V" fender badges indicating that under the hood is a 327 cubic inch Turbo-Fire V-8.

This could have taken one of two forms. The lesser one was a two-barrel motor with an 8.75:1 compression ratio and single exhaust outlet, making 210 horsepower. The sportier of the two had a 10.0:1 compression ratio, dual exhausts, and a four-barrel carburetor and was rated at 275 SAE gross horsepower.

This one was photographed in August of 2020 using a Nikon D7000 and a 16-80mm f/2.8-4E zoom lens.

1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport Convertible

The final year of the third generation of Impalas, the 1964 is probably the most desirable. The most desirable of all Six-Fours would be the Super Sport convertible, like this Ermine White droptop with a red interior.

Super Sports came with bucket front seats divided by a console. All transmissions in an SS, whether 3- or 4-speed manual or Powerglide automatic, had a sporty console-mounted shifter rather than a proletarian lever on the steering column.

Despite the name, the '64 Impala Super Sport could be had with the whole gamut of Chevy powertrains, from the humble 230 cubic inch Turbo-Thrift inline six rated at 140 gross horsepower and two-barrel 283 Turbo-Fire 165-horse small block V-8, up through several flavors of 327 and 409 performance mills. Assuming a stock exterior on this example, the lack of "V" badges would indicate that this car began life, at least, with the inline six.

It'd still be plenty fun to cruise with the top down on a sunny day.

This one was photographed in October of 2021 using a Nikon D800 and a 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens.