First Born : The Initial T-Bird Celebrates Its 30th

This is it: the 30th anniversary of the very collectible 1955 Ford Thunderbird. The original T-Bird was a snappy two-seater with a V-8 engine that generated 198 horsepower--enough to produce speeds of up to 120 m.p.h. in tests. George Watts of Orange County’s Villa Park, above, poses with his prize possession: the very first Thunderbird built. Also pictured: his white 1963 sports roadster and his 30th-anniversary-edition T-Bird. Watts owned the millionth T-Bird produced, but sold it after obtaining the anniversary edition since, he says, “You can only have so many.”