This D series Thunderbird, 2 door, convertible, #D7FH278776 has the Thunderbird Special V-8, 312 cubic inch motor with 4-barrel carburetor, which produced 245 HP at 4500 rpm. Its 0-60 mph times were in the 10-second range with a top speed of about 115 mph. It has the Ford-o-matic transmission although it was also available with a 3-speed/overdrive manual. The car sits on a 181 inch wheelbase and carried a factory price of $3408. There were 16,423 D series T-Birds produced from the total 1957 Thunderbird production of 21,380.

The 1957 T-Birds had a selection of four engines indicated by a C, D, E, or F designation.  The C series was the 292 cubic inch base-issue Thunderbird rated at 212 HP.  D series T-Birds had a 312 cubic inch rated at 245 HP. The E series had Ford’s "High Performance Special" 270 engine and the "F’ series Thunderbird had a 312 motor accompanied by a Paxton-McCulloch VR57 supercharger. 

The Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1955 in answer to the Chevrolet Corvette, which had been launched two years earlier. Crusoe, a retired GM executive, Hershey, a designer for Ford, and Walker, the chief stylist for Ford are considered the creators of the Thunderbird. The 1957 Thunderbird included a restyled front grille, rear deck and new bumpers. It was the first vehicle to have a fully padded dash surface. New features included a Volumatic Radio System that automatically increased the radio volume as the car's speed increased. There was also the Dial-O-Matic power seat, which provided a memory setting. When the ignition shut off, the seat returned to the rear position, when the ignition was started the seat then returned to its pre-set position. 

1957 Ford Thunderbird