The 1958 Ford Thunderbird was the first of the "Square Bird" era. There were several changes from the first version of this car, and not all of them were popular with what seemed to be a growing number of enthusiasts. The biggest change was the move from being a two-seater to a four-seater. This was less popular with the performance car set, but very popular with those who liked the styling, angular and low to the ground. In all, the '58 T-bird was popular and successful enough to win its first Motor Trend Car of the Year award. Ford was satisfied with the change and would not bring back a two-seat Thunderbird until almost half a century later, in 2002. 35,758 1958 Thunderbirds were produced, only 2,134 of which were convertibles. The base engine was an impressive 5.8-liter, 352-cubic-inch V8 rated at 300 horsepower.