FEATURES – THUNDER BIRD – Kevin Slyfield – 1957 Thunderbird

Trish | May 6, 2020 More

Although disputed bythe Cowboys of Arizona and Texas in the late 1800s who had claimed to have found the “Thunderbird,” the existence of the massive winged warrior with alligator-like armor is considered to be a myth. Kevin Slyfield’s 2,500-plus horsepower methanol gulping championship bird of prey, however, is completely real.

Right from the very roots of his interest in horsepower, Hampshire, UK’s Kevin Slyfield has been into American cars. “I owned a ’67 Charger, a ’69 Charger, and several other American cars over the years,” he said. “But my favorite was my Plymouth Belvedere.”

He started drag racing with the Belvedere in 2003 in Sportsman ET and would not only become hooked on the sport itself, but would also win the championship that year. Soon, he would add nitrous and be running in the 10-second quarter-mile zone in Pro ET. However, after three good years in the car he sold it to a buyer in Germany. Shortly after, he found a Willys in Norway to run in the Super Pro class, however, the MSA (Motor Sports Association) of the UK changed their allegiance from Top Methanol to Pro Mod leaving Kevin racing in the Pro Mod Class with the Willys, which he did for six years. Due to the bodystyle and chassis design of that particular car, though, Kevin admits that it was quite a handful.

The 1957 Thunderbird pro mod that Slyfield would eventually own was actually first owned by Andy Chilton who was building it for himself. Andy had crewed for Kevin for a couple of years and the pair always talked about the car and the stages it was at during the build. Kevin knew that once completed it would be a nice car and thought many times to himself how would be interested in owning it. Chilton’s circumstances changed and he decided to swap the T-bird for Andy Robinson’s Studebaker,…. Read more of this article. Just click on the digital feature below this introduction.

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