An American icon, the double-planked mahogany and brushed stainless steel Thunderbird just returned to the annual Concours d’Elegance on Lake Tahoe, California, after some refurbishing. Built in 1940, the 55-foot-long Thunderbird is powered by two V-12 Allison P-38 Lightening aircraft engines that produce a top speed of 70 mph.
Thunderbird was built for George Whittell, Jr., a wealthy and reclusive playboy who also owned a Grumman Goose seaplane and six Duesenbergs. He built a 100-foot long boathouse for the boat and a 600-foot tunnel to connect it to his main house on Tahoe’s west shore.
Designed by John L. Hacker, of Hacker-Craft, and built at the Huskins Boat Works in Bay City, Michigan, Thunderbird originally had two 550-hp Kermath aircraft engines. It cost $87,000 at the time. But during the Second World War, Whittell became more reclusive and rarely used the boat. In 1962, William F. Harrah, the casino owner, bought the boat, refurbished it and put in the Allison engines. He then used it for entertainment; guests included Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli and Tony Bennett. The boat is now owned by the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society.
Here’s the video, with great running shots of the boat and beautiful vistas of Lake Tahoe:
