Spare No Expense

The Continental kit on this 1956 Ford Thunderbird was impossible to overlook. There was something wonderfully extravagant about displaying a spare tire so prominently on the back of a car, especially one already blessed with plenty of style.

I was amused by the layers of nostalgia. Early automobiles carried their spare wheels outside the bodywork out of practical necessity. Decades later, that arrangement had become a fashionable accessory, recalling an earlier era of motoring. And here I was, admiring it on a Thunderbird that had itself become a nostalgic reminder of the 1950s.

I experimented with a few photographs showing more of the Continental kit, but kept returning to its elaborate chrome spinner and translucent red center. Eventually, I decided to fill the frame with them. A direct, head-on composition emphasized the bold radial design. The intricate wire spokes could continue their pattern toward the edges, while the brilliant red centerpiece received the attention it deserved.

Spare No Expense