Well it shares a lot of parts with MGAs. It is vintage, and a coupe.
Two out of three isn’t bad. 
It looks like there should be a hole somewhere for a wind-up key.
Seriously, for those who want to see one moving–the 1956 Nash Metropolitan is what Weird Al Yankovic drove in his film, UHF. It still looks like it needs a wind-up key.
I’ve got a brand new Nash Metropolitan
You’ve got a brand new key…
If the car is for sale and you are close enough to read the year, you can presumably read the phone number to call and find out the make and model. If someone is selling a 1957 ANYTHING, they’re probably more than happy to have someone call and say, “Hey, I noticed your car - can you tell me about it?” even if you aren’t interested in buying it.
An Auto Union 100SP looks very much like a T-Bird two-seater but it would be an extremely rare find in Illinois. It also would have an emblem recognizable to you as the four Audi rings.
A Studebaker Hawk is a good guess but would be both larger and taller, contrary to the OP’s description. But then he may not have a clear idea what an early Thunderbird looks like. The Sunbeam Alpine is also a good guess, but those didn’t start until 1959.
best guess: It’s a 1957 Thunderbird !
One more shot: a Triumph TR3
