1964 Ford Thunderbird

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The Ford Thunderbird was Ford's answer to the Chevrolet Corvette. But whereas the Corvette never strayed far from its two seat sports car concept, the Thunderbird would soon add a hardtop coupe version, a back seat, and even two more doors as the do-everything personal car for Ford over the years. But it always provided decent performance along with a dash of style.

1961 was the first year of the third generation Thunderbirds which featured all new exterior styling that earned it the nickname "Projectile Birds". The exterior styling featured a severely pointed front "prow," modest fins above huge renditions of Ford's traditional round tail-lights, and softer roof contours on hardtops. The cowl was shared with the Lincoln Continental, and there was soom similarity in the styling of the grille and the quad headlamps receased in oblong housings.

Chassis design was carried over, but was reworked slightly for a smoother ride and better handling. The interior design featured a dash which curved at its outboardends to blend in with the door panels, and the first "Swing Away" steering wheel, which would swing to the side when the car was in park and the door was opened to help facilitate entry and exit. The only engine available was the 390 cid V8, rated at 300 bhp.

1962 saw the return of the two seat Thunderbird -- sort of. Actually, drawing upon aftermarket units, Ford introduced the Sports Roadster package which featured a fiberglass tonneau cover, designed by Bud Kaufman, that covered the rear seat and transformed the four seat Thunderbird into a two seat roadster. The tonneau cover featured twin headrests and were raised so as to flow back to the rear, thus avoiding a too-flat appearance. The convertible top could still operate even with the tonneau cover in place, which was good because the top was difficult to install and remove. For performance fans, Ford offered a special "M-code" 390 cid FE V8 rated at 340 bhp. It featured three Holley two-barrel carbs and an aluminum manifold which kept the carbs level and at the same height. 1963 cars were basically carry-overs from '62.

For 1964 the Thunderbird was restyled yet again, discarding some of the rocket-ship styling cues of the previous generation in favor of a more squared-off, "formal" look. Dimensions changed only fractionally, and the suspension, engine, and transmission remained as before, but continued efforts to minimize noise and vibration from the unit body led to a weight increase of some 244 lb (110 kg). The revised 'bird was initially offered as a hardtop, a convertible, or Landau, with vinyl roof and simulated landau irons. The tonneau cover and wire wheels of the Sports Roadster remained available as a dealer-installed option, although only 50 were sold. Total 1964 sales were excellent: 92,465, up nearly 50% from the previous year.

Several features intended for the new generation were delayed until 1965, when front disc brakes became standard equipment and sequential turn signals were added. The latter feature flashed the individual segments of the broad, horizontal tail lights in sequences from inside to outside to indicate a turn. The delay resulted from legal difficulties with various U.S. state laws on vehicle lighting. Sales, impacted by increasing competition (including from Ford's own Mustang), dipped to 74,972.

For 1966 the larger, 428 cu. in. (7.0 L) V-8 became optional, rated at 345 gross horsepower (257.4 kW) and providing a notable improvement in 0-60 acceleration (to about 9 seconds). A new Town Hardtop model was offered, featured a roof with blind quarter panels for a more 'formal' look (at the cost of rear visibility). The Landau model was replaced by the Town Landau, which retained the previous model's padded roof and landau S-bars, but applied them to the Town Hardtop's formal roof. The Town Landau was by far the best-selling model, accounting for 35,105 of the 1966 model's 69,176 sales.

There was a very rare special order 427 available through certain ford dealers for 1963-1965 Thunderbirds, 120 of these 'high performance' T-birds were made. Only 6 are still known to exist today. See a 427 tbird at [link] It is documented that Bob Tasca, a well known drag racer of the 60's, ordered a factory fitted 427 1964 T-bird that was said to do 0-60 mph in 6 seconds flat with a top speed of 135 mph.

From 1967 on, the Thunderbird would evolve far beyond what was originally dreamed of in 1955. The fifth generation introduced new, slightly awkward stlying with an available 4 door sedan with suicide doors. Then in 1972 it grew into an enourmous luxo-barge, then onto the Torino platform in 1977, only to shrink drastically in 1980. By then, the mystique was gone.