Maybe the Thunderbird was doomed because Ford’s product planners were finishing up on the car that would doom it. But while 1967 eventually ended late in December, this Thunderbird had to stick around for a few more years. So, in a way, this Thunderbird and 1967 were made for each other. Not bucket seats and floor shifts nor fat side moldings and opera windows. It wasn’t Bryll Cream, but it wasn’t a blow-dry either. It wasn’t Rat Pack yet it wasn’t Woodstock. 1967 wasn’t so much a year, as a transition between other years, other eras even. This Thunderbird, however, was something different. This car and all that came after it for most of the next decade made it perfectly natural for high-income buyers to park a Ford in the garage. After the initial 2 seaters, the Thunderbird really hit its stride with the first 4 seater in 1958. The Thunderbird was the car that began Ford’s move up the social ladder. If you had told someone in 1950 that someday it would be socially acceptable to be driving a Ford to the country club or in the more exclusive suburbs, you would have been laughed at. This car just lacked that certain something that made a Thunderbird. Even though this car made the cut for the original lineup of Hot Wheels cars in 1967, I was not fooled. A Thunderbird, you see, had a certain flair, dash, savoir faire. Sure, it had that wrap-around back seat and sequential turn signals, but the car was NOT a Thunderbird. I mean, just what was it, exactly? Even though I was 8 years old when the 67 Bird came out, I knew what the car was NOT. And, like the Admiral, the 67 T-Bird never really came up with the answers. And the 67 model asked the very same questions. What has Admiral Stockdale got to do with the 67-68 Thunderbird? Like the Admiral, the Ford Thunderbird came to us with a very impressive history. The Admiral had a distinguished record, but chose to introduce himself to the American public in a debate by asking: “Who am I? Why am I here?” The Admiral got through the debate and the campaign without really answering those questions. He chose as his running mate Admiral James Stockdale. In this car’s case, the headlights slowly open back up after the car has been shut off, giving it a Christine-like vibe when parked in a dark garage.( originally posted ) In 1992, Ross Perot mounted a 3rd party run for president. I loved them on the Lincolns as well, but like so many other “trick” features, they can become a nuisance with age. One of my favorite features of this generation is the hideaway headlights. Later on, a V6 was offered, but it didn’t matter much for the 8th generation’s sales. However, the 4.2L Windsor V8 seen here was not like the Thunderbirds of old, and likely turned more customers away than it attracted. Like so many vehicles from this era, slimming down and increasing MPGs was the name of the game. Previous Thunderbirds were based on the Torino platform, making for a much larger (and heavier) car. The seller hints at some other interior work needed but doesn’t elaborate – do you see anything suspect in this photo? While it does come with A/C, the belt isn’t hooked up so you know there’s more work involved than simply re-attaching it. Whatever the exterior color is called, I hope you like it since the scheme carries into the interior. With only 60,000 miles, you would expect that the interior looked this good. Seen here on eBay, this 1980 Thunderbird wears an interesting shade of pink (or peach?) and belonged to a woman who was an antique dealer and collector. Even though the basic design remained the same for many years, this generation’s front and rear treatments looked surprisingly modern, and the tighter proportions worked well on the compact Fox platform. I always forget this generation of the Thunderbird existed.
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