By Tim Odell
No vehicle better captures Rocket/Jet-Age styling better than the ’61-63 Ford Thunderbird. The pointy nose and exhaust-looking tail lights make it look right at home next to an F104 Starfighter. The interior perfectly captures the sleek, modern look that so many imagined The Future as depicted by Syd Mead would be. It’s a clean departure from the late-50s bombast of last week’s Pontiac.
Underneath, it’s pretty typical early-to-mid-60s engineering with a 390ci V8, three speed C6 automatic and solid axle rearend. The front suspension is the same basic architecture shared with the Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang: coil atop the upper A arm and a “split” lower arm with a leading strut rod. You’ll never win at autocross, but the T-Bird’s a highway cruiser, so who cares?
Two separate eBay examples inspired this post, the first highlights the rare 3×2 manifold and a long list of part numbers above the condition of the actual car. A tri-power 390 is a gorgeous thing to behold (though a 406 would be better), but $7500 for a pile of parts and a car to go with them seems to put priorities in the wrong place. Bachelor number two is a more typical stalled project with almost no miles on an engine rebuilt years ago. It needs a brake booster, some floor work and sports what’s likely to be a polarizing grey-over-black rattle-can paint job. The upside? $1500 right now with no reserve.
Jeff Glucker
Neighbor bought a ’63 T-bird brand new, all the toys. I had the opportunity to examine it close up, from every angle, but never drove it. A few years later, after joining the Army, I dated a lass who had a ’65 T-bird with a 390 and I drove it all over MD in the summer of ’69 prior to spending the next 2 years in sunny South Vietnam. I’ve long preferred that 4th(?) generation. Sequential tail lights, curved back seat, a rather ergonomic driver’s area … would love to retro-mod one.
I’m with you. Always preferred the ’64-65 model years of Thunderbird.
https://d1i2ut1418ul3y.cloudfront.net/img/vehicle/p18tftd5uif9vhbf79h1a7p13sh4.jpg
I’ve always been more partial to the Bullet Birds, but that is just all kinds of purdy.
I simply cannot abide by that front end. Too Grumpy Cat for me.
Everything else on that example is pretty sweet, though.
I’m kind of partial to the ’66 T-bird, particularly in Town Coupe form. Love those bold full-width taillights.
Bulletbird is the best? I beg to differ: 😀
I’d challenge the typical 60s engineering a bit too. These are one of the first unit body cars and the fully automatic top system on the convertibles was quite sophisticated for its time. My ’60 has 12 relays, 4 hydraulic cylinders, 2 electric motors and numerous limit switches working in harmony. I assume the 61-66 are similar.
Can someone who knows how post a pic of a similar era German Ford Consul? It had the V4 that later ended up in Saab’s and had Euro headlights that filled the same shape space as the 61-63 T -Bird’s quads. Not better than a 61-63 Bird but an interesting smaller size take on very similar Ford styling. Any experts here? Which came first, Consul or Bird?
How to: Google “1962 Ford Consul”, copy URL of image (right click or from adress line), paste here. Not sure if this is the right car?
http://carblueprints.info/blueprints/ford/ford-e-consul-capri-gt-116e-1962.gif
Got a sneaky suspicion you’re talking about the UK Ford Corsair as there was never a German Consul (later Consul/Granada excepted). This the fellow?
http://oldtimerverzeichnis.com/cars/ford/1965%20Ford%20Corsair%201500.jpg
T’bird came first, either way.
Definitely a better fit, just the proportions are off if you’re primed with the American ‘bird in mind.
Yeah, would have needed to be about eight feet longer to be a proper job…
Perhaps you mean the German Ford Taunus? The Taunus P3 has the headlights you describe:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/1964_Ford_Taunus_P3_Deutsch_cab.jpg
but it wasn’t until the later P5 that the Taunus V4 engine was used.
Thanks for the mind jogging and help! I suppose I was confused on the names and cars. I guess my mind blended them but they are all there now!
Speaking of the “Bulletbird”. I spotted this article about a one-off show car called “T-bird Italien”
http://www.gizmag.com/go/8177/
Some others had imagined some “what if” like the ’62 from Danny Whitfield http://www.dannywhitfield.com/italia.html and this resin kit of a ’62 T-bird fastback based on the ’63 T-bird show-car rendered by Keith Kaucher. http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/BLKGT350/blogs/40182