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Description
As a kid, I absolutely adored going to the United States, not just for its wide open country, its giant boulevards, the California sun over the Golden Gate Bridge, nor for its beautiful snowy peaks in the Sierra Nevada, but also because the country had taken the concept of small cars and thrown it completely out the window. In the UK, a Rolls Royce is considered a big car, in the US, it would be a Mini Cooper compared to some of the vehicles they have for offer, most of which aren't even that big. And back in the 1950's and 60's, people my age must have thought the same thing because car's as bombastic and enormous as the Chevy Bel Air, the Lincoln Continental and the Ford Thunderbird, are absolutely magnificent!

The Ford Thunderbird first entered production in 1955 in direct competition with Chevrolet's brand new Corvette. The car design was very much a staple of its time, looking very much like the Chevrolet Bel Air with long sweeping curves, circular headlights and protruding wings from the rear. In keeping with the tradition of automotive evolution, the car was frequently changed in design, shape and power to try and stick with the times, and this version was the third generation that entered production in 1961, being the first to break away from the Bel Air design and more for the shape of a bullet.

1961 saw new and much sleeker styling for the Ford Thunderbird. Sales were strong, if not quite up to record-breaking 1960, at 73,051 including 10,516 convertibles. A new, larger 6.4L FE-series V8 was the only engine available for this particular model year, but was sufficient enough to get the car moving at a respectable pace. Needless to say the car guzzled fuel like there was no tomorrow, and the sheer bulk and size of it did make going round corners a bit of a challenge, but of course these cars were built to go at 100mph in a straight line in an era long before anyone had even considered the term 'Oil Crisis'.

The Thunderbird was 1961's Indianapolis 500 pace car, and featured prominently in US President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade, probably helped along by the appointment of Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense.

The Thunderbird for 1961 introduced several firsts for the automotive market. The most distinctive feature of the 1961 to 1963 Thunderbirds was the highly touted 'Swing Away' steering wheel. With the transmission in the park position the steering wheel would slide approximately 18 inches to the right allowing the driver to exit the vehicle easily. Other innovations include a floating rear view mirror. Common on all autos produced today, this feature was first found on 1961 Thunderbirds. Depending on variable options Thunderbirds for 1961 could be purchased with options like air conditioning, power windows, power seats, AM radio, fender skirts and white wall tires. Several standard features, like power steering and power brakes, back up lights and bucket seats were costly options on most other autos.

1962 saw strong production figures of 78,011 (including 9,884 convertibles) and the introduction of the Thunderbird Sports Roadster. The Sports Roadster was a limited production version of the convertible which added 48 spoke Kelsey-Hayes designed wire wheels, special badges to the front fenders and a passenger side grab bar to the front dashboard. The most striking addition to the Sports Roadster was a fiberglass tonneau cover which covered the back seat of the car and created a two seater appearance. 1,427 Sports Roadsters were produced in 1962, including 120 models with the special M Code option noted below. Early models suffered from problems related to their specially designed wire wheels. The problem was quickly corrected when Elvis Presley was involved in an accident when one of the Kelsey-Hayes wheels collapsed during hard turning.

Another addition for 1962 was a special engine code (VIN engine code M) which added a "tripower" or three two barrel setup to a higher compression version of the 390 engine. This engine used 406 heads as well as the same carburettors that were found on the high performance 406 powered Ford Galaxie but with a modified version of the intake manifold to allow for proper air flow under the engine. This engine boasted 345hp but was considered a moderate failure. The engine option was quietly discontinued halfway through the mid 1963 production run.

Also introduced in 1962 was the Landau model, with a vinyl roof and simulated S-bars on the rear pillars. This was the beginning of the 1960s/1970s fashion for vinyl roof treatments, and a vinyl roof was a popular Thunderbird feature for the next twenty years.

Changes for 1963 were relatively mild. Some additions to the option list included vacuum assisted door locks and an AM/FM radio; an AM radio and a remote drivers side mirror became standard. 1963's numbers were down at 63,313. The Landau became the number 2 model after the standard hardtop, at 12,193 sold. Landaus added simulated wood grain trim to go along with the landau top. In addition a Limited Edition "Principality of Monaco" Landau model was introduced. This Corinthian White car, with a white leather interior was personalized with a plaque displaying the owner's name and the car's limited production number, was limited to and sold only 2,000 units. Only 5,913 convertibles and 455 Sports Roadsters sold, indicating a decline in convertible popularity at the time, primarily due to the death of James Dean.

The 3rd Generation Thunderbird met its end in 1963, with 214,000 examples built. The next generation car kept to similar principles in terms of styling, although it featured a revised light cluster and other changes to the overall profile. Throughout the following years the car continued to go through variation after variation in design, usually being changed every two to three years.

Towards the end of the 60's it's design took on that similar to a Dodge Charger, then more towards the design of a massive Lincoln in the 70's, then the 80's popped by and it was made smaller to keep with the trend that large cars were no longer as cool as they'd been before, and by the time the 90's came around the car had evolved into a very sleek looking two-door coupé. However, the 10th generation of the car was to be its last, and so in September 1997 the last of the Thunderbirds slipped off the production line, ending 43 years of construction.

In 2000 however, an 11th Generation was unveiled to emulate the glorious stylings of this and earlier generations of the 60's Thunderbird, but sadly their emulation went a bit pear-shaped, and what resulted was what many consider to be one of the ugliest cars ever constructed. This generation of Thunderbird has become something of a bad egg, and production only lasted until 2005 with 68,000 examples built, not even half the number of 3rd Generation Thunderbirds built in three years.

Description
As a kid, I absolutely adored going to the United States, not just for its wide open country, its giant boulevards, the California sun over the Golden Gate Bridge, nor for its beautiful snowy peaks in the Sierra Nevada, but also because the country had taken the concept of small cars and thrown it completely out the window. In the UK, a Rolls Royce is considered a big car, in the US, it would be a Mini Cooper compared to some of the vehicles they have for offer, most of which aren't even that big. And back in the 1950's and 60's, people my age must have thought the same thing because car's as bombastic and enormous as the Chevy Bel Air, the Lincoln Continental and the Ford Thunderbird, are absolutely magnificent!

The Ford Thunderbird first entered production in 1955 in direct competition with Chevrolet's brand new Corvette. The car design was very much a staple of its time, looking very much like the Chevrolet Bel Air with long sweeping curves, circular headlights and protruding wings from the rear. In keeping with the tradition of automotive evolution, the car was frequently changed in design, shape and power to try and stick with the times, and this version was the third generation that entered production in 1961, being the first to break away from the Bel Air design and more for the shape of a bullet.

1961 saw new and much sleeker styling for the Ford Thunderbird. Sales were strong, if not quite up to record-breaking 1960, at 73,051 including 10,516 convertibles. A new, larger 6.4L FE-series V8 was the only engine available for this particular model year, but was sufficient enough to get the car moving at a respectable pace. Needless to say the car guzzled fuel like there was no tomorrow, and the sheer bulk and size of it did make going round corners a bit of a challenge, but of course these cars were built to go at 100mph in a straight line in an era long before anyone had even considered the term 'Oil Crisis'.

The Thunderbird was 1961's Indianapolis 500 pace car, and featured prominently in US President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade, probably helped along by the appointment of Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense.

The Thunderbird for 1961 introduced several firsts for the automotive market. The most distinctive feature of the 1961 to 1963 Thunderbirds was the highly touted 'Swing Away' steering wheel. With the transmission in the park position the steering wheel would slide approximately 18 inches to the right allowing the driver to exit the vehicle easily. Other innovations include a floating rear view mirror. Common on all autos produced today, this feature was first found on 1961 Thunderbirds. Depending on variable options Thunderbirds for 1961 could be purchased with options like air conditioning, power windows, power seats, AM radio, fender skirts and white wall tires. Several standard features, like power steering and power brakes, back up lights and bucket seats were costly options on most other autos.

1962 saw strong production figures of 78,011 (including 9,884 convertibles) and the introduction of the Thunderbird Sports Roadster. The Sports Roadster was a limited production version of the convertible which added 48 spoke Kelsey-Hayes designed wire wheels, special badges to the front fenders and a passenger side grab bar to the front dashboard. The most striking addition to the Sports Roadster was a fiberglass tonneau cover which covered the back seat of the car and created a two seater appearance. 1,427 Sports Roadsters were produced in 1962, including 120 models with the special M Code option noted below. Early models suffered from problems related to their specially designed wire wheels. The problem was quickly corrected when Elvis Presley was involved in an accident when one of the Kelsey-Hayes wheels collapsed during hard turning.

Another addition for 1962 was a special engine code (VIN engine code M) which added a "tripower" or three two barrel setup to a higher compression version of the 390 engine. This engine used 406 heads as well as the same carburettors that were found on the high performance 406 powered Ford Galaxie but with a modified version of the intake manifold to allow for proper air flow under the engine. This engine boasted 345hp but was considered a moderate failure. The engine option was quietly discontinued halfway through the mid 1963 production run.

Also introduced in 1962 was the Landau model, with a vinyl roof and simulated S-bars on the rear pillars. This was the beginning of the 1960s/1970s fashion for vinyl roof treatments, and a vinyl roof was a popular Thunderbird feature for the next twenty years.

Changes for 1963 were relatively mild. Some additions to the option list included vacuum assisted door locks and an AM/FM radio; an AM radio and a remote drivers side mirror became standard. 1963's numbers were down at 63,313. The Landau became the number 2 model after the standard hardtop, at 12,193 sold. Landaus added simulated wood grain trim to go along with the landau top. In addition a Limited Edition "Principality of Monaco" Landau model was introduced. This Corinthian White car, with a white leather interior was personalized with a plaque displaying the owner's name and the car's limited production number, was limited to and sold only 2,000 units. Only 5,913 convertibles and 455 Sports Roadsters sold, indicating a decline in convertible popularity at the time, primarily due to the death of James Dean.

The 3rd Generation Thunderbird met its end in 1963, with 214,000 examples built. The next generation car kept to similar principles in terms of styling, although it featured a revised light cluster and other changes to the overall profile. Throughout the following years the car continued to go through variation after variation in design, usually being changed every two to three years.

Towards the end of the 60's it's design took on that similar to a Dodge Charger, then more towards the design of a massive Lincoln in the 70's, then the 80's popped by and it was made smaller to keep with the trend that large cars were no longer as cool as they'd been before, and by the time the 90's came around the car had evolved into a very sleek looking two-door coupé. However, the 10th generation of the car was to be its last, and so in September 1997 the last of the Thunderbirds slipped off the production line, ending 43 years of construction.

In 2000 however, an 11th Generation was unveiled to emulate the glorious stylings of this and earlier generations of the 60's Thunderbird, but sadly their emulation went a bit pear-shaped, and what resulted was what many consider to be one of the ugliest cars ever constructed. This generation of Thunderbird has become something of a bad egg, and production only lasted until 2005 with 68,000 examples built, not even half the number of 3rd Generation Thunderbirds built in three years.