Slide of
Very few cars ever make a serious impact on popular culture.
So the fact that the Ford Thunderbird inspired songs by Chuck Berry, Marc Cohn, Bob Seger, Uriah Heep and most famously the Beach Boys suggests it really had something going for it.
Named after a creature which appears in several Native American myths, the Thunderbird was produced with only one brief pause in eleven generations over half a century. Later models are not as highly regarded as the originals, but even they are, in name if nothing else, an important part of American motoring history. In these difficult days of ours, perhaps it's as good a time as any to escape into the world of an automotive icon:
(Please note: power figures for pre-1972 cars are quoted, as they were in period, in gross horsepower, when the power was measured without accessories fitted. The figures are therefore substantially higher than they would be using modern measurements.)
- Slide of
A new type of Ford
The Thunderbird made its debut at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show and went on sale later that year as a 1955 model. It was a very unusual car for Ford, being offered only as a two-seater convertible.
However, although its recently developed 292 cubic inch (4.8-litre) Y-Block V8 engine produced a sturdy 193hp, the Thunderbird was not a direct rival to a contemporary open two-seater, the Chevrolet Corvette. Ford did not consider it a sports model, and it is now classed as an early example of a personal car.
- Slide of
Early developments
As was common in the industry at the time, the Thunderbird was revised for each new model year. Changes included the addition of a 312ci (5.1-litre) version of the Y-Block engine with outputs of up to 225hp, detail styling updates and an increase in luggage capacity achieved by mounting the spare wheel at the back.
The model was discontinued in 1957. It was the last two-seater Ford put on sale until the EXP compact coupe of 1982.
- Slide of
Four seats
The first-generation Thunderbird sold reasonably well, but Ford thought it could do better. The 1958 version, regarded as the first personal luxury car and nicknamed the Squarebird, was much longer, had four seats and higher levels of equipment, and came with a choice of convertible (as before) and coupe body styles.
There was a more significant technical development too. Previous T-Birds had a body bolted on to a separate chassis. In this one, the body formed the structure of the car, a very common practice at the time and almost universal today.
- Slide of
More modern engines
The Y-Block V8 was one of Ford’s shorter-lived engines. The more modern FE was ready in time to be fitted to the second Thunderbird in 352ci (5.8-litre) form. This was fairly modest in FE terms, but its 300hp output gave the car good performance even though sportiness was still not considered a priority.
Although, the FE could be taken out to 430ci (7.0 litres), the engine of that size which Ford added to the Thunderbird line-up in 1959 was actually the larger-block MEL, which in this application produced a relaxed 345hp.
- Slide of
Bigbird
While the first two Thunderbirds were very obviously products of the 1950s, the third had a much simpler, more streamlined look which placed it firmly in the following decade.
Nicknamed the Bigbird, even though it was almost exactly the same size as the Squarebird, this model was produced (at a new high rate of 214,375 examples) from 1961 until 1963, again in coupe and convertible forms. The only engine was an FE, this time measuring 390ci (6.4 litres) and giving the same 300hp maximum as the 352 but with stronger mid-range performance.
- Slide of
Innovation
The Bigbird had a striking innovation which enhanced the Thunderbird’s already strong reputation as a luxury car, at least among drivers with long legs.
When the automatic transmission was in Park mode, the steering wheel could be moved ten inches towards the centre of the car. Taller drivers could therefore get in and out far more easily than they might otherwise have expected
- Slide of
Design influence
During this period, British and European manufacturers tried to give their cars extra appeal by adopting American styling to a greater or lesser extent. The European Ford Corsair - pictured here in an advertising photograph taken by David Bailey and featuring actress Jean Shrimpton (born 1942) and twice F1 World Champion Jim Clark (1932-1968) – was one example.
Although the Corsair was a far smaller, less powerful and much less culturally significant car than any of the first three Thunderbirds, it bore some resemblance to the Bigbird at the front end. This failed to make it as successful as its relative, the much better remembered Cortina.
- Slide of
Fourth generation
The 1964-1966 Thunderbird had equally distinctive but perhaps less adventurous front-end styling than its predecessor. Power came from FE engines of 390ci (6.4 litres) and 427ci or 428ci (both 7.0 litres) with outputs matching the second-generation maximum of 345hp.
Thunderbirds of this era have appeared in several films, including Goldfinger (1964), Wild At Heart (1990) and, most famously, Thelma And Louise (1991).
- Slide of
Larger and more luxurious
In 1964, Ford launched the first-generation Mustang, another two-door four-seater. Far more sporty than the Thunderbird and aimed at a different type of buyer, it nevertheless sat uncomfortably close in Ford’s line-up.
This became less of a problem when the fifth Thunderbird was introduced in 1967. Larger than previous versions, it also had a greater emphasis on luxury, and there was no longer a convertible option, though a four-door body style became available for the first time.
- Slide of
Mechanicals
Oddly, the fifth Thunderbird had, like the first one, a separate body and chassis, an arrangement which dated back to the 19th century. Some of its unseen mechanicals were used, in an attempt to reduce development costs, in the slightly later Lincoln Continental Mark III, which immediately became a successful rival to the Cadillac Eldorado.
While the Lincoln had a monster 460ci (7.5-litre) engine, the Thunderbird was slightly more restrained. FE engines of 390ci and 428ci (6.4 and 7.0 litres) were used at first, but a 429ci (7.0-litre) version of the new big-block 385 V8 producing 360hp was introduced as soon as it became available in 1968.
- Slide of
Styling change
The ’67-’69 Thunderbirds had what has been described as a ‘fish mouth’ front grille with hidden headlights. For 1970, possibly in an attempt to boost sales which had so far been disappointing, this was abandoned on favour of a ‘bird beak’ arrangement.
Whatever else might be said of this design, it did nothing to improve the car’s popularity. Sales fell further in the final two years, and this Thunderbird is still regarded today as one of the more disappointing of the classic models.
- Slide of
The largest of all
The sixth Thunderbird, sold from 1972 to 1976, was larger than all those that preceded or followed it. As before, there was a mechanical connection with the Lincoln Continental (this time the Mark IV) and the ‘bird beak’ front design was retained in a form that was less striking but still remarkable by modern standards.
Customer choice was more limited. The only body style was a two-door coupe, and all examples had the 385 V8 engine. This, however, was available in two sizes: 429ci (7.0 litres) or 460ci (7.5 litres). The latter version was the largest ever offered in a Thunderbird.
- Slide of
Effects of legislation
Despite their great size, the engines of the sixth-generation car were not particularly powerful thanks to increasingly tight emissions regulations.
For similar legal reasons, the look of the car changed in the 1973 model year, as Ford, like other American manufacturers, was obliged to fit bumpers which actually provided some form of protection at speeds up to 5mph.
- Slide of
The start of downsizing
The ’77-’79 Thunderbird was noticeably smaller and around 450kg lighter than its immediate predecessor, a feat achieved by redesigning and redbadging the Elite introduced in 1974. Once again the only body style offered was a two-door coupe.
The days of Thunderbirds having brand new engines when they were launched were over. The range now consisted of the small-block V8s developed in the 1960s and widely (but inaccurately) known as Windsor and Cleveland, 302ci (4.9 litres) in the first case and either 351ci or 400ci (5.8 or 6.6 litres) in the second.
- Slide of
Success story
This Thunderbird was popular in a way that no previous version had been. In 1977 alone, Ford built 318,140, more than the entire production run of any other generation. Still more were manufactured in 1978, and in the model’s lifespan of just three years the total fell only a little short of one million at 955,032.
In fact, it was more popular even that that. More or less the same car was also sold, in somewhat smaller numbers, as the coupe version of the Mercury Cougar, whose history would run alongside that of the Thunderbird until 1997.
- Slide of
Smaller again
No doubt encouraged by the high sales of a smaller Thunderbird, Ford went a step further in the 1980 model year with the eighth-generation car. This, the first unibody T-Bird since 1966, was based on the Fox platform, used originally for the 1978 Ford Maverick and Mercury Zephyr.
The Windsor V8 engine was still available, though even the larger 5.0-litre version could manage only 131bhp. If you could cope with still lower outputs, Ford also offered a 3.3-litre straight-six dating back to 1963 or a 3.3-litre Essex V6 which, despite its name, was not the British engine but a significantly different one manufactured in Canada.
- Slide of
Downswing
The eighth Thunderbird was well-equipped, and thanks to its relatively low weight it was generally agreed to handle better than its predecessor. However, its greatly reduced size would not have appealed to people who bought the previous model, and while adding six-cylinder engines to a range which had previously consisted entirely of V8s made sense in an era when fuel economy was becoming more important, it could also have been seen by customers as a backward step.
For whatever reason, this T-Bird was a sales flop. In three years, Ford built fewer examples of this car than it had of the previous one in 1977.
- Slide of
Modernity
Stung by the failure of the previous car, Ford made a much better job of the ninth-generation Thunderbird. Although it was still based on the Fox platform, the styling was far more modern and aerodynamic, and the handling - partly the responsibility of three-times F1 World Champion Jackie Stewart – was significantly improved.
The 4.9-litre Windsor V8 (now referred to by Ford as the 5.0) and the 3.8-litre Essex V6 were retained, but the high-performance option was the smallest engine yet fitted to the Thunderbird. Known as the Lima, and part of the Pinto family, it was a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with a maximum output of 155bhp.
- Slide of
The return of big sales
For the 1987 model year, this Thunderbird was revised with even more aerodynamic bodywork. While a good move, it made little difference to the sales figures, which remained strong through this version’s life.
Ford built 885,745 examples of this model from 1983 to 1988. That was about 70,000 fewer than it had produced of the seventh-generation car in half the time, but it was a healthy average in general Thunderbird terms and represented a strong recovery from the dark days of ’80 to ’82.
- Slide of
NASCAR victory
Despite their non-sporting nature in standard form, competition-prepared Thunderbirds began taking part in NASCAR racing as early as the 1950s.
In 1988, Bill Elliot (born 1955), a native of Dawsonville, Georgia nicknamed Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, won the title in a ninth-generation Thunderbird. He is pictured competing in that year’s Daytona 500, which he finished in a relatively lowly 12th position.
- Slide of
A new platform
For the 1989 model year Thunderbird, which went on sale in December 1988, Ford used a new platform called MN12 which replaced the previous Fox. It would not have been at all out of the ordinary for Ford to introduce front-wheel drive at this point, but in fact the MN12 cars all transferred their power to the road through the rear wheels.
That said, the platform was advanced for its time. The new Thunderbird, and its Mercury Cougar equivalent, were among the very few contemporary American rear-wheel drive cars with all-round independent suspension.
- Slide of
Engine line-up
Unimaginable as it would once have seemed, there was initially no V8 engine available in the new car, though the 5.0L from the Windsor family became available later before being replaced in 1994 by the more modern 205bhp 4.6-litre Modular unit.
The base engine was the 3.8-litre Canadian Essex V6, available either in naturally aspirated form or, in the case of the Thunderbird Super Coupe, with an Eaton supercharger. The SC was available with different power outputs at different times, the highest being 230bhp.
- Slide of
A win for the Underbird
Not normally known as a modest man, Thunderbird driver Alan Kulwicki (1954-1993) was so sure of his underdog status in the 1992 NASCAR season that he rebranded his car as the Underbird for the final round at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In fact, that race went very well for him, and he won the championship by just ten points (out of more than 4000) from Awesome Bill. It was the smallest winning margin in the history of the series up to that point.
- Slide of
End of an era
Ford kept the tenth-generation Thunderbird going for nine years (the amount of time it had previously spent going from introducing the first to replacing the third) before finally abandoning a name it had used without a break for over four decades. The 961,624th example came off the Lorain, Ohio production line on 4 September 1997.
With no Thunderbird to be associated with, the next Mercury Cougar was a close relative of Europe’s Ford Mondeo, based on a platform derived from one originally developed by Mazda.
- Slide of
Retro return
It took only four years for Ford to reverse its previous decision and bring out an eleventh Thunderbird. At this time, the tendency for manufacturers to produce retro models was in full swing; the Chrysler PT Cruiser, MINI, Plymouth Prowler and Volkswagen Beetle were already on the market, and Fiat would soon start work on what became the new 500.
Launched in 2001, this latest T-Bird, mechanically similar to the Jaguar S-Type and Lincoln LS, was close to the first in both looks and concept. It was a not particularly sporty two-seat convertible with an eight-cylinder engine, a 252bhp 3.9-litre version of the Jaguar AJ-V8.
- Slide of
Screen roles
Halle Berry’s character Jinx Johnson drove a Thunderbird in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day. Less recognisably, another example featured in, appropriately enough, the 2004 movie Thunderbirds. Very heavily altered, it took the role of the pink, six-wheeled FAB1.
Adriana La Cerva, the glamorous gangster’s moll in HBO’s The Sopranos played by Drea De Matteo, drove a Thunderbird before both she and her car ended up in long-term parking…
- Slide of
Final curtain
While other retro models remained on the market for many years, the eleventh Thunderbird was canned after just four. Sales had been strong to begin with but fell rapidly, a situation some observers blamed on Ford’s limited marketing.
The last of the line was completed on 1 July 2005, just over half a century after the original model went on sale. At that point the Thunderbird name at last vanished, apparently permanently this time, from the market, though there is no compelling reason why Ford couldn’t bring it back again some day, should it choose to. Truth is though the coupe market is not growing, and doesn’t look like it will do anytime soon. It seems, sadly, that the Thunderbird has had its day.
If you enjoyed this story, sign up to Autocar’s newsletter for all the best car news, reviews and opinion direct to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.
Close
