Ford Thunderbird (fifth generation)
| Fifth generation Ford Thunderbird | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Production | 1967–1971 |
| Assembly |
Wixom, Michigan Pico Rivera, California Mahwah, New Jersey Hapeville, Georgia |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door hardtop coupe 2-door landau 4-door pillared hardtop landau sedan |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | Lincoln Continental Mark III |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 390 cu in (6.4 L) FE V8 428 cu in (7.0 L) FE V8 429 cu in (7.0 L) 385 V8 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 115 in (2,921 mm) |
| Length | 209.4 in (5,319 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Thunderbird (fourth generation) |
| Successor | Ford Thunderbird (sixth generation) |
The fifth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a large personal luxury car that was produced by Ford for the 1967 to 1971 model years. This fifth generation saw the second major change of direction for the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird had fundamentally remained the same in concept through 1966, even though the styling had been updated twice. The introduction of the Ford Mustang in early 1964 had, however, challenged the Thunderbird's market positioning. It, like the Thunderbird, was a small, two-door, four-seater with sporting pretensions, but it was more affordable. The Thunderbird's sales suffered. Ford's response was to move the Thunderbird upmarket.
For 1967 the Thunderbird would be a larger car, moving it closer to Lincoln as the company chose to emphasize the "luxury" part of the "personal luxury car" designation. Ford chose to abandon the Thunderbird's traditional unibody construction for this larger car, turning to a body-on-frame method with sophisticated rubber mountings between the two to reduce vibration and noise. A new option was four small lights on the ceiling directly above the rear view mirror that lit up for emergency flasher use, low-fuel warning light, door-ajar light, and seat-belt reminder light.
The convertible, increasingly a slow seller, was dropped in favor of a four-door model featuring suicide doors. It remained in the lineup through 1971 but never generated substantial sales.
The new 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III was based on the four-door Thunderbird chassis, and from that point until the late Nineties, Thunderbirds and Continental Marks were generally related cars, the Thunderbird following the Mark's growth in popularity in the 1972 model year.
The 1967 design was radically different from what came before. Ford's stylists delivered a radical shape that in many ways anticipated the styling trends of the next five years. A gaping wide "fishmouth" front grille that incorporated hidden headlights was the most obvious new feature. The look was clearly influenced by the intakes on jet fighters such as the F-100 Super Sabre, and was enhanced by the flush-fitting front bumper incorporating the bottom "lip" of the "mouth". The sides were the barrel-like "fuselage" style that was very popular during this period. The belt line kicked up "coke-bottle" style after the rear windows, again a styling trait that would prove ubiquitous. Large C-pillars (and a small "formal" rear window on the 4-door) meant poor rear visibility but were the fashion of the time. The taillights spanned the full width of the car, and featured, as in previous Thunderbird models, sequential turn signals.
...
Wikipedia