Ford Thunderbird (seventh generation)
| Seventh generation Ford Thunderbird | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called | Guri Conquistador |
| Production | USA: 1977–1979 YV: 1978–1989 |
| Assembly |
Wixom, Michigan Chicago, Illinois Lorain, Ohio Pico Rivera, California Mahwah, New Jersey Hapeville, Georgia Barcelona, Venezuela |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related |
Ford LTD II Mercury Cougar |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 302 cu in (4.9 L) Windsor V8 351 cu in (5.8 L) 351W V8 351 cu in (5.8 L) 351M V8 400 cu in (6.6 L) Cleveland V8 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 114.0 in (2,896 mm) |
| Length | 217.7 in (5,530 mm) |
| Width | 78.5 in (1,994 mm) |
| Height | 52.6 in (1,336 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Thunderbird (sixth generation) |
| Successor | Ford Thunderbird (eighth generation) |
The seventh generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car built by Ford from the 1977 to the 1979 model years. In a key marketing shift for Ford, the Thunderbird changed market segments for 1977, shifting from a full-size car to the larger end of the intermediate segment. Based upon the Ford LTD II, this generation is the first of four generations of the Thunderbird to share its basic design with the Mercury Cougar.
The squarer, sharper styling was popular, as this generation became the most popular in the history of the Ford Thunderbird. Helped by a $2,700 drop in price from 1976, over 318,000 sold in 1977 and 352,000 in 1978 (the best single sales year in Thunderbird history), followed by 295,000 in 1979. The popularity of the styling with its unique wrapover roofline would carry over in smaller versions as the 1978-1983 Ford Fairmont Futura and the Mercury Zephyr Z-7 coupes which were originally designed as Fairmont based downsized Thunderbird proposals.
Since Lincoln reintroduced the Mark series in 1969, it had shared common engineering and underpinnings with the Thunderbird. During the 1970s, this led to the latter car becoming heavy and expensive in comparison to competition from Chrysler and General Motors. For 1977, as both cars were redesigned, the Thunderbird was split from the Lincoln Mark V. As the Ford LTD II quietly replaced the Torino, the Thunderbird replaced the Elite. Instead of serving as an introductory model below Lincoln, the Thunderbird was re-positioned into a new segment of the personal luxury market. Alongside the Mercury Cougar XR7, the Thunderbird now competed in the best selling reasonably priced intermediate personal luxury class against the Chrysler Cordoba and the General Motors quartet of the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and Pontiac Grand Prix.
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Wikipedia