Buying Guide

Ford Thunderbird

The Chevrolet Corvette, introduced in 1953, didn’t enjoy great success, but this didn’t deter Ford from producing a rival in the form of the Thunderbird, which arrived in 1955. High prices meant that it wasn’t an instant hit either, but as time went on and the car was developed, ever more were sold.

The Thunderbird was initially only available with two seats, but a second row of seats was added when the all-new MkII made its debut in 1958. Offered in coupé or convertible forms, the MkII featured unitary construction in place of the MkI’s separate chassis.

By 1961 Ford had developed the Thunderbird even further with the arrival of the four-seater MkIII. With its cigar-shaped profi le and massive, circular tail-lamps this new car typified America’s obsession with missiles and jet propulsion.

All Thunderbird MkIIIs came with a 390ci (6.4-litre) V8, with four stages of tune initially available, but by 1962 there were just two power options: 300bhp or 340bhp. The ultimate was the 340bhp M code, with three two-barrel carburettors and a 10.6:1 compression ratio to give 430lb ft of torque. Whereas a manual gearbox was previously available, the MkIII came only with three-speed ‘Cruis-o-matic’ automatic transmission. Power steering and servo-assisted brakes were standard, while popular options included a ‘swingaway’ steering wheel for easier entry and exit (optional in 1961, standard from 1962), air-conditioning and electric windows. For 1962, Ford introduced a luxurious Landau coupé and quasi twoseat Sports Roadster; the latter was little more than a fourseat convertible with a detachable glassfi bre tonneau cover and integrated headrests concealing the rear seats.

A 1964 restyle brought a more conservative design, with inset headlamps separated by a chrome-framed grille, pronounced scalloping to the side panels and huge rectangular tail lamps. For 1965, these were replaced by a full-width illuminating panel that incorporated sequential indicators and a central reversing lamp. Roadster production ended in 1963, but convertible sales during the following year soared past 9000 and contributed to a T-Bird build total for 1964 of 92,465 units. For 1965 all Thunderbirds got front disc brakes as standard, then in 1966 a Q code 345bhp 428ci (7.0-litre) V8 became optional. The fi nal Thunderbird MkIV was built in 1966 – the last time an opentopped T-bird would be available until 2002’s 11th-generation model. With prices for decent examples starting at around £10k it offers a lot of car for the money – here’s how to pick up a great example.

‘It typified America’s obsession with missiles and jet propulsion’