The exterior appearance of this Thunderbird is a bit of a conundrum – it looks great, when wet, not as much so in au naturel mode. The four-door sedan is another matter entirely – it just doesn’t flow as smoothly. This two-door T-Bird is well balanced, a feat that can be a challenge on such a large car – the front, mid-section and rear portion hang together perfectly. The sole transmission available was a three-speed automatic. Of course, it’s ultimately based on how the engine was maintained and operated over the years. The recorded mileage is 72K, (the odometer shows 67K) though not authenticated, it could be indicative of the amount of life the big V8 still possesses. The seller states that this ‘Bird, while it will start, has been a no-go for four years and the fuel tank will need to be dropped, drained, and cleaned. Ford’s tried and true 390 CI “FE” powerplant was still the standard motivator. Starting in 1968, Ford’s new “385” series V8 engine was made available and this T-Bird is rocking one in the form of a 360 gross HP, 429 CI unit. One thing definitely not consigned to history was horsepower. Unfortunately, the T-Bird convertible has consigned to history with the exception of the debatable eleventh generation (2002-2005). And Ford followed suit by building the Big Bird on a perimeter frame and added the previously mentioned extra pair of reverse-opening or “suicide” (not a great descriptor IMO) doors for discriminating buyers that wanted Thunderbird panache with four-door convenience. Bigger and heavier was better right? While technically debatable, and it’s a trend that continues today with outrageously sized SUVs, it was all the rage in the ’60s. While the jet age was in full representative force with the introduction of the ’61 Thunderbird and continued with refinement through 1966, the ’67 T-Bird took on an “all-growed-up” persona (carona?) as a luxury coupe and sedan. Our subject car is located in Jurupa Valley, California and is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,800. And horror of horrors, the Big Bird was available with four-doors! With that in mind, let’s review a 1968 variant of Big Bird and see what’s what with this substantial version of Ford’s popular personal luxury car. It’s easily the best-looking Thunderbird since the mid-’50s original (that wouldn’t be difficult) – and maybe even the best-looking of all.If the original Ford Thunderbird is known as the “Baby Bird” and the second generation (1958-1960) is the “Square Bird”, then the fifth generation (1967-1971) must be the “Big Bird”. Where even the likes of BMW have struggled (I never thought the Z8 was a pretty sight), Ford has successfully repeated this difficult visual manoeuvre with the latest Mustangs. Find a black one with a black cabin and you’d have a beautiful dual-purpose grand touring convertible that makes a rare and interesting alternative to those ubiquitous SLs.Īs the final iteration of the Thunderbird line (at least up to now), the 11th-generation cars probably suffer from being lumped in with all those other – mostly awful – ‘retro’ designs that appeared around the same time.īut I don’t think that criticism is justified for me, this is a car that evokes the best elements of its predecessors but still has a fresh, clean feel of its own. Here, possibly, lies the answer to the interior ‘problem’.
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