Less desirable were the newly enclosed c-pillars on the Landau 2-door that eliminated the rear quarter windows and made for one of the biggest blind spots imaginable. For 1969, the most premium Ford available was in the 3 rd (and final) year of the 5 th Generation “Glamour Birds.” While the overall design wasn’t brand new, the Thunderbird Motor Trend tested did have a key new feature introduced for 1969: the sliding sunroof. The Thunderbird of course was the one that “started it all” in the Personal Luxury category, when the 4-seat “Square Birds” were introduced for 1958. Though both the Eldorado and Continental Mark III were highly successful, they were also noticeably more expensive, with base prices around 39% higher than the more “mainstream” personal luxury cars-equating to a $1,900 price bump before options (~$12,500 adjusted). Motor Trend put each of these through the paces in February 1969, and ranked the upscale Personal Luxury players.Ībsent from the comparison test were the “ultra-high-end” Personal Luxury cars from Cadillac and Lincoln. Detroit was more than happy to serve-up swanky, semi-sporty 2-doors to fill those desires, and 1969 welcomed back familiar faces from Buick, Ford and Oldsmobile, as well as a totally revamped entrant-the Pontiac Grand Prix, along with a new offering from Mercury-the Marauder. It is intended that by the time of the auction the car will be in running condition, however as with any car that has not been driven in a number of years we would recommend that the car is fully serviced before regular road use.(first posted ) As the 1960s came to a close, ever increasing numbers of upwardly mobile Americans were looking to make a style statement with a new Personal Luxury car. It is intended that by the time of the auction the car will be in running condition, however, as with any car that has not been driven in a number of years we would recommend that the car is fully serviced before regular road use.Īnd windows, a Town & Country radio and a black convertible top.
The Thunderbird comes with electric seats and windows, a Town & Country radio and a black convertible top. While there is a fair amount of road dirt and grime on the undercarriage, the bodywork generally appears very sound. There is a little surface rust on items where the steel has been exposed to the elements such as the exhaust manifolds and master cylinder. Despite having been stored in an unheated garage for the past few years, the car does not seem to have suffered very much. A prior owner of the car owned a golf club in New Jersey and we believe he restored the car. The current owner took possession of the car in a settlement in 1995 and the car has been laid up since this time.
Also during this year the hardtop became available with a porthole as a no extra cost option.Īt the time of going to press very little history was known about this Thunderbird. Other identifying features were a small rectangular air vent mounted just ahead of the door, a recessed steering wheel and a hood medallion with wings. The universal appeal of the styling made the Thunderbird an instant success and the 1955 model out-sold the more expensive Corvette by 24 to 1! With European style and American comfort, convenience and go, it was no wonder the Thunderbird proved to be irresistible.įor 1956 the Thunderbird featured a rear mounted Continental tire kit as standard equipment and in order to reach the fuel filler this had to be tilted. The Thunderbird design incorporated Ford features found on other models to create a product recognition with the hope of encouraging sales of other Ford cars as well. Ford knew that the two-seater V8 was going to attract a wider audience than the Corvette's racing/performance oriented market. Although it had the same wheelbase (102in.) as its rival, the Thunderbird was designed to be more practical and luxurious than GM's Corvette. The classic Thunderbird was introduced in 1955 and was Ford's response to the Chevrolet Corvette. 1956 FORD THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE WITH REMOVABLE HARDTOPĮngine: V8, overhead valve, 272ci., 176bhp at 4,400rpm Gearbox: Ford-O-Matic three-speed Suspension: independent front, solid rear axle Brakes: hydraulic servo-assisted drums.
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