I just love these 4-door Thunderbirds! They were so elegant and unusual for their day. It's a shame that one has never crossed my path at the right time, or I would own it. This car has the SL interior option in addition to its many other options, as evidenced by the biscuit upholstery pattern. And this one certainly is a nice survivor, though I do see a bit of rust starting here and there. Those opposing windshield wipers were a one-year only feature. That fifth middle window switch is to lock the windows. This car really does have just about every option you could get. BTW, that is ia Tilt-Away Steering Wheel -- in addition to the tilt feature, when you open the door, the wheel will pop-up to the right to ease entry and exit for the driver. (Too bad the battery wasn't hooked up!) Thank you for featuring this car, Jay. And I'd take the Thunderbird in both cases, of course!
Bryan cool ! I'm another fellow 67 Landau coupe owner. I bought mine in 1989 still have it. In addition i have a garage load of NOS parts for this and my Mark iii. The Mark was bought in 1985 and I still own that as well
This is my favorite era of the bird, I totally love everything about these wonderfully crafted automobiles! I also really like the bullet -birds, I do like the mid 70's, birds, I rode in a new '75 model as a kid, and I do remember the interior was very plush, a few years later I rode in a '77 or'78, and I don't remember that it stood out to me in any particular way, they were all, much like riding in LTDs which I also rode in during that time, at least it seemed to me. I did ride in, and drive some '80s models of the birds, which could not even compare to the comfort of the previous models, IMO. I rode in a '67 Electra in the early '70s, and even as a really young kid I remember what a strong smooth ride it had. The '67 four-door bird would be a dream, and would be my first pick, in the second scenario I go with the Riviera, which I think that model year is gorgeous also! 😎 Video
I had a 68 T-Bird 2dr with the "N" code (360 hp) 429 cid Thunderjet engine, burgundy paint, black vinyl top with a black & tan interior. Sadly I had to sell it because I had no where to put it while I was in the military, that was the one that got away 😢.
Starting in 1970 for thr 71-72 model years, the Thunderbird was stylistically updated with the addition of a large, bird's beak-style projection out of its grille. All Thunderbirds from this point would keep that beak appearance with some model years being more subtle than others. Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, a former GM executive and then President of Ford, is said to be responsible for this dramatic change, because of this the 71-72 model years are also nicknamed the Bunkie Birds. Read a lot about these cars cuz a few years ago I picked up a four-door 67 Thunderbird, turquoise with black Landau top, rocking the 6.4 l 390 FE V8 engine. Been putting fixing up the last few years, she's running super nice now. Almost done under the hood and ready to move on to take care of some rust around the wheel wells and fix up the trunk, then lastly give her a beautiful painted coat. She's a blast to drive around, super fun, and everybody loves seeing her. Get comments every time I take her out, she truly is a glamor bird. Actually did a full brake job on her too replace the metal brake lines on new brakes up front and converted the drum brakes to disc brakes in the rear so she stops on a dime now.
My Uncle Edward owned a couple of Thunderbirds back in the day. My parents always drove Buicks so you just know they didn’t see the beauty of the Thunderbird. Sure the suicide doors were 👍 but, as a kid, the feature which made my jaw drop…that tilt-away steering column. I was sure I had glimpsed the future. ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas’ had a flying sub. Yes, that was the future too but a tilt-away steering wheel…that, Jay, was some ‘Jetsons’ kinda cool!
The design handling of the rear doors edging up to the Landau bar is pure genius! The black 4 door models were perhaps used as back up cars for limo company fleets due to its formal look.
The switch in the middle of the power window switches on the center stack is NOT for the antenna. You would push it down to disable the rear power windows. My parents were a two glamour bird couple. My dad drove a ‘67 4 door landau in Brittany Blue with a dark blue vinyl top, with the 428, and my mom drove a white ‘68 coupe with no vinyl top (thank God…much cleaner looking. My parents loved them and as a teenager I kept them showroom. The 429 was brute torque and very quick but effortless acceleration. The 428 was near as fast but sooooo refined. You couldn’t hear the engine. I loved those cars. My parents drove the wheels off them, over 150k miles each. We had a driveway mechanic who worked at Jet Propulsion Lab, an electrical engineer by profession who just happened to love cars…frighteningly smart and could fix anything. He kept those cars in perfect condition right down to the occasional non functioning accessory. I wish I kept the 4 door…there’s never been an interior like it. The ‘67 was built much better than the ‘68….super quiet, solid build and never a squeak or rattle. I miss those cars!!!
I always called the 72-6 Birds the Mark Bird,for in my eyes obvious reasons. Another great Ford would have to be the 67-72 Truck .I love the 67-71 Thunderbird 4 Door series,but I really always thought the Pontiac inspired (In my opinion)the 70-1 Thunderbirds with that long nose split front end. Jay,I always appreciate the work,and research you put into these productions.I had the pleasure a few years back to drive a 68 four door Bird with a 428,what a beautifuly driving car. I am a big Buick fan,so I would go for the 225. Thanks again Jay,and as you would say,Too ta loo.
My father being a Ford dealer executive and efentual owner, I was fortunate to drive several 1968 through 1971 T-birds. I even had a 66 and a 67 as my demo for a while, when I worked at the dealership.
I remember seeing a two-part ad for the 1967 cars. The first part's strapline was 'New Thunder...' & the second part's was '...from the Bird'. Both parts featured a striking blue Thunderbird dramatically lit against a black background. Awesome copywriting for a truly awesome motor car.
what a lovely car. Treat it as if it was your mother or grandmother. Don't let it go You will never see another one like it. They were a pain in the ass, but it's all relative.
I had a 1967 fordor landau with 428. Had all mechanical restoration done, ready for finish paint, when I lost it in a divorce. The 1967-9 ‘birds really are personal luxury cars for the Jet Age.🙂 I think they have about a mile of vacuum tubing. Ahead of the tilt, the steering wheel also has swing-away: put it in park and open the driver’s door, and if the vacuum plumbing is good the entire column swings up and right to make it easy for big guys to get in or out. Took me a while to figure out the smooth slide control speed adjustable wipers that only worked when the engine ran, used a hydraulic motor fed by the power steering pump. I know it’s just styling, but four securely mounted headlights that are covered by steel doors when not in use, really is a great system, far better than pop-ups. I miss that car.
My Uncle Bob had a Glamour Bird in the late 60s through the mid-70s. It made quite an impression on me as a youngster. I loved the hideaway lights that gave the front end a classy look. I also thought the sequential turn signals were a cool trick. The style of this generation of T-Bird holds up amazingly well. I haven't seen one in the wild in a long time.
I'll take the GTX sitting in front of it! My neighbor has a '63 TB that has been sitting in his garage since '63. Hasn't run in 25 years. Nice cars. This one is probably the quality of my '65 Imperial. And that is a compliment.
The yellow 64 Thunderbird kept catching my eye. 😍 Great driver quality example here. WYR: 67 Thunderbird, 67 Toronado. Easy for favorite generation 64-66 Flair Bird. I had a 65, wonderful car (and that's why the 64 kept catching my eye). Thank you as always, for everything you do ~ Chuck
Hi Jay! These 'birds are for sure overlooked! VERY classy car! And with enough power to run all the accessories and still get out of its own way! WYR #1 THUNDERBIRD! #2 Going with the Toronado. Grandpa had a 1966 and it was also a NICE car!
I wasn't sure how I would like a four-door Thunderbird but this is nice, with interesting styling. The front end is kind of reminiscent of a full-sized '62 Olds. The landau treatment is also interesting. Very elegant car For WYR, it's the Thunderbird, the Olds Toronado, and both the Squarebird and the Bulletbird. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a '57 Thunderbird on the highway. I never realized how SMALL they are. The driver clearly enjoyed driving it but he looked like he was shoehorned into the driver's seat.
If IIRC, the middle button on the windows is a window lock, so kids in the back couldn't close the window on their necks. The power antenna was automatic, when the radio was turned on, the antenna was activated. And the cubbyhole in the console is for your .38 Special. 😉 Thanks for this video. 👍
Along the passenger side under the dash lip there is a white courtesy light/map light. There are two switches: One is to actuate the map light, the other is the power antenna switch. It is not automatic w the radio.
Chris youre partly correct. The center rocker is indeed the power window lock out switch but the Antenna was not automatic. For some reason Ford and even Lincolns didnt have that feature in the 60s-80s. I think some 90s Lincolns, Fords MIGHT have an auto antenna but not sure. The power antenna was a switch next to the map light on the passenger side of the dash under the "hood" of the upper dash. To raise you pull towards you and lower is towards the front of the car. Great cars
@@jakereal3604 Hi Jake, you're right... I remember seeing antenna buttons in Ford products into the '90s... I must of had a bit of vapor lock in the brain and was thinking of my first mechanical love... Cadillac. They've had automatic antennas for ages. 👍😃
Scenario 1. 1967 T-Bird Scenario 2. 1967 T-Bird Scenario 3. Arrgh Bullet Bird, Flair Bird and Glamour Bird … I can’t choose Great episode Jay! I saw this in my feed and postponed supper to watch!!!
WYR: 1. T-Bird 2. Oh hell, I want them all! Favorite generation: that's tough.... 1. Flairbird (66) 2. Bulletbird 3. Glamorbird, but I love them all! To me, the 60's was the pinnacle decade for American cars!
The Buicks in both 2 door and 4 door scenarios. Favorite was the Aerobird, but I did also have a couple of the Superbirds which I liked - especially the one with the 4.6L
Cool car! I love it! A State Senator who liked down the street from me when I was a kid had one of these. It might have even been black or dark blue. From the 1st 1955 Thunderbird to the last retro bird, got their chassis from Lincoln, although shortened. After this generation of T-bird, the next gen moved to the Lincoln Mark series. When the Retro-Bird was introduced, again it shared it's underpinnings with Lincoln, but this time the LS series which it shared with the Jaguar S-type. At that time, Ford owned Jaguar, so why not. The T-bird's position at Ford was always as a personal luxury car. I wouldn't think that anyone could ever confuse or loop in one category a T-bird or a Mustang. Besides, a 1967 T-bird with a 428 V8 would blow the doors off of almost any stock '67 Mustang. The 428 FE V8 was first available in a T-bird in 1966. These engines are kinda impractical today because of their high compression. A teacher at my high school had a 1966 T-bird with a 428 V8. The block cracked so she got a new car. I always took it as a big joke, but she bought a "bumble bee" Ford Maverick which was yellow with a black vinyl top. lol I wouldn't mind a '67 T-bird or Toronado.
Real T Bird devotees refer to the `67-`71 Birds as the 'Blunderbirds'-especially the 4 doors. That mouth organ grille looks like a harmonica a blues musician would play. NOT one of Ford`s 'better ideas, but the interior (especially with the 'panty cloth seats) is nice.
As do I! I purchased my first '71 Thunderbird as a total from a body shop in Portland, OR. in 1977. It only had 57,000 original miles on it, but it may has well have been 400,00. It had seen "better days" and wasn't treated or maintained well. Even after replacing the driver's door, rear quarter panel and window, and giving it a shinny new paint job in my Father's body shop, it remained a source of problems for quite some time... Stripped flywheel, so I carried a wrench with me to find the "sweet spot" just to get it to start., bad wiring harness in the drivers door, which melted down on several occasions after wrapping foil around the fuses for the windows & doors....(go figure)? And then there was the ball joint issue on the front end... I was lucky to get 3 months off a set of $15.00 used tires from the corner Chevron station! I finally grew up and spent money I DIDN'T HAVE to replace the flywheel, ball joints, and a complete exhaust system. And then the neighbor lady backed into it with her 1970 Buick one night. and destroyed anything I held precious. She refused to accept responsibily, so I cut my losses and sold it to the manager at the corner Chevron station for $500.00. Same guy I purchased the used tires from! So many other nightmare stories including carburator switch-outs with uncles and friends when floats started sticking, and the time my girl friend at the time agreed to ride through the only automatic carwash in Coos Bay, Oregon on a Friday night. Long story short, the brushes and the water jets knocked the passenger window out, and drenched my dear "Pat Flowers". (I wonder why she doesn't stay in contact)? If my father was still with us, he would be saying something to the effect of "I told you so... That '71 Thunderbird remains one of my favorite cars. I've had a number of others since then, but the days of my posterior hanging out of the hood and dirty fingernails have sailed!
My father had a '70 4-door T-Bird. Very elegant and extremely fast, but visibility was so laughable we christened it "The Flying Boxcar." Absolutely gorgeous, though. When you pulled up in that, people knew you had ARRIVED!
Thanks for a GREAT vid! Favorite 'Bird? My dad had, over the years, at least one of every generation thru the '77-'79 gen. He recently passed down to me his most favorite: a rare (no more than 100 produced by American Custom Coachworks) '79 Town Landau convertible. 1979 was the only year ACC saved the backseat, so it has seatbelts for 5 occupants. With less than 30K original miles , it is all original (save for the "wearables") except for the wire/spoke wheel covers. Black, black ragtop, and red interior, it's got the 351M, factory A/C, and AM/FM/8Track. According to ACC and other sources, the '79 Town Landau (with popular options) stickered at approx. $8,800; the convertible version of that same 'Bird stickered for approx. $25,000. The looks, waves, thumbs-up, honks, and comments this 'Bird draws - from 6 year olds to '80s year olds - never ceases to amaze!
WYR1: Probably the 'Bird, but the six-window New Yorker has a clean look. Keep in mind, the 'Bird is significantly smaller than the Buick or the New Yorker. WYR2: Riviera. WYR3: The Square 'Bird is quite handsome, the Bullets aren't too bad, the sedans looked all right before they got the "Bunkie Beak" nose which only benefitted body shop operators. If I had been in the market at the time I would have considered the Studebaker Hawk or Avanti or Avanti II, the first generation Cougar would be worth a look. T-birds became more of a baby Lincoln when they went body-on-frame. Not that that was bad if you were looking for a Lincoln, but....
I used to have a 1967 Thunderbird 2-door. It was a magnificent machine. It had a 428 Thunderjet, automatic, buckets/conosole, power windows/doorlocks/seats and cruise control. It also had the tilt-away steering column. I seriously miss that car :(
@@What.its.like.unfortunately I sold it. It had a lot of electrical gremlins. But that was over 30 years ago and I didn't actually realize what I had at the time or I would still have the car now.
Great video on a very overlooked car , these cars were all about comfort and looking good and are great road cars. For the WYR I will take the Buick Electra, they are huge and i my opinion rode better than the contemporary Cadillac and in the 2 dr selection I’ll pick the thunderbird because of the comfortable ride and plush interior, my favorite generation of T-bird is the bullet bird you can’t ride in one of them and not feel like you’re in the middle of the space race they’re just too cool
A high school friend's dad had a 1968 4-door in Ford Racing...beige! It was her daily driver. It did have the 428 which was powerful, but the car was very heavy so not particularly quick. Also very softly sprung, so it had a tendency to wallow and roll alarmingly in turns. Also used a lot of gas, which was a problem in the 1974-76 time frame that I knew it in. Still, we enjoyed it, so I'd pick it in the first WYR. Toronado in the second group.
Thank you so much for sharing that story. What incredible memories I would love to drive one of these in the future I was wondering that myself if it road soft… I honestly miss soft riding cars. I have an own vehicle that road soft and 10 years at least… I’ve owned close to 30 cars. My favorite car that I ever owned was a 1988 Lincoln town car signature series. I kind of sort of want to see if I can find one really really cheap and do a nostalgia episode because on paper that car sucks but in reality it’s a good car … 160 hp doesn’t look like a lot on paper but I raced my friends Camaro. He had a 305. It wasn’t anything spectacular but I beat him and he could not believe that I beat him. It was hilarious. I would love to re-create all of that but I don’t think he has a car anymore. I definitely don’t have the Lincoln anymore.
These cars are starting to grow on me. I'll take the T-birds across the board but the Olds looks tempting. It's a bit of a shame this generation didn't have a convertible.
The 1966 also had a coupe model with a similar roofline to the '67 coupe. The one you are showing is the Landau (w/vinyl roof) or the Town Coupe (w/o vinyl roof)
Thank you so much for profiling a Thunderbird. Not a big fan of the Square Bird, but all other years are cool. I had a chance to buy an old Thunderbird as a first car when I was in High School (probably a late '60s early '70s model, I don't remember), but my mom said "Don't buy a Ford, they're all garbage". I didn't buy the Thunderbird. I shouldn't have listened to my mom.
I have owned many T Birds and still have a 65 in the stable. Jay you missed out on the real treat on how great of a ride the 4 doors were for the time period I suggest you go for a ride in one of these if you get a chance
I just love the 67 4-door with suicide doors! The front end styling was very cool, too. Fun fact: T-Birds an Lincolns used hydraulic windshield wipers, with pressure coming from the power steering pump. WYR: T-bird 4-dr and Yes to all of e 2 doors. There seemed to be a couple of glitches during the WYR segment. Good idea to bring a light to light up the dark interior parts! Another great video, Jay!
Yeah, I noticed that too. It happened whenever I put so I use InShot and it’s a great software program to use. They make updates and the updates come with glitches I use to edit a whole episode in one go as in put in all the pictures put in everything but I’ve had instances where I save the drafts. I come back the next day and they’re gone like it never happen so I don’t do it that way anymore? I do the back half as one video I save it and then I do the front part that has the history, specs commercial and classic auto Mall And I usually just put that on top of the back part and save it as one piece when I save the back part today I totally forgot to put in the pictures for the would you rather then I added the pictures and I totally forgot to extract the audio from the previous clip so that’s what happened happened to it
Pretty wild story about your adventure in the 88 Signature series. Had the opposite adventure at age 10 riding in my Dad's 51 Chevy pickup , the passenger door had a latch problem and forgot to slam the door hard to latch it. we made a right turn and was against the door with my arm in the window when the door flew open while turning had to hold on for dear life until the truck straightened out and I managed to pull it back shut all in a split second. Glad you ran across a 4 door Bird, love the 67-69 T Birds including the 4 doors, seen plenty of 4 doors back in the day, the 70 Beak birds, not fond of the front styling. First pick the 67 Chrysler NY with the rare clear taillights, supposedly in production the scrape rate was so high they changed production to red lights. Second 67 Rivera GS
Demon “Bunkie” Knudsen was the automotive designer who put the beaks on Pontiacs and the ‘67 Oldsmobiles, then move on to Ford where he started with the Mercury Cyclone, then the Thunderbirds and LTDs. He thought that the flat grilles of the ‘60s had run their course. He was a thorn in Lee Ioccoca’s side at Ford. The style was known as Bunkie’s Beak
After the 'baby birds' I don't like most T-birds much, but this is one of the better versions. There is elegance in the styling, and it's definitely an upscale car. The sequential turn signals in the back were always magical to see when I was a kid, and I still like them. IIRC these were analog mechanical and required special flasher units. Easy to do with electronics now. The headlight covers never stayed in adjustment and required a good vacuum system; sometimes in later years you'd see one half-closed on high mileage cars. Some owners just wired them open and left them that way. Someone else mentioned the 'flower pot' steering wheel center isn't on this car and I'm not sure why because in 67 models there were Federal mandates for better padding on steering wheels and dashboards, dual-circuit master cylinders, seat belts, head and taillight specs, and some other things I can't remember. It was the first time the Federal government got directly involved with car safety requirements. WYR I'm not much into Mopars but I like the New Yorkers and Imperials of this era. The Riveiara edges out the Toronado on styling gut it's a close call which the Toronado takes for it's iconic front-wheel drive and the fact that few of them survived to this point. The 'baby bird' generation gets my nod, icons in their own right and a groundbraking concept too.
Thank you so much for sharing all the insight =) The steering wheel was different because of the cruise control buttons.. that’s my theory The middle option wasn’t fair all those cars are great when I was 18 I saw a white 66 Buick Riviera for sale and orange interior. I wanted to buy it so bad I think the guy wanted 11 grand for it might as well be $1 million dollars lol
T-birds were never noted for a roomy backseat. When the '72-'76 models came out, you'd think they'd give them more room back there, but they actually shrunk. But folks who bought these didn't really care about rear seat legroom, they cared about style and power. Ineeded a bib for this episode! WYR: 1) T-bird! 2) Ohhhhh, toughie! Toronado's were awesome, but by a teeny, tiny bunny hair, T-bird. 3) 1st, 77-79 2nd, 67-71 3rd, 80-82.
I love the 4dr T-Bird, and of these, the quirks of the 67 stand out (power window control location, one year door releases, etc.) Only the later brougham interior option - on the sedan; the coupe went another direction entirely with that very unappealing 'hopssack' material) - surpasses. 'Fingertip cruise control', a Ford innovation. 67-71 gen were long overlooked and finally getting their day. Good quality when new. You have to be careful about color choice though with the 4dr - in the wrong cominbation the door cut becomes too obvious - you really don't want to notice it; that's the only way it works visually. Black works well. Iacocca personally greenlighted the sedan after seeing a mock up in black cherry. I did look at this one on a recent CCAM visit - interior very nice, but for 23k (high end of the market) the rust was a no go / would have to be exceptional at that price. 0-60 wildly optinistic even with the 428. Car and Driver got 12 sec from the 390, the 428 could crack 10 sec - 2 years later MT managed 9.0 sec with a 429. These are heavy cars! WYR 1) T-Brid (and that's a 65 NY) 2) Riviera 3) I'd have to write an even longer paragraph :)
So heres the deal... Everyone these days are out buying mustangs and blowin crazy money on them. There are tons of nice classic cars that are out there running and in great shape at a fraction of the price for a mustang or charger overall....Whats kind of sad is that back when I was younger in shopping malls you would periodically see classic car shows with some people advertising them for sale. I can remember back in the late 80's seeing very nice 55 - 57 T-birds being sold for around 30K back then.Now they are diminishing in cost as the buyers these days dont really have much interest in them anymore.Maybe 02-05 these days but it seems like the 60's/70' almost got skipped on demand in the classic car market.
I totally agree. Thunderbirds are kind of all over the place though I can find 55 through 57 for less than 30 grand not top-notch show car but not bottom basement rusted out either the markets been all over the place on those and all depends on location too if you’re out in California those bring different money than what they bring here.. Honestly, that’s why this channel exist to showcase the cars that never got the time of day because there’s so many more cool cars and Corvettes mustang Firebird Camaro .. and I would personally love to see more people drive 30s cars frankly when I see a 30s Packard in the wild which is rarely if ever I lose it.. because that looks incredible..
Beautiful Thunderbird. Will shucks. We have a tie between the 67 Electra and the 67 T-Bird. On the second one, glad the Cadillac El Dorado isnt here. I'll take the Riviera. I truly love the Four door Thunderbird for its unique style. So I'll give the Electra to my dad and the New Yorker to my grandfather. 😊❤ Thanks for the review and the tough decision at the end. 😊
Loved that Blue four door! Why mention the Detroit Riots months after the '67 Thunderbird was Unveiled? Was 13 with a bunch of brothers and sisters in Detroit then. We weren't worried - there were 2000 National Guard camped in Patton Park across the street 🤓
Late 70s I had a 67, 68 and 69 fordor birds only because I liked the interiors and rear doors. Didn't think much of the exterior design and didn't like 70, 71 beaks. i still drive my 2 favorite birds, 59 w/3 speed manual trans and 57 ebird 3 speed manual trans.
Good point, I'm 5' 10, easily moved the seat back 2" so fits me perfectly but like little birds they were built for 5' 8s. Stock is column shift but I installed console shift that looks stock. 1960 was the last of the easy to restore and maintain birds. Front disk brakes, long tube headers, rear sway bar and good tires mads it a super cruiser for todays urban traffic. Would have done another J model but they didn't have the manual trans.@@What.its.like.
@@What.its.like. They are different and fit in that "Futuristic" design theory that was popular at the time. - Chrysler seems to be the only company that didn't have something like this in their catalog at the time....well, maybe the big Chrysler 300?
The reversable key which was a new feature was how you cut cut two Ford keys on one blank which was a much more handy thing than it seems at face value. Then again Toyota took it a step further when my 79 Corolla key would open and start 9 out of 10 rear wheel drive Corollas.
This is the first time I’ve ever been in a 67. I was pretty smitten with this car I really like it. I can’t wait to find a 69. I’ve never seen one in person I’ve never seen a 70 or 71 in person. Thunderbirds are kind of uncommon in my part of the world. From all of the other errors except for the baby bird, there’s a lot of those and there’s a lot of square birds and you do see a lot of flare birds, but outside of that they’re very few and far between.
My buddy in high school had a 71. He has the record burnout in front of the school... never broken! He was blowing everything away! Guy he was racing, hit him in the side because he was losing...sad!
Wow people can be so petty That’s awesome that that car holds the record that still hasn’t been beat front wheel drive car don’t do burnouts very well so it’s probably safe to say that that is going to stay ..
Kind of normal for cars with vinyl tops. Used car dealers would hammer the rust-puckers down to make them look less obvious but you could find them by feel. Guessing this is the original vinyl on this one; had to be garaged when not being driven.
Much as I like the Electra and Riviera, I would put the Thunderbird ahead only if it had suicide doors. Also believe that Thunderbird was the last sedan to have suicide doors until Rolls Royce brought them back in recent years. Another recent sedan with suicide doors was the limited production Lincoln Continental Coach Edition for 2019 & 2020.
In those time Abercrombie & Fitch sold safari clothing. They were a companion business to the travel business that brought people on safari tours of Kenya’s famous Mt Kenya Safari Club, India and the Himalayas, Antarctica and Egypt named Abercrombie & Kent.
There’s another Ford Landau. Check out the 1973 to 1976 Aussie Landau. A 2 door true hardtop coupe. 351 Cleveland v8. FMX automatic. Head light doors. Padded vinyl roof. Only 1300 made.
67 New Yorker 67 Toronado 4th generation Flair bird. Especially the convertibles I like T-Birds but I have to admit that I never liked the grill of this particular year. To me it looks like a big hole in the front of the car and at the last minute somebody said Hey we need something to fill this hole up. They must have sold decently because Ford stuck with that grill design for a few years. But IMO the 1970 was even worse. That pointy nose on the front just screams Pontiac and GM. The 66 though is a masterpiece.
I didn't think I would like it, but strangely I do ! Big heavy and a bit ugly ish... thirsty . But hey, it's pretty cool. It's fricken mint condition. Cheers from New Zealand
This is not my favorite era for Thunderbirds. I'd choose the 1967 Buick Electra, 1967 Buick Riviera. My favorite generation of Thunderbird was the '64 to '66 Flair Bird although I had a 1993 Thunderbird SC which I absolutely loved even though I had a major engine problem. I also like the '72 to '76 Big Birds. I was in High School during the Big Bird years and I was really into the muscle cars and personal luxury cars of that time.
Beautiful interior on that T-bird but not so keen on the exterior styling. Seems like a reasonable price at $23K. Would go for the New Yorker and the Riviera on WYR.
Those 67 - 71 Thunderbirds were nothing short of ART
Yes, the "Glamour Birds"
Totally agree I have yet to see a 69 through 71 in the wild
Bad art, like those kids with the 'big eyes' and Kinkades!
70-71 Art with beak attached.
I just love these 4-door Thunderbirds! They were so elegant and unusual for their day. It's a shame that one has never crossed my path at the right time, or I would own it. This car has the SL interior option in addition to its many other options, as evidenced by the biscuit upholstery pattern. And this one certainly is a nice survivor, though I do see a bit of rust starting here and there. Those opposing windshield wipers were a one-year only feature. That fifth middle window switch is to lock the windows. This car really does have just about every option you could get. BTW, that is ia Tilt-Away Steering Wheel -- in addition to the tilt feature, when you open the door, the wheel will pop-up to the right to ease entry and exit for the driver. (Too bad the battery wasn't hooked up!) Thank you for featuring this car, Jay. And I'd take the Thunderbird in both cases, of course!
Ive had my 67 2 dr tbird for 30 - 35 years now. Always have people giving me a thumbs up or a wave.
Sweet =)
Bryan cool ! I'm another fellow 67 Landau coupe owner. I bought mine in 1989 still have it. In addition i have a garage load of NOS parts for this and my Mark iii. The Mark was bought in 1985 and I still own that as well
This was the nicest T-Bird of this series, especially the 2-door.
This is my favorite era of the bird, I totally love everything about these wonderfully crafted automobiles! I also really like the bullet -birds, I do like the mid 70's, birds, I rode in a new '75 model as a kid, and I do remember the interior was very plush, a few years later I rode in a '77 or'78, and I don't remember that it stood out to me in any particular way, they were all, much like riding in LTDs which I also rode in during that time, at least it seemed to me. I did ride in, and drive some '80s models of the birds, which could not even compare to the comfort of the previous models, IMO. I rode in a '67 Electra in the early '70s, and even as a really young kid I remember what a strong smooth ride it had. The '67 four-door bird would be a dream, and would be my first pick, in the second scenario I go with the Riviera, which I think that model year is gorgeous also! 😎 Video
I had a 68 T-Bird 2dr with the "N" code (360 hp) 429 cid Thunderjet engine, burgundy paint, black vinyl top with a black & tan interior. Sadly I had to sell it because I had no where to put it while I was in the military, that was the one that got away 😢.
Starting in 1970 for thr 71-72 model years, the Thunderbird was stylistically updated with the addition of a large, bird's beak-style projection out of its grille. All Thunderbirds from this point would keep that beak appearance with some model years being more subtle than others. Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, a former GM executive and then President of Ford, is said to be responsible for this dramatic change, because of this the 71-72 model years are also nicknamed the Bunkie Birds. Read a lot about these cars cuz a few years ago I picked up a four-door 67 Thunderbird, turquoise with black Landau top, rocking the 6.4 l 390 FE V8 engine. Been putting fixing up the last few years, she's running super nice now. Almost done under the hood and ready to move on to take care of some rust around the wheel wells and fix up the trunk, then lastly give her a beautiful painted coat. She's a blast to drive around, super fun, and everybody loves seeing her. Get comments every time I take her out, she truly is a glamor bird. Actually did a full brake job on her too replace the metal brake lines on new brakes up front and converted the drum brakes to disc brakes in the rear so she stops on a dime now.
2:00 ... that whole "bird names" was _very_ interesting. I knew "baby bird" and "glamour bird," but didn't realize that _each_ series had a nick-name.
My Uncle Edward owned a couple of Thunderbirds back in the day. My parents always drove Buicks so you just know they didn’t see the beauty of the Thunderbird. Sure the suicide doors were 👍 but, as a kid, the feature which made my jaw drop…that tilt-away steering column. I was sure I had glimpsed the future. ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas’ had a flying sub. Yes, that was the future too but a tilt-away steering wheel…that, Jay, was some ‘Jetsons’ kinda cool!
The design handling of the rear doors edging up to the Landau bar is pure genius!
The black 4 door models were perhaps used as back up cars for limo company fleets due to its formal look.
The switch in the middle of the power window switches on the center stack is NOT for the antenna. You would push it down to disable the rear power windows. My parents were a two glamour bird couple. My dad drove a ‘67 4 door landau in Brittany Blue with a dark blue vinyl top, with the 428, and my mom drove a white ‘68 coupe with no vinyl top (thank God…much cleaner looking. My parents loved them and as a teenager I kept them showroom. The 429 was brute torque and very quick but effortless acceleration. The 428 was near as fast but sooooo refined. You couldn’t hear the engine. I loved those cars. My parents drove the wheels off them, over 150k miles each. We had a driveway mechanic who worked at Jet Propulsion Lab, an electrical engineer by profession who just happened to love cars…frighteningly smart and could fix anything. He kept those cars in perfect condition right down to the occasional non functioning accessory. I wish I kept the 4 door…there’s never been an interior like it. The ‘67 was built much better than the ‘68….super quiet, solid build and never a squeak or rattle. I miss those cars!!!
I always called the 72-6 Birds the Mark Bird,for in my eyes obvious reasons. Another great Ford would have to be the 67-72 Truck .I love the 67-71 Thunderbird 4 Door series,but I really always thought the Pontiac inspired (In my opinion)the 70-1 Thunderbirds with that long nose split front end. Jay,I always appreciate the work,and research you put into these productions.I had the pleasure a few years back to drive a 68 four door Bird with a 428,what a beautifuly driving car.
I am a big Buick fan,so I would go for the 225. Thanks again Jay,and as you would say,Too ta loo.
Quality vehicle when it rolled off the line!
‘66 convertible is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars ever made only exceeded by the Continental convertible.
My father being a Ford dealer executive and efentual owner, I was fortunate to drive several 1968 through 1971 T-birds. I even had a 66 and a 67 as my demo for a while, when I worked at the dealership.
=) awesome
I remember seeing a two-part ad for the 1967 cars. The first part's strapline was 'New Thunder...' & the second part's was '...from the Bird'.
Both parts featured a striking blue Thunderbird dramatically lit against a black background. Awesome copywriting for a truly awesome motor car.
what a lovely car. Treat it as if it was your mother or grandmother. Don't let it go You will never see another one like it. They were a pain in the ass, but it's all relative.
I had a 1967 fordor landau with 428. Had all mechanical restoration done, ready for finish paint, when I lost it in a divorce. The 1967-9 ‘birds really are personal luxury cars for the Jet Age.🙂 I think they have about a mile of vacuum tubing. Ahead of the tilt, the steering wheel also has swing-away: put it in park and open the driver’s door, and if the vacuum plumbing is good the entire column swings up and right to make it easy for big guys to get in or out. Took me a while to figure out the smooth slide control speed adjustable wipers that only worked when the engine ran, used a hydraulic motor fed by the power steering pump. I know it’s just styling, but four securely mounted headlights that are covered by steel doors when not in use, really is a great system, far better than pop-ups. I miss that car.
My Uncle Bob had a Glamour Bird in the late 60s through the mid-70s. It made quite an impression on me as a youngster. I loved the hideaway lights that gave the front end a classy look. I also thought the sequential turn signals were a cool trick. The style of this generation of T-Bird holds up amazingly well. I haven't seen one in the wild in a long time.
I'll take the GTX sitting in front of it! My neighbor has a '63 TB that has been sitting in his garage since '63. Hasn't run in 25 years. Nice cars. This one is probably the quality of my '65 Imperial. And that is a compliment.
The yellow 64 Thunderbird kept catching my eye. 😍 Great driver quality example here. WYR: 67 Thunderbird, 67 Toronado. Easy for favorite generation 64-66 Flair Bird. I had a 65, wonderful car (and that's why the 64 kept catching my eye). Thank you as always, for everything you do ~ Chuck
Hi Jay! These 'birds are for sure overlooked! VERY classy car! And with enough power to run all the accessories and still get out of its own way! WYR #1 THUNDERBIRD! #2 Going with the Toronado. Grandpa had a 1966 and it was also a NICE car!
Great choices
I wasn't sure how I would like a four-door Thunderbird but this is nice, with interesting styling. The front end is kind of reminiscent of a full-sized '62 Olds. The landau treatment is also interesting. Very elegant car
For WYR, it's the Thunderbird, the Olds Toronado, and both the Squarebird and the Bulletbird.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a '57 Thunderbird on the highway. I never realized how SMALL they are. The driver clearly enjoyed driving it but he looked like he was shoehorned into the driver's seat.
If IIRC, the middle button on the windows is a window lock, so kids in the back couldn't close the window on their necks. The power antenna was automatic, when the radio was turned on, the antenna was activated.
And the cubbyhole in the console is for your .38 Special. 😉
Thanks for this video. 👍
Along the passenger side under the dash lip there is a white courtesy light/map light. There are two switches: One is to actuate the map light, the other is the power antenna switch. It is not automatic w the radio.
Great information
Chris youre partly correct. The center rocker is indeed the power window lock out switch but the Antenna was not automatic. For some reason Ford and even Lincolns didnt have that feature in the 60s-80s. I think some 90s Lincolns, Fords MIGHT have an auto antenna but not sure. The power antenna was a switch next to the map light on the passenger side of the dash under the "hood" of the upper dash. To raise you pull towards you and lower is towards the front of the car. Great cars
@@jakereal3604 Hi Jake, you're right... I remember seeing antenna buttons in Ford products into the '90s... I must of had a bit of vapor lock in the brain and was thinking of my first mechanical love... Cadillac. They've had automatic antennas for ages. 👍😃
@@chriscadillac8448 yeah Caddy had that feature for ages. Dads 77 Eldorado had that
I was more a two door fan but the four door was still pretty cool.
Scenario 1. 1967 T-Bird
Scenario 2. 1967 T-Bird
Scenario 3. Arrgh Bullet Bird, Flair Bird and Glamour Bird … I can’t choose
Great episode Jay! I saw this in my feed and postponed supper to watch!!!
Awesome =) glad you dig this episode
WYR: 1. T-Bird 2. Oh hell, I want them all! Favorite generation: that's tough.... 1. Flairbird (66) 2. Bulletbird 3. Glamorbird, but I love them all! To me, the 60's was the pinnacle decade for American cars!
Awesome =)
The Buicks in both 2 door and 4 door scenarios. Favorite was the Aerobird, but I did also have a couple of the Superbirds which I liked - especially the one with the 4.6L
Cool car! I love it! A State Senator who liked down the street from me when I was a kid had one of these. It might have even been black or dark blue.
From the 1st 1955 Thunderbird to the last retro bird, got their chassis from Lincoln, although shortened. After this generation of T-bird, the next gen moved to the Lincoln Mark series. When the Retro-Bird was introduced, again it shared it's underpinnings with Lincoln, but this time the LS series which it shared with the Jaguar S-type. At that time, Ford owned Jaguar, so why not.
The T-bird's position at Ford was always as a personal luxury car.
I wouldn't think that anyone could ever confuse or loop in one category a T-bird or a Mustang. Besides, a 1967 T-bird with a 428 V8 would blow the doors off of almost any stock '67 Mustang.
The 428 FE V8 was first available in a T-bird in 1966. These engines are kinda impractical today because of their high compression. A teacher at my high school had a 1966 T-bird with a 428 V8. The block cracked so she got a new car. I always took it as a big joke, but she bought a "bumble bee" Ford Maverick which was yellow with a black vinyl top. lol
I wouldn't mind a '67 T-bird or Toronado.
Real T Bird devotees refer to the `67-`71 Birds as the 'Blunderbirds'-especially the 4 doors. That mouth organ grille looks like a harmonica a blues musician would play. NOT one of Ford`s 'better ideas, but the interior (especially with the 'panty cloth seats) is nice.
As do I! I purchased my first '71 Thunderbird as a total from a body shop in Portland, OR. in 1977. It only had 57,000 original miles on it, but it may has well have been 400,00. It had seen "better days" and wasn't treated or maintained well. Even after replacing the driver's door, rear quarter panel and window, and giving it a shinny new paint job in my Father's body shop, it remained a source of problems for quite some time... Stripped flywheel, so I carried a wrench with me to find the "sweet spot" just to get it to start., bad wiring harness in the drivers door, which melted down on several occasions after wrapping foil around the fuses for the windows & doors....(go figure)? And then there was the ball joint issue on the front end... I was lucky to get 3 months off a set of $15.00 used tires from the corner Chevron station! I finally grew up and spent money I DIDN'T HAVE to replace the flywheel, ball joints, and a complete exhaust system. And then the neighbor lady backed into it with her 1970 Buick one night. and destroyed anything I held precious. She refused to accept responsibily, so I cut my losses and sold it to the manager at the corner Chevron station for $500.00. Same guy I purchased the used tires from! So many other nightmare stories including carburator switch-outs with uncles and friends when floats started sticking, and the time my girl friend at the time agreed to ride through the only automatic carwash in Coos Bay, Oregon on a Friday night. Long story short, the brushes and the water jets knocked the passenger window out, and drenched my dear "Pat Flowers". (I wonder why she doesn't stay in contact)? If my father was still with us, he would be saying something to the effect of "I told you so... That '71 Thunderbird remains one of my favorite cars. I've had a number of others since then, but the days of my posterior hanging out of the hood and dirty fingernails have sailed!
I've always wanted a 68. I've owned a 63, 2 64's, and a 70.
My father had a '70 4-door T-Bird. Very elegant and extremely fast, but visibility was so laughable we christened it "The Flying Boxcar." Absolutely gorgeous, though. When you pulled up in that, people knew you had ARRIVED!
Hahaha over never saw one of those in the wild
Flying box car reminds me of moms 2012 Camaro more blind spots than Stevie Wonder
We called it panty cloth at the dealership.
It surprisingly wore well, long after rust took over.
Hahaha you know I guess that material does kinda feel like panty material lol
I'm partial to the bullet birds my father had I think 5 of them back in the early 70s they are cool as hell
Beautiful, beautiful car
Totally agree =)
My dad told people he got 20 MPG on his 68 429 T-Bird. 9 in town and 11 on the road, that equals 20.
Thanks for a GREAT vid! Favorite 'Bird? My dad had, over the years, at least one of every generation thru the '77-'79 gen. He recently passed down to me his most favorite: a rare (no more than 100 produced by American Custom Coachworks) '79 Town Landau convertible. 1979 was the only year ACC saved the backseat, so it has seatbelts for 5 occupants. With less than 30K original miles , it is all original (save for the "wearables") except for the wire/spoke wheel covers. Black, black ragtop, and red interior, it's got the 351M, factory A/C, and AM/FM/8Track. According to ACC and other sources, the '79 Town Landau (with popular options) stickered at approx. $8,800; the convertible version of that same 'Bird stickered for approx. $25,000. The looks, waves, thumbs-up, honks, and comments this 'Bird draws - from 6 year olds to '80s year olds - never ceases to amaze!
Awesome thank you so much for sharing your car with us =)
WYR1: Probably the 'Bird, but the six-window New Yorker has a clean look. Keep in mind, the 'Bird is significantly smaller than the Buick or the New Yorker.
WYR2: Riviera.
WYR3: The Square 'Bird is quite handsome, the Bullets aren't too bad, the sedans looked all right before they got the "Bunkie Beak" nose which only benefitted body shop operators.
If I had been in the market at the time I would have considered the Studebaker Hawk or Avanti or Avanti II, the first generation Cougar would be worth a look.
T-birds became more of a baby Lincoln when they went body-on-frame. Not that that was bad if you were looking for a Lincoln, but....
I used to have a 1967 Thunderbird 2-door. It was a magnificent machine. It had a 428 Thunderjet, automatic, buckets/conosole, power windows/doorlocks/seats and cruise control. It also had the tilt-away steering column. I seriously miss that car :(
Thank you so much for sharing your car with us. Just curious what did you trade it for? And was your trade worth it?
@@What.its.like.unfortunately I sold it. It had a lot of electrical gremlins. But that was over 30 years ago and I didn't actually realize what I had at the time or I would still have the car now.
My favorite modal is the 1967 with the cornering lights.
I love this era of thunderbird as well
Great video on a very overlooked car , these cars were all about comfort and looking good and are great road cars. For the WYR I will take the Buick Electra, they are huge and i my opinion rode better than the contemporary Cadillac and in the 2 dr selection I’ll pick the thunderbird because of the comfortable ride and plush interior, my favorite generation of T-bird is the bullet bird you can’t ride in one of them and not feel like you’re in the middle of the space race they’re just too cool
A high school friend's dad had a 1968 4-door in Ford Racing...beige! It was her daily driver. It did have the 428 which was powerful, but the car was very heavy so not particularly quick. Also very softly sprung, so it had a tendency to wallow and roll alarmingly in turns. Also used a lot of gas, which was a problem in the 1974-76 time frame that I knew it in. Still, we enjoyed it, so I'd pick it in the first WYR. Toronado in the second group.
Thank you so much for sharing that story. What incredible memories I would love to drive one of these in the future I was wondering that myself if it road soft…
I honestly miss soft riding cars. I have an own vehicle that road soft and 10 years at least…
I’ve owned close to 30 cars. My favorite car that I ever owned was a 1988 Lincoln town car signature series. I kind of sort of want to see if I can find one really really cheap and do a nostalgia episode because on paper that car sucks but in reality it’s a good car … 160 hp doesn’t look like a lot on paper but I raced my friends Camaro. He had a 305. It wasn’t anything spectacular but I beat him and he could not believe that I beat him. It was hilarious. I would love to re-create all of that but I don’t think he has a car anymore. I definitely don’t have the Lincoln anymore.
These cars are starting to grow on me. I'll take the T-birds across the board but the Olds looks tempting. It's a bit of a shame this generation didn't have a convertible.
The 1966 also had a coupe model with a similar roofline to the '67 coupe. The one you are showing is the Landau (w/vinyl roof) or the Town Coupe (w/o vinyl roof)
Thank you so much for profiling a Thunderbird. Not a big fan of the Square Bird, but all other years are cool. I had a chance to buy an old Thunderbird as a first car when I was in High School (probably a late '60s early '70s model, I don't remember), but my mom said "Don't buy a Ford, they're all garbage". I didn't buy the Thunderbird. I shouldn't have listened to my mom.
Thank you for sharing that memory =)
It’s never too late Facebook market place is a great place to look
I have owned many T Birds and still have a 65 in the stable. Jay you missed out on the real treat on how great of a ride the 4 doors were for the time period I suggest you go for a ride in one of these if you get a chance
I just love the 67 4-door with suicide doors! The front end styling was very cool, too. Fun fact: T-Birds an Lincolns used hydraulic windshield wipers, with pressure coming from the power steering pump. WYR: T-bird 4-dr and Yes to all of e 2 doors. There seemed to be a couple of glitches during the WYR segment. Good idea to bring a light to light up the dark interior parts! Another great video, Jay!
Yeah, I noticed that too. It happened whenever I put so I use InShot and it’s a great software program to use. They make updates and the updates come with glitches
I use to edit a whole episode in one go as in put in all the pictures put in everything but I’ve had instances where I save the drafts. I come back the next day and they’re gone like it never happen so I don’t do it that way anymore? I do the back half as one video I save it and then I do the front part that has the history, specs commercial and classic auto Mall And I usually just put that on top of the back part and save it as one piece when I save the back part today I totally forgot to put in the pictures for the would you rather then I added the pictures and I totally forgot to extract the audio from the previous clip so that’s what happened happened to it
@@What.its.like.Gotta love modern technology!
I would go with the T-Bird, and Tornado. The glamour bird. I had a 72 and called it my TunderBird.
Pretty wild story about your adventure in the 88 Signature series. Had the opposite adventure at age 10 riding in my Dad's 51 Chevy pickup , the passenger door had a latch problem and forgot to slam the door hard to latch it. we made a right turn and was against the door with my arm in the window when the door flew open while turning had to hold on for dear life until the truck straightened out and I managed to pull it back shut all in a split second. Glad you ran across a 4 door Bird, love the 67-69 T Birds including the 4 doors, seen plenty of 4 doors back in the day, the 70 Beak birds, not fond of the front styling. First pick the 67 Chrysler NY with the rare clear taillights, supposedly in production the scrape rate was so high they changed production to red lights. Second 67 Rivera GS
Demon “Bunkie” Knudsen was the automotive designer who put the beaks on Pontiacs and the ‘67 Oldsmobiles, then move on to Ford where he started with the Mercury Cyclone, then the Thunderbirds and LTDs. He thought that the flat grilles of the ‘60s had run their course. He was a thorn in Lee Ioccoca’s side at Ford. The style was known as Bunkie’s Beak
Correction: Semon Knudsen
After the 'baby birds' I don't like most T-birds much, but this is one of the better versions. There is elegance in the styling, and it's definitely an upscale car. The sequential turn signals in the back were always magical to see when I was a kid, and I still like them. IIRC these were analog mechanical and required special flasher units. Easy to do with electronics now. The headlight covers never stayed in adjustment and required a good vacuum system; sometimes in later years you'd see one half-closed on high mileage cars. Some owners just wired them open and left them that way.
Someone else mentioned the 'flower pot' steering wheel center isn't on this car and I'm not sure why because in 67 models there were Federal mandates for better padding on steering wheels and dashboards, dual-circuit master cylinders, seat belts, head and taillight specs, and some other things I can't remember. It was the first time the Federal government got directly involved with car safety requirements.
WYR I'm not much into Mopars but I like the New Yorkers and Imperials of this era. The Riveiara edges out the Toronado on styling gut it's a close call which the Toronado takes for it's iconic front-wheel drive and the fact that few of them survived to this point. The 'baby bird' generation gets my nod, icons in their own right and a groundbraking concept too.
Thank you so much for sharing all the insight =)
The steering wheel was different because of the cruise control buttons.. that’s my theory
The middle option wasn’t fair all those cars are great when I was 18 I saw a white 66 Buick Riviera for sale and orange interior. I wanted to buy it so bad I think the guy wanted 11 grand for it might as well be $1 million dollars lol
T-birds were never noted for a roomy backseat. When the '72-'76 models came out, you'd think they'd give them more room back there, but they actually shrunk. But folks who bought these didn't really care about rear seat legroom, they cared about style and power. Ineeded a bib for this episode! WYR: 1) T-bird! 2) Ohhhhh, toughie! Toronado's were awesome, but by a teeny, tiny bunny hair, T-bird. 3) 1st, 77-79 2nd, 67-71 3rd, 80-82.
Awesome choices =)
Unique cars. Hard choices.
Awesome car I always loved that look of the T'Bird. T'Bird- T'Bird.
Box bird
Awesome =)
I love the 4dr T-Bird, and of these, the quirks of the 67 stand out (power window control location, one year door releases, etc.) Only the later brougham interior option - on the sedan; the coupe went another direction entirely with that very unappealing 'hopssack' material) - surpasses. 'Fingertip cruise control', a Ford innovation. 67-71 gen were long overlooked and finally getting their day. Good quality when new. You have to be careful about color choice though with the 4dr - in the wrong cominbation the door cut becomes too obvious - you really don't want to notice it; that's the only way it works visually. Black works well. Iacocca personally greenlighted the sedan after seeing a mock up in black cherry. I did look at this one on a recent CCAM visit - interior very nice, but for 23k (high end of the market) the rust was a no go / would have to be exceptional at that price. 0-60 wildly optinistic even with the 428. Car and Driver got 12 sec from the 390, the 428 could crack 10 sec - 2 years later MT managed 9.0 sec with a 429. These are heavy cars! WYR 1) T-Brid (and that's a 65 NY) 2) Riviera 3) I'd have to write an even longer paragraph :)
So heres the deal... Everyone these days are out buying mustangs and blowin crazy money on them. There are tons of nice classic cars that are out there running and in great shape at a fraction of the price for a mustang or charger overall....Whats kind of sad is that back when I was younger in shopping malls you would periodically see classic car shows with some people advertising them for sale. I can remember back in the late 80's seeing very nice 55 - 57 T-birds being sold for around 30K back then.Now they are diminishing in cost as the buyers these days dont really have much interest in them anymore.Maybe 02-05 these days but it seems like the 60's/70' almost got skipped on demand in the classic car market.
I totally agree. Thunderbirds are kind of all over the place though I can find 55 through 57 for less than 30 grand not top-notch show car but not bottom basement rusted out either the markets been all over the place on those and all depends on location too if you’re out in California those bring different money than what they bring here..
Honestly, that’s why this channel exist to showcase the cars that never got the time of day because there’s so many more cool cars and Corvettes mustang Firebird Camaro .. and I would personally love to see more people drive 30s cars frankly when I see a 30s Packard in the wild which is rarely if ever I lose it.. because that looks incredible..
Beautiful Thunderbird. Will shucks. We have a tie between the 67 Electra and the 67 T-Bird. On the second one, glad the Cadillac El Dorado isnt here. I'll take the Riviera. I truly love the Four door Thunderbird for its unique style. So I'll give the Electra to my dad and the New Yorker to my grandfather. 😊❤
Thanks for the review and the tough decision at the end. 😊
Awesome choices
really try to make the would you rather section, make you think as well as what one would potentially shop for back then or even now
Loved that Blue four door! Why mention the Detroit Riots months after the '67 Thunderbird was Unveiled? Was 13 with a bunch of brothers and sisters in Detroit then. We weren't worried - there were 2000 National Guard camped in Patton Park across the street 🤓
Just a historical event that happened in 1967
Oh, my favorite T-Bird would be the Turbo Coupe, in either generation, closely followed by the early 1960s Bullet Birds.
T Bird ,Riviera
I had a 79 T-Bird,It was Huge ,A boat ,Hood was a mile Long
Carrol Shelby used those 1966 sequential taillights on 69-70 Shelby Mustangs! 67-68 also.
I would have to go with the 67 Buick sedan and the 67 Riviera
In the first WYR, that is a 1965 Chrysler New Yorker Town Sedan. Chrysler, unfortunately, did not offer the six window Town Sedan in 1967.
Late 70s I had a 67, 68 and 69 fordor birds only because I liked the interiors and rear doors. Didn't think much of the exterior design and didn't like 70, 71 beaks. i still drive my 2 favorite birds, 59 w/3 speed manual trans and 57 ebird 3 speed manual trans.
Awesome
59 with a manual is it on the column or on the floor 59 I would think would be hard to drive if your tall
Good point, I'm 5' 10, easily moved the seat back 2" so fits me perfectly but like little birds they were built for 5' 8s. Stock is column shift but I installed console shift that looks stock. 1960 was the last of the easy to restore and maintain birds. Front disk brakes, long tube headers, rear sway bar and good tires mads it a super cruiser for todays urban traffic. Would have done another J model but they didn't have the manual trans.@@What.its.like.
I want 😫 😩 both, the 2dr and the 4dr Thunderbird s!!!
Sweet =)
'66!
67 New Yorker
67 Riviera
Square Bird (late 50's)
I'd choose the T-Bird.
I hate to say it, but I've heard the "Glamor Bird" called the "Ugly Bird".
It looks like Ford's answer to the Olds Toronado. Cool space-aged vehicle.
Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, but I totally dig how these look
@@What.its.like. They are different and fit in that "Futuristic" design theory that was popular at the time. - Chrysler seems to be the only company that didn't have something like this in their catalog at the time....well, maybe the big Chrysler 300?
I like the camera test! 😀👍
=)
The reversable key which was a new feature was how you cut cut two Ford keys on one blank which was a much more handy thing than it seems at face value. Then again Toyota took it a step further when my 79 Corolla key would open and start 9 out of 10 rear wheel drive Corollas.
I had a 67 Mustang with reversible keys. I also owned the 73 Karman Ghia and the key only went in one way and I thought it was hilarious.
It reminds me of the at the time fighter jets with the intakes in the front. If I owned one I would have to put a jet turbine in it
55 t bird is my fav.
WYR...67 two door above all six! Me want!
=) awesome
Thunderbird: first, second, and third.
Awesome =)
In 67 I would have picked The Mercury Cougar
Beauty.
Doors are like bank vaults.
Heavy as a bastard and with a shorter wheebase than a Galaxie.
Yep
I had a 69! It was a very cool car, but that 429 could be a little thirsty!
This is the first time I’ve ever been in a 67. I was pretty smitten with this car I really like it.
I can’t wait to find a 69. I’ve never seen one in person I’ve never seen a 70 or 71 in person. Thunderbirds are kind of uncommon in my part of the world. From all of the other errors except for the baby bird, there’s a lot of those and there’s a lot of square birds and you do see a lot of flare birds, but outside of that they’re very few and far between.
@What.its.like. Even when I was driving mine back in the mid 80's there were not many around.
@@What.its.like. the ‘68 and ‘69 are almost the same as the ‘67.
Love these Thunderbirds for me 1967 was the last Thunderbird. After 67 they are simply Ford nothing special.
My buddy in high school had a 71. He has the record burnout in front of the school... never broken! He was blowing everything away! Guy he was racing, hit him in the side because he was losing...sad!
Wow people can be so petty
That’s awesome that that car holds the record that still hasn’t been beat front wheel drive car don’t do burnouts very well so it’s probably safe to say that that is going to stay ..
@@What.its.like. that record was set in 78. On the road in front of the school, not directly in front.
Some bad rust bubbles under the landau bar.
Kind of normal for cars with vinyl tops. Used car dealers would hammer the rust-puckers down to make them look less obvious but you could find them by feel. Guessing this is the original vinyl on this one; had to be garaged when not being driven.
@@P_RO_ yep! Hammered down a few on beaters I've had! LoL!
Landau 1967 4 door..is this the "prince" car?
Much as I like the Electra and Riviera, I would put the Thunderbird ahead only if it had suicide doors. Also believe that Thunderbird was the last sedan to have suicide doors until Rolls Royce brought them back in recent years. Another recent sedan with suicide doors was the limited production Lincoln Continental Coach Edition for 2019 & 2020.
Sweet choices and information =) I saw one of those Lincoln’s at the Gilmore auto museum
Lovely car, but if it was possible, I’d put the 66 steering wheel on it
Wow, looks like I'm only the 9th person watching this. Good for me. Cool car!
=)
T-Bird for me...I owned a 1969 4 door in 1973-1976
Sweet
How did you like your thunderbird
In those time Abercrombie & Fitch sold safari clothing. They were a companion business to the travel business that brought people on safari tours of Kenya’s famous Mt Kenya Safari Club, India and the Himalayas, Antarctica and Egypt named Abercrombie & Kent.
Great information I didn’t know that that company went back that far
There’s another Ford Landau. Check out the 1973 to 1976 Aussie Landau. A 2 door true hardtop coupe. 351 Cleveland v8. FMX automatic. Head light doors. Padded vinyl roof. Only 1300 made.
I had one of these with the Police Interceptor 426..it was a wreck with the vinyl roof peeling off and the paint faded to the undercoat...
Nice 😊
67 New Yorker
67 Toronado
4th generation Flair bird. Especially the convertibles
I like T-Birds but I have to admit that I never liked the grill of this particular year. To me it looks like a big hole in the front of the car and at the last minute somebody said Hey we need something to fill this hole up.
They must have sold decently because Ford stuck with that grill design for a few years. But IMO the 1970 was even worse. That pointy nose on the front just screams Pontiac and GM.
The 66 though is a masterpiece.
the middle switch looks like to lock all the power windows is my guess
Very well could be there was no mention of what it did in the owner’s manual
Summertime Blues Eddie Cochrane
Great guess not that song or band Dennis lettich got it
I have a 4 door black thunderbird she's great but I struggle with researching it and it's enternals
What specifically would you like to know about it? I could see if I can come up with any information for you
I didn't think I would like it, but strangely I do ! Big heavy and a bit ugly ish... thirsty . But hey, it's pretty cool. It's fricken mint condition. Cheers from New Zealand
These are pretty cool
This is not my favorite era for Thunderbirds. I'd choose the 1967 Buick Electra, 1967 Buick Riviera. My favorite generation of Thunderbird was the '64 to '66 Flair Bird although I had a 1993 Thunderbird SC which I absolutely loved even though I had a major engine problem. I also like the '72 to '76 Big Birds. I was in High School during the Big Bird years and I was really into the muscle cars and personal luxury cars of that time.
the Chrysler shown in the video is a 1965, not a 1967 Chrysler.
Thank you for that correction
Buick Electra
Riviera
1967-71
Sweet choices
Beautiful interior on that T-bird but not so keen on the exterior styling. Seems like a reasonable price at $23K. Would go for the New Yorker and the Riviera on WYR.
Sweet choices =)