{"id":9333,"date":"2020-08-24T12:12:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T12:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ezilon.com\/topics\/?p=9333"},"modified":"2021-09-20T08:17:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T08:17:15","slug":"few-cars-could-beat-the-large-and-majestic-ford-thunderbirds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ezilon.com\/topics\/few-cars-could-beat-the-large-and-majestic-ford-thunderbirds\/","title":{"rendered":"Few Cars Could Beat The Large And Majestic Ford Thunderbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Ford Thunderbird that began production in 1955 started as a sports car but was soon converted into a personal luxury model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1958<\/strong>, the Thunderbird became a four-seater and in the next few years it acquired a larger and more luxurious look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trend continued till the large two-door coupe became unpopular and the production stopped in 1997, which was revived in 2002.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Thunderbirds were nicknamed Classic Birds, and were sold from 1955 to 57<\/strong>. It was tradition that stuck, and every new model was given a bird nickname.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thunderbirds sold during 1958-1960 were nicknamed Square Birds<\/strong>. At this time they were four-seater family cars designed with sharply angular and formal styling theme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ford was so enamored by the success of Square Birds that it even targeted women for its 1959 model<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Square Birds gave way to Bullet Birds during 1961-1963<\/strong>. These cars were sleeker, had pointed nose and rocket-ship lines with twin jet exhaust-like round taillights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thunderbirds underwent a change once again in 1964 and for the next two years were marketed as Flair Birds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this time the Thunderbird acquired a “formal” look, but the suspension, engine, and transmission remained the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efforts to minimize noise and vibration from the unit body led to a weight increase of some 244 lb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, the Flair Bird played a major role in the TV series Highlander as protagonist Duncan Macleods mode of transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 1967-71 the Thunderbirds were marketed under the nickname of Glamor Birds, and as Big Birds from 1972-1976. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were the biggest Thunderbirds ever produced. They had massive V8 engines, and weighed around 5000 lb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But their enormous size and heavy engines gave miserably low mileage and the 1973 oil crisis compelled the company to downsize the Big Birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Torino Birds were launched in 1977, and for two years they were the new face of Thunderbirds. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These downsized cars had smaller chassis, smaller body and were lighter by 900 lbs. The height and width remained unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the Box Birds in 1980<\/strong>. These were a little more than a sedan with nicer trim. They were a unibody car, weighing 800 lb (363 kg) and 17 inches shorter than the earlier models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then came the majestic Aero Birds. This aerodynamic car brought in the launch of the Turbo Coupe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1987, the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe came with several notable features<\/strong>. These included automatic ride control, anti-lock brakes, and the intercooled turbocharged engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1989<\/strong>, Thunderbird decided to take on the BMW-6 Series<\/strong> and launched the majestic Super Birds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Thunderbird had four-wheel independent suspension and a slightly smaller, more aerodynamic body. It also used a new engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 21st century saw the Thunderbird take a new look. In 2002, the Retro Birds hit the road<\/strong>, and for three years were the main model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were a two-seater based on the Ford DEW platform, and followed the trend for nostalgic recreations of old-fashioned (or “retro”) cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, most of the Ford Thunderbirds remained large luxury cars with massive weight and poor mileage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why they found it difficult to compete with their trendier and sleeker European or Japanese rivals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ford Thunderbird that began production in 1955 started as a sports car but was soon converted into a personal luxury model. In 1958, the Thunderbird became a four-seater and in the next few years it acquired a larger and more luxurious look. The trend continued till the large two-door coupe became unpopular and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[460],"yoast_head":"\nFew Cars Could Beat The Large And Majestic Ford Thunderbirds - Ezilon Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ezilon.com\/topics\/few-cars-could-beat-the-large-and-majestic-ford-thunderbirds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Few Cars Could Beat The Large And Majestic Ford Thunderbirds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Ford Thunderbird that began production in 1955 started as a sports car but was soon converted into a personal luxury model. 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