The 1977 Ford Thunderbird Town Landau profiled this morning, with its prominent basket-handle B pillar, prompted pulling out a photo of a 1977-79 Thunderbird side by side with a smaller user of the same basket-handle B pillar, the Fairmont Futura coupe introduced in 1978. Lee Iacocca’s habit at both Ford and Chrysler of re-using the same styling features has been the subject of many commentaries, including in the case of the Fairmont Futura here.
This side by side comparison shows how extensively Ford re-used the Thunderbird’s roof styling features in the Fairmont Futura, from the B pillar and side window shapes to the character line sweeping backward from that B pillar — everything but the small window inset into the B pillar. “The Futura Is Now” proclaimed Ford’s ads, but a more accurate tagline may have been “The Futura Is a Mini-Thunderbird.”
Eagle eyed observers with long memories may have recognized in the background the 1964 Imperial profiled last November. As if a pair of 1970s basket handle Fords and a 1960s Imperial were not enough oddball classic goodness for one parking lot, there was more sitting curbside only a few steps back.
Holding up an adjacent cycle and scooter shop’s mailbox was a Sears Allstate Puch scooter, made in Austria by Steyr-Daimler-Puch and a relic of the era when Sears Roebuck had a large automotive line of business under the Allstate name. Allstate began in 1926 as a brand of tires, its name chosen by a contest that Sears conducted in 1925, in which almost 1 million people submitted entries at a time when the entire population of the U.S. was 115 million. Allstate Insurance, which continues to thrive today, followed in 1931. In 1952-53, Sears briefly sold Kaiser-Frazer’s Henry J compact in its stores as an Allstate, but it was an unsuccessful move with only 2,363 cars sold. Far more successful was Sears’ sales of mopeds and scooters, which lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Sears sold Puch scooters and mopeds as Allstates, along with Vespa and Gilera scooters. The famously comprehensive Sears Catalog listed them through 1963, after which they became store-only items.
The Sears/Allstate motorcycle department’s pinnacle in size and sophistication was the Puch 250 SGS, a motorcycle whose 250cc two stroke engine had an unusual split-single layout, with two pistons sharing a single combustion chamber. Puch made split single two strokes from 1923 to 1970. Allstate sold the Puch 250 SGS from 1953 to 1970 as the Allstate 250 or Twingle.
This Sears Allstate Puch scooter is an 810-94381, a model that dates back to the early 1960s. This example appears to be rough but complete after over half a century of riding, storage, and outdoor display in the elements. Most likely, no one will ever consider it to be worth restoring and its sheet metal will live out its life in this way, but it does make an interesting conversation piece for anyone who recognizes it.
I like both baskethandle cars, but as much as I like the styling of the T-bird, I would probably have chosen the Futura, since it would be much easier to drive and park in daily use. Interesting how Ford bridged the gap in the late ’70s between old school designs and newer, more modern platforms.
The Futura model may not have come close to T-bird sales but I believe the entire Fairmont lineup in 1978 sold something like 400k units, and repeated this again in ’79, so it was a huge success for Ford.
And Futura can return much better fuel economy!
My first vehicle was a ’79 Futura. Nicely trimmed in Ford’s emerald green of the day, tan vinyl interior with buckets, and slotted aluminum wheels to go with the basket handle. A mini-T-Bird at a fraction of the price. But OMG under that pretty hood…. was a Pinto power plant! Reasonable grocery-getter on local streets and decent fuel economy for sure, but good luck getting up even the slightest grade with that four banger, especially with a headwind and the AC on. And passing safely on a two-lane highway even floored? Fugettaboutit !!
We had a 4 cylinder ’79 Fairmont (non-Futura) from ’83 to ’88. I never drove it, as a was a child at the time, but Mom *hated* it because of the lack of power. Said it made her feel unsafe on the road. The fact that it was an automatic with A/C must have made a bad power situation worse… Considering her comparison point was a ’79 Malibu with the 267 V8, no ball of fire itself, the I4 Fairmont must have been scary slow!
IIRC, production of Fairmonts in 1978 was about 460K, and in 1979 about 390K. That would have actually beat the Thunderbird both years, although we’re comparing a car with four body styles versus a car with one. I’ve always wondered if the ’78 figure was for an extended model year, but I’ve never seen any confirmation. Both cars were great sales successes for Ford, but both would face a bumpy road (especially the T-Bird) as they transitioned to the ’80s.
IIRC, according to one of the Thunderbird history books (the one by Ford stylist Bill Boyer, I think), the basket handle Fairmont was originally a Thunderbird idea.
That said, I really like both cars. Though not common back then, and therefore certainly not now, a loaded Fairmont Futura coupe was quite a nice car. And as I commented on the ’77 Thunderbird profile: if only I had space for one of these Thunderbirds in my garage…it would keep my ’68 Cougar and ’73 Marquis Brougham company.
At least the scooter does seem to be protected by a thick coat of paint. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but hopefully the center stand is set in the cement base and it’s attachment bolts are tack welded to prevent theft. The cement base will also help protect the Puch. Around these parts there are still a few Sears “kit houses” that have been beautifully maintained.
IIRC, according to one of the Thunderbird history books (the one by Ford stylist Bill Boyer, I think), the basket handle Fairmont was originally a ’77 Thunderbird idea.
That said, I really like both cars. Though not common back then, and therefore certainly not now, a loaded Fairmont Futura coupe was quite a nice car. And as I commented on the ’77 Thunderbird profile: if only I had space for one of these Thunderbirds in my garage…it would keep my ’68 Cougar and ’73 Marquis Brougham company.
I remember these Puchs well, both from seeing them in Austria, and then in the Sears catalog after we moved to the US.
I was hoping for a legion of commenters with memories of Puchs, but expecting that you might be the only one. Looks like the latter may be the case!
The split single two stroke concept is fascinating, and I think that I remember it coming up in a comment thread on this site a while ago. I hope that person will chime in again.
Robert,
I had a ’68 Sears Allstate Sabre 50cc 2 stroke. My first real motorcycle with clutch and multiple speeds. I felt like a king at 14 yr old sneaking on the road for a quick run up thru the 4 speed to the eye watering terminal speed of 50 mph! When I would motocross it (or scramble which was the proper term then) it would sieze and lock up. I would let it cool down and then it would fire up. It was forced air cooled as well like a Briggs and Stratton.
And 44 years later I enjoy a run up thru the gears on my 250 KTM enduro, another Austrian classic.
” I was hoping for a legion of commenters with memories of Puchs, but expecting that you might be the only one. Looks like the latter may be the case!”
Mostly kids here who never heard the distinctive sound a Puch Twingle makes ans it chugs along .
They were slow and ponderous yes but sturdy and hard ti kill , most other two-smokers from the 1950’s and 1960’s were easy to kill .
In 1972 (IIRC) a High School mate rode his to the beach and managed to slide it side ways underneath a parked car , he bailed before it got stuck so he got a couple pedestrians to life the back bumper of the ca , pulled it out and rode off none the worse for the wear .
-Nate
Puch is an unfortunate company name, imagine the fun vulgar schoolboys could have with that. No wonder Sears renamed it.
Puch’s self-branded moped were popular in the US from the late ’70s to the mid ’80s. They were made by the same company that currently manufactures the Mercedes-Benz G550 and G63 for sale in the US.
My mother had a ’78 Futura with 302. Even at the time I was puzzled at their choice, for the 2-door sedan was better-looking, had better outward visibility, & had superior rear-seat room. But what do teenaged guys know?
Pretty fun to drive though, for a ’70s Ford. To think this same engine was standard in its obese relative!
And the T-Bird would eventually find its way on to that Fox-body platform in 80. The bigger Bird, although a decent looking car (esp in 77) was really just another rehashed clumsy handling torino like the bulk of FoMoCo’s midsize line up, right down to the dashboard architecture. At least the Fairmont had some recent tech in it in 78, although it was pretty much a boxy grandmas car. I’d take a Fairmont today just for the nostalgia factor, and it’s (at the time) 25 year old straight 6.
I think I may be in the minority that doesn’t hate the ’80 Thunderbird. I like the point you brought up that the Futura coupe and the ’80 Thunderbird were both Fox-bodies. The Futura is more straightforward in its “honesty” (being a basket-handle Fairmont), but I think the ’80 Thunderbird works in a way that the ’80 Mercury Cougar XR-7 doesn’t. That said, if I had to choose between a 1980 Fairmont Futura or an ’80 Thunderbird, it would probably be a toss-up.
Lawyers have started suing on behalf of animals and rivers and whatnot… How about suing on behalf of cars? The original Crown Victoria could sue these Fords for stealing her crown, and sue other recent Fords for misusing her name without even having a crown.
In the Middle Ages, animals? or even insects? could be put on trial before a full court, & executed for capital offenses like killing a child. So animal rights advocates should be careful what they wish for: rights entail responsibilities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_trial
Oh, how I loved those basket-handled Fords. I bought a ’78 T-Bird back in 1983. Called the Pimpmobile and sometimes imagined my self as Richard Roundtree cruising the mean streets of New York (as I was living a considerable duller life in Fairfield, CT) Great car. Terrible gas milage. A year later I was shopping for an equally used Zepher Z7, Mercury’s version of the Futura with a nicer grill. That’s when I got a job as a sales rep with a company car, a GM X-Body that caused me to swear off Detroit Iron for several decades.
I love this picture. It represents Ford Motor Company’s movement from the 70s to the 80s.
You guys need to let me know when you’re coming to my hometown. I live less than 10 minutes from that exact spot over by the high school. In fact, a few months ago I talked to the owner/seller of those cars about the Imperial and the Futura.
Just recently saw a twin to this Imperial on a local Craigslist. For some reason, the pictures with the ad don’t show the front end of the car.
If it was between a T-bird or a Futura, I’d go with a T-bird. But would rather have a V8 Mercury Zephyr Z7.
I remember, as a kid, flipping through the Sear’s catalogs and spending quite a bit of time on the auto parts and motorcycle pages. This was LONG before I would discover J.C. Whitney. The only item I would ever own from those pages was a leather motorcycle jacket bought after my Mom found out about my motorcycle purchase.
Can someone explain the rationale of the split-cylinder combustion chamber? Seems like a gimmick with no discernible benefit.
2 stroke engines are somewhat of a black art. Something to do with improved exhaust scavenging. Expansion chambers do the same thing but in a different way.
Two cars I would love to have. Period. OK?
I’ve really developed a liking for these T-birds lately. They just seem “right” for a late 70’s car; I especially like how the “basket handle” b-pillar allows for light, thin and airy A- and C-pillars. Especially with a light colored vinyl, just looks very crisp somehow. And I’ve always been a sucker for hidden lamps.
Maybe it’s that the ones that have survived to today are often found in decent to very good shape, whereas the ones I saw in my childhood in the mid to late 80’s were generally beater status with missing trim, dents, rust, and almost invariably failed actuators on the headlamp doors.
I had a 78 Z7 with a 302, bought new. I have elaborated on that miserable POS before.
On to the Puch engine. Interesting take on the master/slave connecting rod concept that was SOP on radial aircraft engines. The early Packard V-12 aircraft engines, like the 1A-2500 used a master/slave rod setup too, which resulted in one cylinder bank having a slightly shorter stroke than the other. When the 1A-2500 evolved into the 4M-2500 for WWII PT boat use, the master/slave rod setup was abandoned.
A local repair shop that sells a few used cars, has a 78 or 79 Futura for sale, It’s pretty much original, including it’s creamy yellow paint, gold colored vinyl roof, and cream and gold interior. The car is a looker, and no, I’m not mentioning the town in NJ where this car is located as I WANT TO BUY IT !!!
Back in 1979, my dad brought home the brochure for the 1980 Futura. I though it odd, my dad who was a loyal Caddy fan, brought home this brochure. I remember it well.. the beautiful red Futura on the cover with the turbine style wheel covers was a looker.
A few weeks later, Dad and I went to the NY Auto Show, which back then was held in The Coleseum on Columbus Circle in Manhattan. I recall the two of us checking out the Futura, which was dark blue with a lighter blue interior featuring plaid bucket seats. Dad and I was comparing the interior to our 1977 Coupe de Ville. There was of course no comparison, but we both felt the Futura’s interior was comfortable, honest, and actually pretty nice.
Fast forward a month, and I come home from school and what do I see parked in our driveway? Well it was a brand new Futura. It was the same color red as the one on the brochure cover. All of a sudden, my mom comes outside and says, “Look what your Dad brought me!”. Well mom was happy as can be… She loved the Futura! It was actually a very nice car! It was a Ghia modal with an 8 cylinder, automatic, air, am/fm stereo, pop up sun roof, fancy road wheels, power windows, locks, cruise, and tilt.
Mom drove that Futura for 12 years, and passed it down to my brother and his wife to use for a second car. They had the car for another 5 years. For 17 years, the Futura was basically trouble free, rust free, and a proud member of our family.
I hope no one else knows where the one is for sale that I mention, because I WANT IT !!!!!
The thing that struck me about Fords from that era was the tilt steering wheel was really just a tilt steering wheel…the column didn’t pivot like a GM car, leading to a big change in the height of the wheel, tilting a Ford wheel basically just changed the angle of the wheel.
Guess it beat the Mercedes W116…no tilt wheel at all there.
Of course my parents were skinflints, and didn’t get tilt and cruise until the 90s…vinyl seats, vinyl top, AM radio (only because it was already there, they could have done without) and A/C.
And yet when Ford downsized the T-bird to fit on the Fox platform, all they could come up with was this: