(first posted 4/25/2014) Recently, I had the experience of having a teenage boy in my company. He was at the house with his mother and younger sister and, wanting to create some distance from Spawn, I had him help me pick up and dump a bunch of tree limbs that had accumulated in the yard.
While doing all this, various questions shot through my mind: When did I get to be this age? Why is Spawn no longer a baby? Had it truly been that long ago when I was the nervous young man talking to the father of my focus? Am I really old enough to be called “Mr. Shafer” and “sir”?
Undoubtedly many of you have experienced similar. With all these questions bouncing through my mind, I still knew the bigger answer: it is the trajectory of life.
This latest bout of self-examination was ironically timed, coming just a few days after encountering this 1962 Ford Thunderbird. Blame it on a warm evening or several rum-and-cokes; either way, introspection was in and farcical, outlandish pieces were out of vogue with such an elegant specimen in sight.
It has been said that our unique experiences have shaped us into who we are. I would further opine that cars also reflect their experiences and do so in a more honest, candid manner. So what can be gathered about the experiences of a fifty-two year old Thunderbird sitting on a used car lot along old US 66 in a town of 160,000 souls? Amongst the late model, very high mileage, over-priced iron surrounding it and being near a plethora of “buy here, pay here” used car dealers, the opportunities for learning specifics about this special gal seem mighty slim.
But are they really?
Stickers such as this are terrific evidence this Thunderbird was lavished with consideration for a good portion of its life, presumably by a long-term owner. The efforts stemming from pride of ownership can more easily withstand the ravages of time. Even if the pride fades, this extra effort does help stave off the ravages life presents.
Sadly, nothing is immune to an unfortunate mishap. Age induced skin imperfections are called character lines or laugh lines; on sheet metal, they are called dents or creases. Different entities, different expectations–nobody has ever said the trajectory of life was easy or fair.
Rust was prevalent in the 1960s, yet it generally serves as an indicator of location moreso than age, indicating this ‘Bird likely grew up nearby or further south. Snow happens around here, but not to the extent it does only a short distance north. Whether the pictures convey it or not, this is one solid and original car. This Thunderbird is no Bondo Betty.
Like people, cars can be a contradiction.
Though this fine third generation Thunderbird looks good on the outside, the interior tells a different story. Besides revealing that its load was frequently offset to the left, what stories are lurking in there? How many marriage proposals happened here? How many arguments, first kisses, or cigarettes smoked? How many people have piloted the pride of Mr. Tremulis down the various avenues of their lives? The Thunderbird is keeping its secrets, perhaps smiling to herself with the satisfaction of knowing something that will never emerge. Remaining discreet is an enviable trait.
Despite any degree of effort in remaining discreet, this Thunderbird will sometimes let the cat out of the bag. Cats do have an appetite for birds, and some cat has likely sated his appetite with this ‘Bird. Quality wasn’t exactly Job 1 at Ford in 1962, but neither had it slipped to being the afterthought it would become a decade later. Is it fathomable this filler appears as it was applied by an assembly line worker over a half-century ago?
It is consistent with the image of a less-than-masterful job by some yahoo wielding a caulk gun. Ripples like this surely don’t happen due to a combination of sustained high speeds and a viscous joint sealer. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the utter degradation inflicted by the cheap, plastic wheel covers which would undoubtedly jar Hank the Deuce to his core.
The more I looked, the more the questions kept springing to mind. Oblique considerations such as the cubic feet of air passed through this internal combustion engine (little more than an air pump), waiting their turn to be compressed within the rock solid 390 cubic inch engine, then emitted, post haste, out the tailpipes…
…or pondering how many gallons of fuel had passed through this threshold, helping turn our 300 horsepower air pump throughout the course of its life.
How many times have how many hands grasped this door handle, aiming themselves in the trajectory of their lives? Yes, the questions are abstract, but this white wonder kept triggering new ones.
There is little doubt many fellow motorists felt the sting of the afterglow, and a twinge of passing envy, as this Thunderbird was hurtling down the trajectory of its path, aiding others along the trajectory of theirs.
All are questions whose answers will remain unknown, well-kept secrets within the confines of Ford’s jewel of 1962.
The trajectory of life continue for this Thunderbird; discovered and photographed on Tuesday evening and gone by noon Thursday. Someone could not escape the talons of the Thunderbird. Despite the domicile of discovery, it seems doubtful the newest segment in the trajectory of life for this Thunderbird will be a downward spiral.
Related reading: 1963 Ford Thunderbird Landau
Beautiful looking Thunderbird. 🙂
And just how many shekels did it take flight for?
The window sticker…
Clearly the seller can’t count.
No wonder it sold quickly, that seems darn cheap.
Thank you for this masterful post Jason. I too ponder my place on the trajectory..
I was actually referring to the number of doors listed on the flyer.
Is there any other car that will make a grown man wax philosophically as much as a Thunderbird will do?
This is a sculpture.
A very thoughtful look at a fascinating car. I have found myself asking some of these questions of my own finds, but have never made the effort to ask them aloud, as you have.
I could gaze at one of these for days, even having already owned one. This car is awash in gorgeous details, all pulled together into such an elegant shape. I wish I had chosen a better example to buy than the one I did.
I personally like the 1962 Ford lineup .
I have owned several , the ’62 TuDor Sedan was the best of the lot .
I have a friend in Min. who’s resurrecting one of these old ‘Birds and tells me the exhaust manifolds are ‘Bird specific and hard to find .
There’s one of these in the Myrtle Pick-A-Part in Arcadia , Ca. right now , still loaded up with good bits .
-Nate
These Birds were unit bodies, and unlike the Galaxies, had huge shock towers that ate severely into underhood room. I did not know about the T-Bird-specific manifolds, but it makes perfect sense, given the space constraints.
I mean HUGE shock towers. In their favor though, these cars were quite rigid in their structure.
Torsion bar suspension would’ve helped there. 🙂
A very enjoyable read Jason. You’ve captured the essence of why we love classic cars.
Another great read thanks Jason.A beautiful car,how could they bring out that horrible 67 T bird after this beauty?
Amen to that!
Wait until teenagers are calling you Granddaddy. 🙂
I’ve always like the 61 – 63 T-Birds. I remember when they came out. Most the older folks thought they looked like something from outer space. All us younger folks thought they were cool.
Enjoy the “Mr.” and “sir”. It obvious that some young lad has been raised properly. Something that is seen all to seldom nowadays.
You are quite correct. The general absence makes the use of it that much stronger on my ears.
Around here all adults are Mr. or Miss to the youngins. And they call them sir and ma’am. Either that or the youngin eats their meals off the mantel for a while.
Jason,
that car is good enough to make me willing to endure the immigration queues at an American airport – wonderful.
Thanks – my favourite (spelt properly;-) ) American car!
It would be nice to know where along the way the “u” was jettisoned in various words. It’s got to be somewhere in the Atlantic.
I once actually researched the respective cases to be made for the American “aluminum” vs. the English “aluminium”. I came to the conclusion that there is a credible case to be made for each. The British version with the extra syllable certainly sounds cooler. 🙂
Akin to the difference between “decal” and “decal.”
And nobody seems to use the full word decalcomania any more. I remember building model kits in the 60’s where they were called decalcomania in the instructions. Decal is the abbreviation that seems to have taken over.
@peekay: According to Fine Dictionary, the word decalcomania was popular in the late 1800s, it seems to be coming back in use on the web. Back in the early 60s I built a model of this very car (although it had a bubble top, thought it looked very futuristic) made in Japan and was puzzled at the time at their use of some weird English, in the instructions. Now I see they were probably using an old English dictionary for their translation.
I wonder if the Christian Fish symbol in the dealer decal is intentional? What a swell looking car and I hope it finds a good home.
I used to work at Summer camp so the march of time is so obvious. I boggled my mind that kids born in 2003 were old enough to have conversations.
Well now that you let the cat out of the bag; that symbol is supposed to be a secret just for us Christians so we can identify each other, pass it on.:-)
Well written piece, I often wonder the same things, every old car was once new, even before that, it was raw steel run through presses, all the parts were installed by men on an assembly line, long long ago, this car went down the line at Wixom, with other Thunderbirds and Continentals, what happened to that ahead of it on the line? What about the one after? They all went off to lead their own interesting lives with their own stories and adventures. Some might still be around, some aren’t.
I often drive by the site that the Wixom plant used to occupy, it changed the landscape when they leveled it! It is a shame that these inanimate objects have no voice, the stories they could tell indeed.
What I can’t figure out: was the original color of the car a blue or some sort of green? The interior (seats and dash) would lead you to think so. But then again, there’s tan carpet on the floorboard. PS, you can see this if you go to the website listed in the sales bill photo pictured above.
This is my favourite generation of T-bird. If this example is as clean and original as it appears, then it was probably a good buy for someone. Restoring it to as-new would be expensive of course, but this one is still very presentable as it is. A great fair-weather driver and potential cruise night participant. (Those hubcaps must go though!)
I went there, its hard to tell if that interior is turquoise or blue – both were offered. The carpets just look faded to me, but not tan. Either the turquoise or blue interior was often paired with a white car, and from the underhood picture, the car appears to have always been white.
I like the general clean lines, but dislike the ponderous, heavy appearance. Not my favorite T-Bird, but used to see lots of these back in the day.
If I had to have a T-Bird, it would have to be a 1965 or nothing.
Anything from the ’64-’66 generation will do for me, but ’65 is still the best of them all.
Honorable mention goes to the ’87-’88. They’re almost extinct from the road, but the design has held up well over 25+ years. Not to mention that I’m a little biased in that I had an ’88 that despite the obligatory 3.8L blown head gasket was still the best car I’ve ever owned. That thing could cruise all day at 70-75 and still pull down 31-32 mpg.
The ’65 looks the best, but I’d take a ’66 first, simply because it was the first year for the 428 and there’s a high probability of a 1966 Thunderbird having that engine under the hood instead of the lackluster 390.
I’ve always heard that the aluminum intake from a 428 Police Interceptor works wonders for a 390.
Mr. Shafer; an excellent essay. If only cars could talk; well, really talk.
This generation T-Bird corresponded to my first few years in the US as a kid, and no car received more attention from me than these. I never tired of staring at one on the way to school each morning, and must have made the owner wonder where all those peanut-buttery finger and face prints on his driver’s side window came from so regularly.
The T-Bird was fascinating not only because of its obvious attractions, but also because it was a Ford, and not a Lincoln or Cadillac. It meant that these had to be reasonably affordable, and I was very impressed by that coming from 50s Austria, where a tiny little Ford Taunus 1.2 was still a barely-attainable dream car.
Well done, sir.
Thank you.
At one time, I owned two Thunderbirds concurrently (a ’75 and ’96) with the goal of owning an example from each generation.
My trajectory has taken me to writing about them while driving their lesser brethren. Such is life!
Boy, the deal I could have made you back in 1994 on my Corinthian White 61 hardtop! Of course if you had bought it, we might not be on speaking terms today. 🙂
That is the magic window of time when that goal was active. It was also about this time I had the opportunity to buy a very well preserved black ’64 for $1000. It was in amazing condition, but the timing was so wrong.
What a sweet car. I’ve loved that gen T-Bird since i was a wee lad back in the late ’60s. Our next door neighbor had a dark grey metallic ’61 that they was always garaged and never driven in our harsh Cleveland winters. Wish I knew what that car’s eventual fate was. And BTW, there should be a Federal law banning those gawdawful WalMart wheel covers…
You should have to fill out a form or something to buy them, with immediate rejection if its for a classic car.
If you put “91 Corolla” on the form, its an automatic approval, but if you put “65 Catalina” or something like that, its declines the sale and security escorts you out of the store.
I dunno — I would be sad to see wheelcovers like that on an AE92 Corolla GT-S.
I don’t like Corollas but I’d still hate to see one defaced like this 😀
There are interesting Corollas! E.g., the late AE92 (1989–91) GT-Z, with a 160-horsepower supercharged engine in a 2,500-pound coupe. (Not sold in the U.S., although there are some now in Canada, New Zealand, and probably Australia as well.)
I thought the filler material between the chromed tail lights and bumpers was plastic sandwiched in-between the body and the bolted on appendages; you mean it was put on like you would caulk a house window?
Beautiful car and beautifully crafted words to go with it, thanks
Those were rubber gaskets that had some sort of metal spine inside, thus the dimply looking side view where the metal is rusting away inside of the rubber. I believe that they had spring clips that pushed into the fender sheetmetal to hold them in place. That front area looks like someone’s idea of a quick repair was with black caulk after the rubber went away.
Ah, that makes more sense, couldn’t see the factory doing that, thanks.
The ARCO preferred customer sticker brings back some memories. There was one on the windshield of Mom’s ’64 Rambler. It was Atlantic Richfield’s way of marking their territory. “This guy buys gasoline from us, and nobody else.”
I love these cars. But something is wrong here – the rear and side trim are 1962 but the front grille is 1961. Here is the 1962 grille:
Damn, you’re right! I was so mesmerized by the long chrome pieces on the sides (that don’t belong there) and the bad wheelcovers that I never noticed the wrong grille. The taillights are 62s for sure, though.
I’m glad you mentioned the add-on side trim – I think it ruins the clean lines and clashes badly with those oddly cool trim pieces on the rear fenders which, like the grille, changed every year.
The side trim was an option introduced for ’62 in response to complaints from ’61 owners about parking lot damage to their smooth doors, and it was fairly popular.
This car clearly has a ’61 grille and hood. Note the raised ribs on the hood between the fenders and the scoop, which were ’61 only. I’m assuming it’s a ’62 with extensive front-end repairs, which could also explain the sealant.
The preferred customer sticker points to it being a 61.
1961 would refer to the year that the owner of the car got an ARCO credit card.
“the year that the owner of the car got an ARCO credit card”
True, but in ’61 it would have been an Atlantic Refining credit card (East Coast customer) or a Richfield Oil credit card (on the West Coast).
The companies merged to form AtlanticRichfield Company (ARCO) in ’66, which also tells us the car was stickered later in life.
I had one of these for a while in my shady used car days. The interior was excellent in the one I had and really cool, too, with the cockpit motif and the swing-away steering wheel. The 390 made great rumbly sounds but it wasn’t very powerful and drank copious amounts of premium gas. Still, it was fun date car.
Jason, I should have echoed others in saying what a great piece this is – thank you for a Friday morning treat. Here is a fun film of these cars being built new alongside the Lincolns at Wixom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwzWXiK6OUw
In early 66 when I was 16 with a new driver’s license, my dad and I drove around northeast IN looking for a car for me. High on my list was a used T-Bird but that was a dream not matched by my high school job budget. I remember we test drove threee used Birds – a 1960, a 1961, and a 1962. There was a world of difference between the Squarebird and the Flairbirds. The 60 was pretty crude by comparison; it rattled, the shifter and dash knobs were pure Ford, and there was quite a bit of road noise. By contrast, the four- and five-year old 61 and 62 were smooth and quiet and more refined and luxurious inside. I well remember the 62 was Turquoise inside and out.
Forced back to the reality of my budget, I ended up with my dad’s buddy’s 60 VW bug, strangely enough another car high on my list. I could live the T-Bird life through my dad’s 65 and drive way more miles in the VW which got about three times the MPG of the Bird. Fun times.
You have answered a long-held question of mine in how these drive, especially the comparison of the ’60 and ’61.
As a bit of trivia, the ’58 to ’60 Thunderbird is the only car in which the 352 was the standard equipment engine; it was always optional in the other cars in which it was available.
A dealer in California had, a year or two ago, a black on black 1960 whose only option was the big engine. It must have been ordered by some old-school hot rodder; dog dish hubcaps, 3-speed column-shift transmission (I can’t remember if it had overdrive), and manual steering and brakes. I’m certain that this was one T-bird that drove like a Ford, period.
You remind me of my only other insight on the way these drive. The 61 used an oddly designed 2 piece front shackle for the rear leaf springs which permitted a fair amount of fore-aft movement (albeit rubber-dampened). I recall reading that road testers complained that the cars felt a bit squirrelly at speed due to the rear wheels moving unpredictably. For 62 and the rest of the series, they went back to a conventional rubber-bushed shackle, which located the springs more securely, solving that problem. Also, the front ends of the 61s were notoriously hard to keep in alignment. I always liked the looks of the 61s best but the 62s are nicer to drive due to their improved suspensions.
Off white is my favorite color on the ’61-63. Most of the ones you see are in this same color and condition even if they’ve been sitting outdoors. They held up so well.
Cars that last, cars that look like rocket ships or boats (Cadillac), cars that make you feel like a million bucks. The spawn of our spawn will still want these things that I am sure about.
Jim Wright, Motor Trend, September 1962 road test of a T-Bird Sports Roadster:
“In spite of what we consider to be faults, we wouldn’t have the T-Bird any other way – it’s the only car around that can make the lowest peon (like a road tester) look like a million bucks behind its steering wheel.”
I hope you’re right – nice to think these things will be around for a long time, even if just in museums.
Looking at that car just makes my mind boom the words “she’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til daddy takes the T-Bird away”.
If the color shade is original it is “Corinthian white”. That is the color used on the AMT/Ford promotional 1/25 scale model of the ’62 Thunderbird coupe so a car painted this white is immediately familiar to me. I see it in my model collection display case almost daily.
Rest assured, that ‘filler’ didn’t come out that way from Wixom, Michigan as these were built alongside Lincoln Continentals of the day. Both were known for high quality control. Obviously, sometime through the years, an owner ‘squirted’ sealant as it is possible the originals were cracked and dried out falling to pieces.
I would say California or Southwest car initially, based on 1) cleanliness 2) the ARCO sticker (from about 1968 on). I’m not counting on the Deep South because of the rain/humidity that would have tell-tale rust bubbles around window moldings and such.
This car had to have been regularly garaged as the dash doesn’t have cracks; the arm rest panel looks like it’s dried a little with age and peoples’ elbows resting upon it and the seat inserts have that well worn get in/get out wear. Overall, a very clean car, and I’d take it.
First order: Get rid of the Wal-Barf plastic El-Cheapo wheel covers and the idiotic back east/Mid-West “Joe Blow Auto Sales” tacky dealer sticker on the trunklid . . .
Those rubber seal strips could be why Thunderbirds were never offered out here, we have a native parrot that loves to tear up windscreen wipers and seals they would have made a meal of a thunderbird, but now that car is 30k all day long as is in NZ.
This generation was pretty rare by the time I was looking at cars. One of these occasionally visited our neighbors, and around 1972 I thought it a rather strange bird (sorry!), especially at the front. I’m going to guess that this car had some love it or hate it sentiment in the market.
The ’64 – ’66 Birds have long been my favorites, but, like other cars I’ve admired for a long time, I’ve become a bit less interested in them – too familiar to me. So, this car is the perfect candidate for the object of my desires. I like that the price seems to make it obtainable and driveable as is (but for the awful wheel covers).
I love the interior, would like to see it in person. Very early space age.
Great car and great write up!
A very fine piece of writing. I too have those pensive moments with a book or a record or a car when I just sit and consider the lives of others that might have been part of its existence. Big cheers.
When I was a young lad of 16 in 1969 my parents bought me my first car. Now I have to tell you that my father owned an auto paint and body shop that had the reputation for the best work. He did all the paint and body work for many new car dealers that did not have their own shops at the time. From Coral Way Chrysler Plymouth to LP Evans Mercedes who also sold Italian exotics, one yellow Lamborghini (I think) that the owners wife had taken an axe to, leaving many slices, holes and broken glass. It took six months, when the owner got his car back both he and the insurance company spent over half a day looking it over. Every was pleased. The reason for me explaining this is the car selected for me was a 1965 Marlin that my dad had just refurbished from the interior to the two tone white
over metallic blue factory colors. As far as I was concerned it was the best car in the world. When I graduated high school my grandparents were concerned about such an old car. So for 1971 I was give a choice of any new car around $2,500. I ran to the Chevrolet dealers for a hatchback Vega. I had read everything about the new cars from Detroit and the aluminum block with steel piston rings and no cylinder sleeves made me nervous, the Pinto screamed I am a cheap car, I should have looked at gremlins but for some stupid reason I didn’t. I was set on a Vega hatchback with A/C and a few options. Then I read about a rust problem, 25% of the cars on dealears lot had rust pimples on c pillars or hatch sails. Dealer said no problem, we will sand down pimples and repaint those sections. I ran out of the dealer ship and came across a Plymouth dealer that had a Cricket on display. Did a bunch more research, hmm, built by Rootes group same folks that made the Sunbeam, now owned by Chrysler. With lower price I can buy deluxe trim 4 spd stick and the dealer installed A/C, a must have in Miami. Nice car for the first month, should have brought the Gremlin. Or kept the Marlin.
Excse the rant, I can’t remember what triggered it. Golden years, huh?
I have always admired the “Banana Nose’ T bird. When I around 12 my neighbor had one that was even the same color as this example. He use to pay me to wash it and clean the interior, hell I would have paid him! He had a beautiful blonde wife that would sometimes give me and the local kids a ride to school, I was transfixed how her foot would hardly move the accelerator pedal and the car would roar up the steep hill. I also had a set of those crappy Walmart wheel covers for my winter wheels and tires, the exact same style. I tried to install them when it was about 20 degrees they shattered like glass from the cold when I used my fist to try to pop them on. My parents had a 62 Monterey in this same color in the early 70’s. It had beige interior and bucket seats with a floor shift. And the 390 “Thunderbird” engine. It was a nice car, but the exterior styling didn’t come close to the sleek rocket look of this car.
Being sunny and 60 degrees, I took my first walk around the neighborhood of the year, and was run over by the CC effect.
First to come crusing down the road was a minty 63 Thunderbird, followed moments later by an equally minty mid 80s Mustang, a minute later a very not-minty early 90s Escort, then a 96 Merc Sable.
Turning off the main drag onto a residential street, I passed a very tired ragtop Olds 442 in a driveway.
Excellent post Jason, but don’t think like that too much. Thinking about questions like those, and roads not taken, can drive you mad.
Yes, I have long liked the looks of that body style ‘Bird. Since before I could drive, because I was into planes before I was into cars.
Easily my favorite generation T-Bird. Talk about a car so in tune with the times. The space race, the glamorous Kennedy years, a booming ecomomy, full employment with millions of high paying skilled blue collar jobs. The U.S was at the pinnacale of its power and prestige and this was the perfect car to celebrate that. Nowhere else in the world could you buy a car like this. Then assasination, war and civil unrest took its toll and the party was over.
Ford actually took a gamble with the ’61 restyle as the last 1960 Squarebirds sold quite well, a bit under 100,000 units. Quite a year for Elwood Engle, whose design team came up with this, along with the iconic suicide door Continental.
nice car although I slightly prefer the 1964-66 styling more but the 1961-63 styling is still in my Top 3 favorite era’s of the T-Bird’s, here are my rankings of the T-Bird’s in the Top 3
1. 1964-66
2. 1961-63
3. 1977-79 (I’ve always had a soft spot for this era)
I’m glad someone caught the disparity – this Bird has a ’61 front end and a ’61 hood. It also appears to have ’62 side trim and it certainly has ’62 taillights. Although the author marveled at how the car was not a bondo queen, it does appear to have a sprung driver’s front fender wheelwell, or else there was a camera distortion. The front rubber gasket between the bumper and the fender shows what can happen when the bumper is removed and replaced without a fresh rubber gasket. Those things were heavy (and yes, were steel reinforced which could rust) and were expensive. I expect this Bird has a long and at times troublesome history; it certainly has been completely rebuilt at one point. As it was not restored, I’ll speculate that the work was done at my cousin Vinny’s collision shop, a half a mile from the scrapyard where we used to roam, looking for old parts. I drove a SAAB turbo for years that I rescued from such a scrapyard. They were wonderful places to roam when you couldn’t afford a new car and knew how to use a welder.
My own T-bird was also a ’61. I sold it 30 years ago and have regretted it ever since.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=2ahUKEwjI48-yj7fgAhWQFXwKHcA7Cs4QwqsBMAx6BAgHEAU&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov
Well, five years down the road. I could have a beer with Mr. Shafer and discuss our revised place on the trajectory of life…
You’re making me thirsty. And isn’t it amazing how in a mere five years our trajectories can take paths we never anticipated?
Yesterday I was visiting in the town in NY I left several years ago. I found myself driving down a back road and wondered if that old T-Bird was still sitting next to the garage. Sure enough it was, and has been there at least 20 years now, probably a lot more. It is the rusty blob next to the garage on the left side of the road in this satellite view:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7823945,-73.7442386,112m/data=!3m1!1e3
(Hope the link works!)
I don’t remember this from 2014, Jason—-but it was an enjoyable, and sure sounds like your “voice.”
I always was thrilled by these, and if I got to own one pre-1970s T-Bird as a fun car, I wonder which I’d get. I understand everyone who lamented the demise of the original 2-seater, but the whole “personal luxury” boulevard car sure turned out well for Ford (even if people rarely sat in some of their back seats).
Ha – I never noticed those ribs on the hood which disappeared for ’62-’63. One of my favorite cars ever. Also the different exhaust manifolds from a Ford sedan due to the shock towers is a new nerdly detail I hadn’t known. The 1958-60 was also a unit body but did not have the intrusive shock towers and the larger 430 Lincoln V8 was squeezed in, I think as an option in the last year. Apparently different structures and front suspension designs between the two.
1961 Grill and hood. 1962 Tail lights and rear side trim.