Anyone else in the room question your decisions after the fact? Wish you could go back and tell yourself, “Told you so!”? Eh, that sounds good rhetorically, but realistically any vacillating I do in retrospect is all for show. My car mistakes aren’t really mistakes anymore because any accrued wisdom I possess is enough to understand the potential for shadows lurking in corners of the garage. But what if I never bought that ’63 Thunderbird? Or that ’63 Riviera? A very decent Emberglo-colored ’65 T-Bird Special Landau recently popped up on one of those auction sites, sold for an entirely reasonable amount, and might have made me as happy as anything. What if?
As usual, a recent toy purchase has had the mature effect of putting me in a certain frame of mind, one of reflecting on cars bought and missed. The ’63 Thunderbird (and all “Bullet Birds”) has been my favorite T-Bird for decades, so I can’t regret my eventual purchase of that car (maybe the certain car I bought, but that’s often the case). For years, I was lukewarm on the 1963 version’s follow up, the Flair Birds of 1964-1966. This Greenlight ’65 Special Landau, however, is a symbol of my long-simmering reappraisal of this bodystyle.
The 1965 model has, after all, some empirical improvements over my ’63, not the least of which is the upgrade to front disc brakes, a couple years before they became common on General Motors products. I have no problem with drum brakes, and seven of my eight cars use four-wheel drums; nevertheless, the T-Bird’s are touchy and prone to front lockup in hard-stopping situations, especially at low speeds. Lest anyone thinks this is operator error, please remember that I have six other four-wheel-drum-braked old cars with which to compare. Second, the 1965 model received a steering gear revision to more closely resemble the box used in full-sized Fords (according to my research). If nothing else, it’s more readily available than the troublesome (in my experience) box used only in 1961-1964 Thunderbirds and Continentals.
If that weren’t enough, the brake pedal is simply cool. I picked this one up at a junkyard years ago, perhaps in the hope that I’d eventually buy a car to attach it to.
From the outside, it takes a connoisseur to differentiate the ’65 from the previous year’s model. This ’64 Landau has the “Thunderbird” script on the front fender rather than the rear quarter panel, “Thunderbird” lettering on the hood (compared to a stylized bird), and unique-to-1964 wheel covers.
The real party trick on the 1965 T-Bird was, of course, the sequential taillights. Compared to the “wall of glowing red” on the ’64, the ’65 model’s taillights were broken up into sections that “pointed the way for others to follow,” according to the old commercials. Later, both Shelby Mustangs and Mercury Cougars would use these special taillights (not to mention their spiritual descendants, the Mustangs of the 2010s and 2020s), but they originated on the ‘Bird.
This photo shows two of the main differences between the 1964 and 1965 Thunderbirds, including the fender trim and (in my opinion) upgraded wheel covers with Emberglo paint accents. Emberglo is an obvious ripoff of Chrysler’s Turbine Bronze (perhaps a payback for the Turbine Car’s obvious ripoff of the T-Bird’s styling), but it was only offered on the Special Landau in 1965. For 1966, other cars, including Lincolns and Mustangs, could be ordered in this great-looking color.
Aside from the color, the Special Landau received unique wooden accents in the interior and an off-white vinyl top with the ubiquitous “love them or hate them” fake landau irons. The buying public seemed to love them, my wife hates them, and I only like them because I like the rest of the car so much.
Ford sold approximately 4500 Special Landaus beginning in March of 1965. A few were sold in Wimbledon White, but the vast majority were these Emberglo beauties. As my tastes have evolved, I would happily call the ’65 a draw with my ’63, and I perhaps would prefer it based on the mechanical upgrades alone. Certainly the auction car that sold a few weeks after I bought my Riviera would have been a better buy than my ’63 T-Bird.
In my opinion, and as I’ve mentioned before, the 1965 T-Bird was among the last truly special T-Birds, and they were advertised as such. This TV commercial sums it up best: A mature couple out for a night on the town to catch a Broadway play owns the latest and most elegant Thunderbird. The lights, the glitz, the vague tastelessness that still causes you to be a little envious in spite of yourself…that’s really what the T-Bird was all about. Mechanically, it was nothing special at all: slow, heavy, inefficient, wallowing. But it looked like a million bucks, rode like a dream, and oozed money and bourgeois pretentiousness. God, I want one.
For more information on the Special Landau, here’s a neat little website:
https://automotivemileposts.com/tbird1965speciallandau.html
I am smitten too! The 65 has always been my favorite of that three-year series, and I have long had a crush on that Emberglo paint color. Unfortunately (or maybe it is fortunately) I never came across one when I was in the market for something like that.
I think the occurrence you describe is common – when you buy something, you soon come across something you think might have made you happier. Sometimes its because of a better price, sometimes because of a different design or features, sometimes because the one you bought is troublesome.
And that Thunderbird ad was delicious! As if the car and the photography wasn’t enough, I could listen to it all day long just for the music. The “adult 60’s” at its finest!
The song is driving me crazy – I think I recognize it, but cannot put a finger on it right now.
I listened and tried to match it up with my mental backlog of ’60s jazz…the only thing I came up with was “Thunderbird commercial song.” I think they might have used the same song as far back as 1960, but I’d have to check.
I believe it’s “On Green Dolphin Street,” the Miles Davis tune. I like that swanky 1960 number too, but it’s a different one.
Coincidentally, I went on an “Emberglo” search-fest just last week. I’m smitten by it too.
You are correct! Nice call, Jack!
https://youtu.be/xGVdAlxlp18
That’s it!! The song was an inspired choice – it was old enough to appeal to the demographic with money (Jimmy Dorsey recorded it in 1947) but hip enough to appeal to tastemakers who spun Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue as background for their scotch and Winston sessions.
Hah! Excellent – scotch and Winstons is so spot-on!
In my case the tastemaker was a guy down the hall in the college dorm. Hey, we were sophisticated (burp!).
1965 ad for Thunderbird, “The private world of Thunderbird”!
Correct me if I’m wrong?
Thunderbird automobile named after The Thunderbird Country Club in Ranco Mirage California in 1954
Correction……..Rancho Mirage California
I just read that online, Byron, but I’ve always read that it was the traditional Native American Thunderbird that Gib Giberson used as the basis for the name. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right!
I think it was to do with the 1970s Kustom Kar Kraze, but I must confess a love of fake roof irons!
Could never make them work with opera windows and coach lights, sadly…
Always had a soft spot for that T-Bird, too. Went through a phase of drawing wrap-around bumpers at both ends.
I always liked the ’63 Monaco edition of the T-Bird. Also, like the ’66 a lot, all models, convert, hardtop and Landau. Great wraparound back seats in these.
Yep, the ’63 Landau was a great looking car. I like the Monaco version with its reddish top a little less than its counterpart with a black top.
Love the color. Similar to my 74 GRAND VILLE (with black vinyl top).A friend called it my Halloween car. Never a big fan of Thunderbird, until 75 and 76, still love sequential tail lights and custom touches! 77-79 Heritage (with custom roof) were the last TBirds to have any appeal for me. Thankfully, along with other FORD misfires, we have yet to see a SUVBIRD! 😉
On a completely different topic, April. 23 Hemmings CLASSIC CAR (p48) features a 76 Monte Carlo SILVERADO, supposedly factory built. Check it out! Had a 77 Monte Carlo, but never saw one like this one! Would like to know if anyone knows more!
I just read about that in my copy, Rick. My first thought was that it doesn’t look like a factory build to me, but the ’70s were a little different. 🙂
I ran a shop that specialized in FoMoCo disappearing convertible tops, including the ’61-’66 T-Birds, and I’ve owned a couple ’65-’66 convertibles along with a triple black ’66 Landau [the one with no quarter windows]. I’ve also worked on & restored several ’63-’65 Rivieras, but never owned one.
Tasked with deciding which one I would choose to own, assuming I couldn’t own both a T-Bird and a Riviera, would be a difficult decision. Both have cutting-edge exterior and interior designs. Both have similar [and extensive] option lists, popular colors, and reliability standards.
If I had unlimited funding and was to create a section of my [fantasy] vehicle collection to showcase the top TEN 1963 to 1966 American cars, the list would include the T-Bird Landau & convertible, a Riviera, an Avanti, a Studebaker GT Hawk with R2 motor, Imperial convertible, and Ghia Limousine, Lincoln convertible, a Chrysler 300J, and a Rambler Marlin. As I sit here and look over the list, the only one I’ve never owned is the Riviera.
Concerning the sequential turn signals, the early versions used a mechanical switching device, located in a box in the trunk. The device employed an electric motor that turned a shaft with 3 cams, each cam operating a switch to turn on a section of the rear lamps. If you have one of these early ‘Birds with these turn signals, I can say with experience that unless you suffer from hearing loss, the noise from the motor hum and clicking of the 3 switches, will remind you the turn signals are working! I’ve provided a photo from the orignal service manual showing what is in the trunk.
That’s quite the Top Ten list! I assume the Marlin is there to make the others look better? 🙂
Seriously, I’d swap the Marlin for a ’66 Charger, because its interior was worlds better, never mind its exterior styling.
This sounds like a good QOTD.
Thanks for the picture, Bill…there’s almost nothing cooler than a ’60s electromechanical device. I’ll never not be intrigued by how engineers solved problems back then.
I also agree with much of your list, especially the Riviera, T-Bird, GT Hawk, and Avanti.
Is this peak Thunderbird? I’d say yes, even if the Bullet Bird is a better exterior design. But this captures best what made these so distinctive. These were in a category of their own at the time.
I loved the ’63 Riviera when it came out, and knew it was a better design (by a substantial margin) and a better car under the skin, but the Thunderbird was utterly unique in its feel and image and essence. And for me, that unique quality peaked in 1965-1966, and then lost its way. The world was changing very quickly and the Tbird became increasingly irrelevant, and morphed into a retro-brougham-mobile.
It was one thing to be 12 and lust over a ’65 Thunderbird; it was very different to be 16 and look at ’68 with apathy, if not even disdain.
One or two years can make all the difference to the zeitgeist of a time period, and I’ve always found that fact endlessly fascinating. The pop culture essence of 1963-1966 is my wheelhouse as a collector and as a guy who’s moderately interested in sociological history. Even though I didn’t experience the time period first-hand, I understand and totally agree with what you’re saying here.
And although I love the Riviera much more, there’s no doubt that the T-Bird was more of an “event.”
Imagine being 12 and liking that new ’58 Square Bird and now being 19 in 1965? In the Flair Bird I see a lot of Square Bird DNA with a ’60s evolution, whereas the Bullet Birds seems to harken back to the Original T-birds (except they still had the 4 seats and considerably filled out more).
I had an uncle with a ’71 Cougar and I thought those sequential turn signals were so effin’ cool. It was the only time I could watch them up close and stationary.
I also am a fan. Flairbirds were my favorite and the Special landau was a great find in the bay area. Had it shipped here to Phoenix
Well, you’ve ruined my day with envy. 🙂 Great looking car…
Congratulations…and parked in front of period correct architecture. Very nice.
“Told you so”? Yup. Had that feeling. Test driving the 78 Zephyr, I had a vague feeling of unease. But the preceding Granada and Maverick had decent reliability records in CR, it had a new car warranty so the couple little things I noticed could be fixed for free, and the price was great.
wow….should have listened to my guardian angel.
As the Village Heretic, the Flair Bird has long been my top choice. While the Bullet gets a lot of love, this update was needed going into the mid ’60s, especially going up against the new Riviera.
The ’65 would be my top choice – for what else – the sequential turn signals! Gorgeous period color combo on this car. And, this car was built for a vinyl top, it looks perfectly at home on it.
The early Thunderbird was a contemporary of the Corvette, but they were quite different in concept. The first Corvettes didn’t even have roll up windows, they had snap in side curtains. Just like a European sports car. The Vette had a straight six engine, while the T Bird always came with a V8. The Vette was a slow seller at first, and was almost cancelled. They were similar in size, two seat convertibles, and while the early Birds saw some competition, that wasn’t their forte.
“A mink stole for Father.” That pretty much sums up the original appeal of Ford’s “personal car.” Ford never referred to the car as a sports car. When it became a four seat vehicle in 1958, popularity skyrocketed. The extra seats removed any doubts about it’s practicality. It previewed the success of the Mustang, but at a higher price point.
The Thunderbird was seen as special and desirable, something of a pocket Cadillac. Of course it’s success, combined with the Mustang, led to the era of the Personal Luxury Car, which eventually diluted it’s appeal, and resulted in the T Bird morphing into just another big Brougham.
I’d take a 1966 but most definitely ‘not’ a Landau. 1966 was when Ford eliminated the quarter windows on the Landau and made the already large C-pillar even bigger.
In that regard, the reason for preferring a 1966 FlairBird is simply due to the availability of the 428 engine. I’m also more fond of the full-width taillights and elimination of the grilles. Interestingly, the Shelby Mustangs used the 1965 T-Bird taillight lenses sans grilles.
The worst thing about the ’66 is the front end styling. The earlier years looked much better.
Interestingly, the Shelby Mustangs used the 1965 T-Bird taillight lenses sans grilles.
Actually the 68-70 Shelby Mustangs that used the Tbird taillights had the grilles, the 67s went without the grilles but those were Cougar lenses
Enjoying the love here for the 1965 Thunderbird. My Dad bought a beige on beige coupe in spring of 1967. It was in perfect condition and as a teenager I kept it that way until I went off to college. Here it is washed and waxed next to a garage built by my grandfather in the 1930’s.
Of all the cars I’ve experienced in my long driving life, this car is one of my top favorites and truly a COAL. Another Flairbird I experienced as a passenger at the time was a 1964 black convertible with black interior and white top that belonged to the friend of a friend. Spectacular car but like many here, I preferred the 1965 (and did not like the changes to the grille, upholstery, and taillights for 1966).
As Aaron notes, the big plus for 1965 was disc brakes, the best I’d experienced up to that time. And the sequential taillights! When we first got the Bird I was so fascinated by the lights I would stand behind the car and watch them in action. Based on Bill M’s information above our car must have been an early model as you could definitely hear the sequential actuator in the trunk in operation but IIRC only when sitting in the back seat. The amber turn signal indicators on top of the front fenders were fun, too.
The other feature on the hardtop that was truly innovative was the now universal flow through ventilation. It was activated by a vacuum control switch on the console that opened up a vent below the rear window. Not A/C but very helpful in clearing the car of cigarette smoke(!) and cooling down the interior.
True the 390 had a lot of work to move such a heavy car but it ran very strong when up to speed, rode like a dream, and all that heavy insulation kept the interior very quiet.
The most fantastic aspect of these cars is the way they made you feel behind the wheel, sitting in that glamorous interior and looking out over the long hood. I never experienced any envy of those who had the newer style 1967s in our area as I thought then and now that the 1964-66s were the last truly great Thunderbirds.
The only negative thing I remember about our car was that the plaid vinyl trunk covering looked a little cheap compared to the rest of the car and the trunk leaked slightly in heavy rain – a common problem from what I’ve read. Oh, and the gas mileage – sometimes as low as 6-7 MPG – meant a lot of my meager earnings from a high school job went for “ethyl” into the big tank. Dad’s rule was I could use the car but had to pay for the gas. Good times.
As for the Emberglo Landau, what a car. The pinnacle of 1965 Birds. Aaron, thanks as always for a superlative piece. I share your interest in the history and sociology of the 1960’s but with added firsthand experience!
You’re welcome! I’ve mentioned it before, but I always feel underdressed when I’m driving my ’63, even though it’s 60 years old and looks like it’s seen some stuff. With that being said, I’ve never been one to wear a suit…I just got my first sport coat in years for my brother-in-law’s wedding last year. Haven’t worn it since. Maybe I’ll have to dress up to take a ride sometime. 🙂
Your mileage quote is correct – it’s fairly dismal. I think my lowest so far is about 9 mpg, but I’ve gotten 15 on the highway, which isn’t bad at all for what it is. All I know is that I fill it up a lot more than most of the cars over the course of driving season.
I’ve been smitten with the Flairbirds for some time… ever since I took my brand new ’83 Areobird to a cruise-in, and a guy with a ’66 Convertible with that tonneau cover invited me to park next to him.
It was kinda fun looking at nearly two decades of evolution between his ‘Bird and mine.
He showed me the sequential turn signals and how they worked. They were MECHANICAL!!!
That left an impression with me, and when an ELECTRONIC version of this became available for my 2007 Mustang, my wife bought me this aftermarket device (which uses an OEM wiring sub-harness) that was completely plug and play.
The irony with this device was its advertising. They said, “Make your Mustang’s taillights just like the classic Mustang’s.” UM – NO. Aaron is right here. This was a T-Bird thing. Maybe later for the Shelby and Cougar, but not the sixties Mustangs, but I digress as usual…
To this day, in my dream garage, is a light metallic blue 1966 T-Bird convertible with a white top and white interior (I’ll take my ’68 Impala the same way 😉). I could do without the tonnaeu cover. Seeing how beautiful the color of our subject car is though, I may have to rethink my color choice.
He showed me the sequential turn signals and how they worked. They were MECHANICAL!!!
My 67 ‘Bird had the mechanical sequencer too. When I sat at a turn, waiting for the light, I could hear the electric motor running RRRrrrr..RRRrrrr. If I had the AM radio on, I could hear the contacts arcing over the radio chitt,chitt.chitt…,,chitt.chitt,chitt.
My 70 Cougar had the electronic sequencer, which was silent in operation.
When I was growing up as a kid, my exposure to cars via reading magazines was either new stuff (i got my first Autoweek subscription around 11 years old) or muscle cars/customs by reading my dad’s Popular Hot Rodding magazines. Exposure in movies & TV shows brought about some recognition, so I knew of the first generation Thunderbird from “American Graffiti”.
I knew that the shape that I now know as the “Flair Bird” from seeing them in traffic as a kid, but I never really got up close to one. That was until the summer after my freshman year in college. Someone who worked in the same building daily drove a white on white Flair Bird (I think it was a ’65). That thing was beautiful. He showed me around it one day and I was surprised at the amount of features that it had in it, that would still have been considered luxury features in 1996!! From that point forward, and also with the inclusion of the green T-bird in “Thelma & Louise” (that I also discovered that summer), the Flair Birds have always been my favorite classic T-bird.
So, it’s kind of a CC Effect musicology-wise, but I had just been listening to the music that plays behind that ad at the end of your post.
It’s “On Green Dolphin Street”. In this case, the Chuck Sagle version.
But the Cannonball Adderly/Miles Davis version may be even better known. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6cZmvxnI8&ab_channel=CannonballAdderley-Topic
I do love this T-bird. I can’t exactly explain it, but this particular year/model particularly strikes me.
That is eerily coincidental, Jeff! On an unrelated note, “Splendor in the Brass” is almost as cheesy an album title as “A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin’ On.” 🙂
Cool song, though…it fits well with the T-Bird in its element.
Re: Aaron’s link to Automotive Mileposts be sure to click on this link inside that section to read The Story of One Car. It is a real treat and brings back the 60’s through a young boy’s memory of a neighbor’s Special Landau.
https://automotivemileposts.com/tbird1965speciallandaustory.html
I have been a long time Thunderbird fan. There is something just magical about those early cars. I wasn’t around for that era either, but there was something that just registered with me. Maybe it was the way my dad spoke of the cars, Heck, even my mom loved Thunderbirds, in particular Flare Birds. She was part of a band during that era, and their band cars were a couple of Flare Birds and a Riviera along with a ’58 Cadillac Hearse for the equipment. Compared to the bare bones cars she grew up with, these Thunderbirds were special.
I was the same as your Aaron. When I was younger I was all about the Bullet Birds. I loved them, in particular the Sports Roadster. There was just something about the Flare Birds that made me stick my nose up at them. Now, I think they are just as desirable in my eyes. The ’65 seems to be the fan favourite here and I would agree with the minor changes over the ’64 it made it more desirable in my eyes. I don’t know if I am sold on the 1966’s face lift, but I have to say a 428 would be a compelling upgrade over the sleepy 390. I did not like the ’66 Landau with the lack of quarter windows.
I like your little collection of 1;64 diecasts too. I have that green ’73 Laguna, but I’d love to add the ’65 Bird. Unfortunately the selection isn’t as good north of the border and they are usually really picked over in the store. However on a trip south last month, I picked up a very sharp Autoworld ’64 Pontiac Grand Prix in1:64 scale.
Regarding the diecasts: The pickings at our local stores have been slim for months. If I find something I like, I order it (or more likely several of them) online. Yeah, you have to pay shipping, but that’s OK.
This 65 full fills two things for me. One, truly a personal luxury car here, and two, one of the best taillight treatments.
My 1970 T Bird is nice but parts are hard to find also they have 2 rubber hoses that are in the trunk to empty excess water from the vent under the rear window you have to keep a eye on them as if they break or come loose water goes into the trunk and can rust holes in it this is a very poor design
Same design in my Parklane with those drains and I do have some rust holes under the floor brace long before I got the car and finally figured out what was going on.
I don’t care for the Landau irons, but the rest of the car more than makes up up for it.
Just love it and the love the colour and taillights.
Here is a photo of 2 VERY nice original 1965 Landau Special Editions. According to the data tags on both doors, both cars came off the assembly line at the Ford Wixom Plant within 9 days of each other. The car in the foreground has just over 100,000 original miles on it and the car in the background has 37,000 original miles. Both cars still have their
original interiors except for carpets and both have the original large wheatchaffe pattern vinyl tops. Also both cars now reside in Canada.
Lets try that [photo again.
Garnet, if you reduce the size of the picture, it should attach.
Thanks for the tip. I’m going to try one more time after reducing the pixels.
There you go! What a great looking pair of T-Birds.
Not often that you get two of these rather rare 65 Landau Special Editions at the same car show. Made for a great photo op. Only 4500 of these models produced in 65 with about 275 of them still in existence in any condition let alone pristine original condition of these 2 cars. No one has fooled around with either of these vehicles with rest mods and after market goodies. Both cars are still running with the original Autolite 4100 carbs. No Crager or Billet wheels for these machines.
The Thunderbird has always been one of my favorite cars. I like so many models it’s hard to choose a favorite. I really like the 70 and 71s. I know most people don’t. I love the interior, especially the dashboard, it’s beautiful. I like how they light up at night. That bluish green color goes right through me. My other favorites are the 57s, 64, 65, and 66s. Next would be the 74 through 76s. I know they are big and lost the sporty look the T-Birds started out to be, but I think the 74-76s are beautiful cars. Then the 84 redesign was another favorite. I also know no one likes the 1980 model year but I do and have since I first saw them. I think that about covers it, except to say the 2005 really disappointed me, I was expecting so much more. Ford is currently not building cars, but they will again, and when they do, I predict one of them will be an EV bird. Who knows after that, maybe a Country Squire wagon.
I guess I like them all. But the 70-71s are my favorites. I owned a 1970 2 door fastback. It had the 428 4 barrel carburetor. The interior was beautiful black cloth and vinyl. I loved that car, but had a hard time keeping gas in it. It got 8 to 10 mpg no matter what.
Nice article, since buying my first 2004 retrobird a few years ago, I’ve gotten more into Thunderbirds and I find I like most generations as they have unique things to offer. Last year I picked up this 67 glamor bird, and she truly lives up to that name in her Turquoise and her rear suicide doors, modeled after the Lincoln Continental. Been fixing her up sive And she’s running beautifully. She gets a lot of looks and comments when I drive her around.
Thank you! I’ve been liking the four door Landau a lot more lately, and yours is the perfect color.
I have always thought these quite nicely designed (and I want that on the record before I carry on with this comment). I spotted something, for the first time, in that ‘psychedelic'(…?) TV ad: the ’65 T-bird front end looks like the result of Elwood Engel cleaning up Virgil Exner’s mess of a 1961 Plymouth front end. It was the rolling-up-from-under grille I noticed first, then the inward-wing shapes near the headlamps, and the…well…click to embiggen this and see for yourself:
There is definitely a resemblance there, but I don’t think it was Engel who was responsible for the cleanup. He was already at Chrysler by the time the ’64 T-Bird was on the drawing board, so Gene Bordinat or Engel’s friend Joe Oros (who was chief stylist for Ford Division at the time) would have been in charge.
No, of course it wasn’t Engel’s work—yes, he was already at Chrysler. What I meant to convey was that it looks like what might’ve happened if Engel had been tasked to clean up that particular mess.
…mention of which forces (forces!) me to post this look at how the magic was done back before microcontrollers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChH–ndoofc
That sounds like a problem with the drum brakes. 🤓
“That sounds like a problem with the drum brakes.”
I guess in this case, I do have a problem with the drum brakes!
On 64 models, they had drum brakes all around. For 65 they changed to disc brakes on the front. These new disc brakes were Kelsey Hayes dual piston calipers and they could stop you on a dime and give you 5 cents change. The trick of using them in emergency siturations was to hit the brake pedal very hard to lock up both the front and back wheels to control forward directional control. If you lock up the fronts only, the back end comes loose and you lose directional control. This was long before ABS,
My classic dream car has been the ’66 T’bird convertible, which really accentuates the curved rear seat upholstery, in emberglow with white top and interior. I prefer it’s styling to the ’64-65. The smaller front bumper and rear taillights give the car a more streamline, modern look.