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Curbside Classics Archives
Ford Thunderbird Archive
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![The four-seat Ford Thunderbird was a highly profitable hit that struck deep in the over-$4,000 price territory occupied by mid-price brands like Oldsmobile and Buick. Oldsmobile tried to fight […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1962-Oldsmobile-Starfire-Coupe-Wedgewood-Mist-ClassicCars.com-front-3q-right.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1962 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe Vs. 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe – Thunderbird-Fighter Or Just A Fancier Olds?")
1962 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe Vs. 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe – Thunderbird-Fighter Or Just A Fancier Olds?
Posted on April 24, 2025 | 26 CommentsThe four-seat Ford Thunderbird was a highly profitable hit that struck deep in the over-$4,000 price territory occupied by mid-price brands like Oldsmobile and Buick. Oldsmobile tried to fight […] -
![It’s no secret that by the mid-1960s, most car magazines had long since decided that the Ford Thunderbird wasn’t their kind of car. In February 1969, however, Car Life […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1969-Ford-Thunderbird-2dr-Landau-Mecum-Auctions-front.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Ford Thunderbird Landau – “It’s Better Than My Living Room”")
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Ford Thunderbird Landau – “It’s Better Than My Living Room”
Posted on March 29, 2025 | 20 CommentsIt’s no secret that by the mid-1960s, most car magazines had long since decided that the Ford Thunderbird wasn’t their kind of car. In February 1969, however, Car Life […] -
![GM’s big personal luxury coupes were all-new for 1971, debuting a bigger, squarer Oldsmobile Toronado and the controversial new “boat tail” Buick Riviera. How did they stack up against the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Motor-Trend-1970-12-Almost-a-Limousine-featured.webp?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage MT Comparison: 1971 Buick Riviera Vs. Oldsmobile Toronado Vs. Ford Thunderbird – “Almost A Limousine”")
Vintage MT Comparison: 1971 Buick Riviera Vs. Oldsmobile Toronado Vs. Ford Thunderbird – “Almost A Limousine”
Posted on March 2, 2025 | 25 CommentsGM’s big personal luxury coupes were all-new for 1971, debuting a bigger, squarer Oldsmobile Toronado and the controversial new “boat tail” Buick Riviera. How did they stack up against the […] -
![If you’re a connoisseur of personal luxury cars or ’70s land yachts, you’re probably familiar with the various designer editions, which bore the names of famous designers like Emilio […]](https://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/468929_11.avif "Automotive History: 1975–1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Lipstick Edition – A Designer Edition Without The Designer Name")
Automotive History: 1975–1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Lipstick Edition – A Designer Edition Without The Designer Name
Posted on February 23, 2025 | 25 CommentsIf you’re a connoisseur of personal luxury cars or ’70s land yachts, you’re probably familiar with the various designer editions, which bore the names of famous designers like Emilio […] -
![What makes a luxury car? Is it size, power, gadgets, and prestige, or just a soft ride and a lofty price tag? Humorist Jean Shepherd and automotive iconoclast Brock Yates […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1972-02_CD_Viewpoint_Ford_Thunderbird_Brock_Yates_Jean_Shepherd_sepia-joined.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage C/D Review: 1972 Ford Thunderbird – Jean Shepherd And Brock Yates Ask, “What Would Gatsby Do?”")
Vintage C/D Review: 1972 Ford Thunderbird – Jean Shepherd And Brock Yates Ask, “What Would Gatsby Do?”
Posted on January 12, 2025 | 31 CommentsWhat makes a luxury car? Is it size, power, gadgets, and prestige, or just a soft ride and a lofty price tag? Humorist Jean Shepherd and automotive iconoclast Brock Yates […] -
![After the demise of the two-seater Thunderbird in 1957, American car magazines steadily became less and less interested in the bigger four-seat ‘Birds, annoyed at their average performance, soggy suspension […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1964-11_CL_1965_Ford_Thunderbird_Test_0.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car Life Road Test: Disc-Braked 1965 Ford Thunderbird – Glitz And Gimmicks Galore, But Surprisingly Good At Slowing Down")
Vintage Car Life Road Test: Disc-Braked 1965 Ford Thunderbird – Glitz And Gimmicks Galore, But Surprisingly Good At Slowing Down
Posted on December 12, 2024 | 26 CommentsAfter the demise of the two-seater Thunderbird in 1957, American car magazines steadily became less and less interested in the bigger four-seat ‘Birds, annoyed at their average performance, soggy suspension […] -
![Sometimes, the most familiar objects can seem strange and even exotic when transplanted to an unfamiliar environment. In this 1962 review from das Auto, Motor und Sport (AMS) — which […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AMS-1962-04-cover.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage AMS Review: 1962 Ford Thunderbird – A German Take on an American “Dream Car”")
Vintage AMS Review: 1962 Ford Thunderbird – A German Take on an American “Dream Car”
Posted on December 4, 2024 | 15 CommentsSometimes, the most familiar objects can seem strange and even exotic when transplanted to an unfamiliar environment. In this 1962 review from das Auto, Motor und Sport (AMS) — which […] -
![(originally posted 05/06/2014) You are totally forgiven if at first glance you think this is a 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix. Or worse, a 1967 Catalina. Thanks to a certain former […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/7100597163_d990c248cc_z.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1970 Ford Thunderbird Sportsback – What Bunkie Took With Him On The Way Out The Door")
Curbside Classic: 1970 Ford Thunderbird Sportsback – What Bunkie Took With Him On The Way Out The Door
Posted on June 6, 2024 | 131 Comments(originally posted 05/06/2014) You are totally forgiven if at first glance you think this is a 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix. Or worse, a 1967 Catalina. Thanks to a certain former […] -
![I like to think that I’m a “live and let live” kind of guy; any malice I feel is not really malice, but short-lived annoyance that is extinguished almost as […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PXL_20230825_161703135a.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau – Am I Mellowing With Age?")
Curbside Classic: 1967 Ford Thunderbird Landau – Am I Mellowing With Age?
Posted on September 13, 2023 | 79 CommentsI like to think that I’m a “live and let live” kind of guy; any malice I feel is not really malice, but short-lived annoyance that is extinguished almost as […] -
![(first posted 8/16/2017) Brougham fever was virulent in 1966 at Ford, and the results speak for themselves. Who needs rear side windows anyway? Despite the fact that switching […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CC-333-007.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "CC Capsule: 1966 Thunderbird Town Landau – The T Bird Comes Down With Brougham Fever")
CC Capsule: 1966 Thunderbird Town Landau – The T Bird Comes Down With Brougham Fever
Posted on August 16, 2023 | 56 Comments(first posted 8/16/2017) Brougham fever was virulent in 1966 at Ford, and the results speak for themselves. Who needs rear side windows anyway? Despite the fact that switching […] -
![(first posted 6/14/2017) After the 1973 Oil Embargo, a buzzword started sweeping through the American automotive industry: “downsizing.” In this case, “less was more” as downsizing introduced a […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1977-Ford-Thunderbird-06-e1337535500610.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Reviews: 1977 Ford Thunderbird – A New Kind Of Thunder")
Vintage Reviews: 1977 Ford Thunderbird – A New Kind Of Thunder
Posted on August 15, 2023 | 152 Comments(first posted 6/14/2017) After the 1973 Oil Embargo, a buzzword started sweeping through the American automotive industry: “downsizing.” In this case, “less was more” as downsizing introduced a […] -
![It’s November ’66 and Car And Driver tests two new models in the burgeoning Personal Luxury Car market. ‘It seems appropriate to compare the Thunderbird and Cadillac… the T-Bird is […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Untitled-12.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Vintage Car And Driver Comparison: 1967 Ford Thunderbird And Cadillac Eldorado – A New Contender Enters The Personal Luxury Car Wars")
Vintage Car And Driver Comparison: 1967 Ford Thunderbird And Cadillac Eldorado – A New Contender Enters The Personal Luxury Car Wars
Posted on July 16, 2023 | 43 CommentsIt’s November ’66 and Car And Driver tests two new models in the burgeoning Personal Luxury Car market. ‘It seems appropriate to compare the Thunderbird and Cadillac… the T-Bird is […] -
![(first posted 12/14/2015) With such a rich history and a comprehensive lineup, Ford was bound to have an assortment of special editions and limited-run models. In Part II of the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/84-ford-thunderbird-fila-2.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Top 10 Obscure Special Editions and Forgotten Limited-Run Models: Ford Edition, Part II")
Top 10 Obscure Special Editions and Forgotten Limited-Run Models: Ford Edition, Part II
Posted on December 14, 2021 | 40 Comments(first posted 12/14/2015) With such a rich history and a comprehensive lineup, Ford was bound to have an assortment of special editions and limited-run models. In Part II of the […] -
![(first posted 12/7/2015) Today, the Blue Oval brand gets its turn in the Special Edition and Limited-Run Model spotlight. Fair warning: you will not find any Mustangs here and you […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/opihjnh.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Top 10 Obscure Special Editions and Forgotten Limited-Run Models: Ford Edition, Part I")
Top 10 Obscure Special Editions and Forgotten Limited-Run Models: Ford Edition, Part I
Posted on December 7, 2021 | 59 Comments(first posted 12/7/2015) Today, the Blue Oval brand gets its turn in the Special Edition and Limited-Run Model spotlight. Fair warning: you will not find any Mustangs here and you […] -
![(first posted 8/24/2015) I get it. I understand why personal luxury coupes were so darn popular in 1970s America. The days of high-performance were an increasingly distant memory, with rising […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Mercury-1977-XR-7.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Curbside Classic: 1977-79 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – Grandest Torino")
Curbside Classic: 1977-79 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – Grandest Torino
Posted on August 24, 2021 | 74 Comments(first posted 8/24/2015) I get it. I understand why personal luxury coupes were so darn popular in 1970s America. The days of high-performance were an increasingly distant memory, with rising […]
