Like most Ford motors of the time, they were "underrated" at 360 hp (268 kW) for insurance reasons. The 1968 Thunderbird saw the introduction of the new 385 series big-block 429 cu in (7.0 L) V8 engines. The taillights spanned the full width of the car, and featured, as in previous Thunderbird models, sequential turn signals. Large C-pillars (and a small "formal" rear window on the 4-door) meant poor rear visibility but were the fashion of the time. The belt line kicked up "coke-bottle" style after the rear windows, again a styling trait that would prove ubiquitous. The sides were the barrel-like "fuselage" style that was very popular during this period. The look was clearly influenced by the intakes on jet fighters such as the F-100 Super Sabre, and was enhanced by the flush-fitting front bumper incorporating the bottom "lip" of the "mouth". A gaping wide "fishmouth" front grille that incorporated hidden headlights was the most obvious new feature. Ford's stylists delivered a radical shape that in many ways anticipated the styling trends of the next five years. The 1967 design was radically different from what came before. The Mercury Cougar also often shared components. The new 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III was based on the four-door Thunderbird chassis, and from that point until the late Nineties, Thunderbirds and Continental Marks were generally related cars, the Thunderbird following the Mark's growth in popularity in the 1972 model year. The four-door would remain available through 1971, but never generated substantial sales. The rear doors were hinged on the edge to the rear of the vehicle (suicide doors), as on the 1960s Lincoln Continental. Instead, the company introduced a four-door model. The convertible, increasingly a slow seller, was dropped. A new option was four lights of the ceiling that lit up for emergency flasher use, low-fuel warning light, door-ajar light, and seat-belt reminder light. Ford chose to abandon the Thunderbird's traditional unibody construction for this larger car, turning to a body-on-frame method with sophisticated rubber mountings between the two to reduce vibration and noise. Ford's response was to move the Thunderbird upmarket.įor 1967 the Thunderbird would be a larger car, moving it closer to Lincoln as the company chose to emphasize the "luxury" part of the "personal luxury car" designation. It, like the Thunderbird, was a small, two-door, four-seater with sporting pretensions, but it was substantially cheaper. The introduction of the Ford Mustang in early 1964 had, however, challenged the Thunderbird's market positioning. The Thunderbird had fundamentally remained the same in concept through 1966, even though the styling had been updated twice. This fifth generation saw the second major change of direction for the Thunderbird.
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