#Thunderbird car 60s driver#

The new Thunderbird had a distinct new styling theme. As a response, Ford executives decided to add a rear seat to the Thunderbird. Market research suggested sales of the Thunderbird were limited by its two-seat configuration, making it unsuitable for families. Although the 1955-1957 Ford Thunderbird had proved successful (in comparison to the Chevrolet Corvette), Ford executivesparticularly Robert McNamarastill felt its overall sales volume had room to improve. A column-mounted shift lever and a factory AM radio complete the interior. A three-spoke, Lifeguard deep-center steering wheel with a wood rim is in good, original order but the horn is inoperable, while the inner door panels and Lifeguard padded instrument panel look great.

The front buckets and rear bench are in very good order, as is the complementary red carpet and gray headliner. Inside, the car has red upholstery (code 85).

#Thunderbird car 60s driver#

Driver convenience features include Select-Aire air-conditioning that operates but the blower motor is weak, I-Rest Tinted Glass, Master Guide Power Steering, Power-Lift power windows and dual electric front seats. This motor is linked to a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission (code 4) and a 3.10:1 final drive (code 3). In the engine bay is a mildly updated 351 CID V-8 engine with a chromed accessory drive with a Edelbrock 4 barrel carburetor and air cleaner mounted on a Weiand intake. The wheels and tires are all in very good order. Each tire is mounted on a specialty, five-spoke alloy wheel. This big bird rolls on Goodyear radials, size 245/45ZR16 in front and 245/45ZR18 in back. The wraparound chrome bumpers are in very good order. Under the forward-hinged hood, the engine bay is very tidy, the battery appears very well, the cargo area is quite tidy, has a lining and a full-sized spare tire with cover. Dressed in Kingston Blue (code B), the cars paint and trim are in very good order. A former owner, EJP, lived in Wasco, California. This gorgeous example is ready for cruising and originally comes from the sunny state of California! Built in Fords Wixom, Michigan factory on April 1, 1960, (no fooling) (code 01D) and was originally sold in August 1960. Video below.1960 Ford Thunderbird Originally California car from Wasco California Final model year for the Square Bird 351 CID V-8 engine with a chromed accessory drive, Edelbrock 4 barrel carb and air cleaner Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission (code 4) and 3.10 gearing (code 3) Kingston Blue (code B) exterior and red interior (code 85) Master Guide Power Steering, Select-Aire air-conditioning Power-Lift power windows dual electric front seats and I-Rest Tinted Glass By 1960, Ford was patting itself on the back for creating a new vehicle category, the personal luxury coupe, two years earlier. One interesting option available in 1960 and prominently displayed in this spot is the sliding metal sunroof, a rare feature in Detroit iron back in those days. Produced by Golde Schiebedächer in Germany, the sunroof added $212.30 to the Thunderbird’s $3,755 list price. Actually, the changes for 1960 were minimal: mainly, there was a new eight-segment grille up front and six tail lamps out back instead of four. The T-Bird is given the lifestyle-glamour treatment in this 1960 commercial: Note the gated mansion, the jet airliner, the cool jazz soundtrack. Though it wasn’t quite clear at the time, they had essentially invented the personal luxury coupe. (More often, the opposite occurs as demand tapers off.) Clearly, the Ford product planners were onto something with the Squarebirds, as the 1958-1960 ‘Birds are known today.

And although this rarely happens in the Motor City, sales of the second-generation Thunderbird actually rose over the three-year product cycle: nearly 38,000 units in 1958 67,000 in ’59, and 93,000 in 1960. In 1960, the Ford Thunderbird was on a third-year facelift of the original four-place T-Bird introduced in 1958. Glamour is the theme in this original two-minute promo for the 1960 Thunderbird, Ford’s personal luxury coupe.