My 1st car when I was in the USAF in the 1980's was a 1977 T-Bird-351W-white with a red roof, then, when I was stationed at McGuire AFB, mid 2000's, I had a 1979 T-Bird-green on green.....
My parents bought a slightly used Diamond Jubilee Edition T-Bird, cream color with a 2 barrel 351M. The ride was very smooth and yet it cornered well. Although it was still a big heavy car I wondered what more potential that car had with a 4 barrel, headers and other mods. I do remember it had 15” aluminum wheels. That darn 351M had a slight knock at certain speeds on the highway after it passed about 130,000 miles. My mom sold it for about $750 running and driving but it had rust up and down the left side drivers door.
If you look closely at the photo,it is obvious,that these were based on the Fairmont coupe. Nicer interior,bigger engines etc. Nice but just dressed up Fairmounts.
The 1980 Thunderbird was the first year to use the Fairmont aka Fox unitized body platform. This car is based off of the 72-76 Torino full frame platform.
As a teenager when these came out, I found these cars curiously...repulsive. They were everything WRONG about American car design. I was of the snobbish German, British, Italian...foreign...car enthusists. Everything outside of the American auto industry was just great, while American cars were dressed-up pickup trucks with sedan and coupe bodies plastered on them. Now? Well, as I've said before. I can't get enough of these cars. I'd dearly like to drive one of them for the first time. I hope YOU get to drive your cars down the interstates and byways of the mainland. Here in Hawai'i, there's none of that, of course. Enjoy your automotive journeys...hopefully in one of your vintage cars. Before too long, I expect it will be prohibited for us to do this in order to save our country's air quality and reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. Go out there and have fun while you can. I'll be cheering you on...even from the pedal bicycle I operate here, lol.
You say you can't get enough of them, apparently a lot of people felt the same way back then, because Ford sold more Thunderbirds in that 3yr period than any other time in Thunderbird history.
@@mr.lincoln5154 Correct! We were starting to value economy again for the first time since the Depression. Also, the crucial input of female buyers finally persuaded Detroit to make cars whose extremities were easier see. ("Make these behemoths smaller!") This would, in turn, make the drive and parking easier to manage.
My 1st car when I was in the USAF in the 1980's was a 1977 T-Bird-351W-white with a red roof, then, when I was stationed at McGuire AFB, mid 2000's, I had a 1979 T-Bird-green on green.....
My parents bought a slightly used Diamond Jubilee Edition T-Bird, cream color with a 2 barrel 351M. The ride was very smooth and yet it cornered well. Although it was still a big heavy car I wondered what more potential that car had with a 4 barrel, headers and other mods. I do remember it had 15” aluminum wheels. That darn 351M had a slight knock at certain speeds on the highway after it passed about 130,000 miles. My mom sold it for about $750 running and driving but it had rust up and down the left side drivers door.
Even at this time, it was still an impressive and imposing figure!
If you look closely at the photo,it is obvious,that these were based on the Fairmont coupe. Nicer interior,bigger engines etc. Nice but just dressed up Fairmounts.
The 1980 Thunderbird was the first year to use the Fairmont aka Fox unitized body platform. This car is based off of the 72-76 Torino full frame platform.
As a teenager when these came out, I found these cars curiously...repulsive. They were everything WRONG about American car design. I was of the snobbish German, British, Italian...foreign...car enthusists. Everything outside of the American auto industry was just great, while American cars were dressed-up pickup trucks with sedan and coupe bodies plastered on them. Now? Well, as I've said before. I can't get enough of these cars. I'd dearly like to drive one of them for the first time. I hope YOU get to drive your cars down the interstates and byways of the mainland. Here in Hawai'i, there's none of that, of course. Enjoy your automotive journeys...hopefully in one of your vintage cars. Before too long, I expect it will be prohibited for us to do this in order to save our country's air quality and reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. Go out there and have fun while you can. I'll be cheering you on...even from the pedal bicycle I operate here, lol.
You say you can't get enough of them, apparently a lot of people felt the same way back then, because Ford sold more Thunderbirds in that 3yr period than any other time in Thunderbird history.
@@mr.lincoln5154 Correct! We were starting to value economy again for the first time since the Depression. Also, the crucial input of female buyers finally persuaded Detroit to make cars whose extremities were easier see. ("Make these behemoths smaller!") This would, in turn, make the drive and parking easier to manage.