I didn't realize how much i needed a history lesson on car design. I ate up every word on these behind the scenes design wars. That rear end of the 71 bird though!!
A friend of mines father had a 1971 Thunderbird 2 door while I was growing up. I thought it was the coolest car around. The beak was what made it unique.
A huge improvement beginning in the 1968 model year. The 1967 Thunderbirds had an underpowered 390 as base engine, although they could be ordered with the "Q" code 428, which even then didnt run as well as the 429
"Hey Jan, where's Marsha?" "She's over there getting lei-ed by those boys" [Points to boys putting Hawaiian leis on Marsha] Oh..wait...I think that was in the sequel.
@@johnkendrick7304 For the 2 door, there's a formal roof and a sports roof. The formal roof lacks the quarterlight windows. The sports roof is beautifully styled.
Due to my Uncle Don have an all black 1970 Thunderbird in my youth i've always absolutely loved them.With the 429 Thunderjet engine,from a rolling start it was a rocketship that pushed you back in your seat and it looked amazing.
There was always something cool about those suicide doors. I'm sure they were totally impractical in tight parking spaces, but I still like seeing them in action.
The 1972-1976 was a Lincoln Mark IV with different sheet metal. Enormous vehicles and underpowered in stock form even with the 460 that replaced the 429 in 1973. There was a way to wake them up simply by changing the timing chain and sprockets, among other things.
Adam you brought back a memory with the 1970 Ford Thunderbird. My Uncle had traded in his 68 Coupe DeVille for the 1970 Ford 4-suicide door Thunderbird. His car look exactly like the one you showed-bright blue Irid with a Dark Blue vinyl top. I loved that car’s suicide doors, steering wheel that moved out of the way and huge back seat. The center counsel with the buckets were nice to. I know some people didn’t like the beak but I thought it made the front end
I always loved the beak birds, and I think they look better in certain colors over others. I also liked the '71-'72 LTDs front end, maybe even a bit more. I had a 68 T-Bird which I think looked the best with the two smaller birds on the grill, one on each light door. But overall, I think the beak birds look menacing, and that's what they were designed to do. I'd love to have one. The '69 Grand Prix looks like chrome was on sale that year and Pontiac made the most of it. Ford got it just right with the beak birds!
I think the beak birds were attractive and really spiced up the then four year old body style. I thought there was a lot of creativity in the front end design with the deep cove grills combined with the tapered headlights set in separate "boxes" did indeed give it a "menacing" look - I especially like the ones that have the inset running lights in the grill (7:00 and 11:20), not all of them had them so must've been an option.
Personally I think the '70-'71 T Bird (especially the fast back model) was by FAR the best looking Thunderbird ever built and that high-compression 429 was a spectacular engine !
Especially Thunderbirds in the Aboriginal sense of the creature. Look at any totem pole. The bird stares at you over its beaky snout like you owe it money
I thought the dull flat front end of the '67-'69 T-Bird was the worst part of their design due primarily to lack of headlights . I think visible head lights are like eyes and the faces of the '67-'69 T-Birds look blind to me.
My dad has owned now owned his 70’ T-bird for a good 13 years now, I love this car to death, that car is the reason why I’m into cars in the first place, can’t wait to be it’s proud owner one day
Nice video sir! I am fond of some of the old T-Birds. I do have to agree with you on the 67 Eldorado from a previous video. That Caddy was a work of art.
There were a number of beautiful 'Birds, but I, too, likes these, also. I looked at the grill and saw the 'Bird beak and the taillights as wings pointed down, rather an homage to the 'Bird itself.
You’re not crazy. First car I bought on my own was 71 two-door Thunderbird, 429V8 off a lease. My test drive was 50 miles, needless to say the seller was glad to see me return. My mother loved to drive it occasionally. Made me smile.
I always liked the Bunkie Beaks on the '70 &'71 T Birds They looked distinctive. They were nicer cars overall than the '72 thru '76 barge Birds that looked too much like a Mark IV
@@frankgiaquinto1571 I had 74 TBird and it was ,but I actually preferred the differences to the Mark IV. Often to me the difference to a Lincoln or Cadillac has been a bridge too far for me. I didn't care for the spare hump on the decklid or the Rolls-Royce grill.
The 1970-71 Thunderbird (2 door) is my favourite T-bird. I was seeking a 1971 model when I found my 1974 model. I bought the '74 because of the low miles, but '71 remains the preference.
Thank you Adam. I read about Bunkie Knudsen in a book years ago. I do appreciate you sharing this video and his time at Ford and about this car. This was enjoyable. Thank you.
Being a Ford man, there aren't too many Ford vehicles I wouldn't likely own, OK, maybe not a Pinto, although back in the 70s, I got my driver's license in 1971, and my whole life became about cars. I had a few friends that bought Pintos, and they loved them. I would work on them and drive them, and I figured they were OK for what they were. I had a 69 Mach l that I loved with everything I had in me. But I have always liked Thunderbirds, every generation had things that I liked. So in the fall of 1973, that horrible oil crisis hit the US, and it changed everything. Everyone wanted fuel efficient cars and the wanted nothing to do with cars that had big V8 engines, except me. We couldn't even put up Christmas lights that year! I didn't like waiting in gas lines, or the national speed limit being lowered to 55 mph. I had been waiting to drive my entire life, I didn't like any of it, but I was not interested in driving a foreign car, no way. With the price of big American cars falling to almost nothing. I found a 1970 Thunderbird, 2 door with the sport roof, it was a metallic copper color with the thick padded black vinyl top and black cloth interior. I hated the exterior color but the interior was so beautiful and elegant it made up for the exterior. Under the hood of course was the massive 429. It filled the entire engine bay, but it was so smooth, and responsive, I loved it. I thought the "Binky Beak" fit the Thunderbird name so I liked it. The rear styling and taillight design was very good looking, and of course the sequential turn indicators were over the top cool, so with all the other cool features of the car, especially the dashboard, it was fantastic. The round gauges that lined the dash with full instrumentation, that lit up in Ford's aqua blue color lighting was gorgeous. The wipers were hydraulically operated, powered by the power steering pump which provided an infinite number of speeds for the blades, another very cool feature from Ford's engineers, they would slow down while idling, which I thought was very classy while sitting at a light. I have always thought that the blades should work as needed, here in Southern California we get a lot of fog and drizzle. It looks pretty stupid if the blades are running at 90 mph, when they just needed to Cycle intermittently. In the mid-70s Ford introduced the intermittent setting on their upscale cars. From then on, I only ever use that setting. I could see the Country Squires, the Mercurys and Lincolns out in the rain or drizzle, and the blades would Cycle about every 20 seconds. To me that was too cool, and that meant that I was cool too. The only thing I didn't like about my 70 Bird was the 8 mpg it always got. No matter how careful I was with the accerator, 8 mpg was the best I could get. So between the bird and the Mach I with a 351 W, needless to say I spent a lot of time in those gas lines I so hated, plus with the price of gas skyrocketing, I was always broke. But the way I look at it, you either buy your car for gas or class, and I go for the class. I paid just $1,500 for my bird in 1973, and then sold it for the same price in 1979. The way I loved that bird, I felt I did OK. The Mach I on the other I had for over 37 years. I kept it in showroom condition, put 2 engines in it and drove it over 275,000 miles. My life's biggest regrets are that I didn't keep everyone one of my Fords over the years. Today I only have my 2008 Explorer XLT, which I love. But I'm always looking for a Ford Motor Company car to add to it. I like certain Chryslers, mostly from the 50s and 60s. I was born in Detroit in March of 1955, my family worked at the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation, I guess their in my blood. We moved to Southern California in June of 1958, but I know if we stayed in Detroit I would have worked for either Ford or Chrysler. I still have family in Detroit and that's where they work. GM not so much. GM tends to always make the wrong decisions with their cars. GM could stop making cars and become a bakery and no one would miss them.
Great video Adam!I have a 1970 Thunderbird sportsroof coupe. These cars were very well built and a very quiet ride. I like the front end of the 70 and 71. But it could be considered an acquired taste.
Thanks for this one, Adam.. I thought those were rather bizarre looking at the time.. I didn't understand what designers were trying to accomplish with that.
Way back around 1982 a friend of mine had a four door 71 Thunderbird. Dark green with a black vinyl top. Very cool car! We took it to the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 82 and used its air conditioned cabin as an occasional refuge from the scorching July sun.
I had a Ginger Glow 71 Thunderbird Sports Roof with the VERY rare Special Brougham trim, including the factory fog lights, highback buckets, console, etc. What a great car! I fell in love with that snout and the Torino-esque roofline from when I was a kid.
Something my father handed directly to me was to always drive a sporty sedan even through the child rearing years. A van was NEVER in the cards for my father nor myself. As a kid the coolest sedan we had was a white 76’ Regal with maroon interior and matching Landeau top. 400 4-barrel under the hood with bucket seats and the H-shifter. Dad’s company truck was always a metallic green (company color) 3/4 ton Chevy. Other vehicles were a Catalina, Cougar Blue Max and a Lincoln Mark 7. They are in their 80’s now. Mom is driving a 19’ super charged Mustang yellow convertible and dad has a f250 super duty w/ oversized cam. They both love to drive the tires off their rides.
A friend of mine had a new one and I got to drive it a few times. That was a great car for long road trips. It just floated down the road at 80 plus mph.
My dad had a 68 Maroon on Black 2 Door Landau with the deluxe wheel covers. Nice car. Drove across the Prairies pullling a Camper and back to Oakville Ontario. That was an adventure.
My Father had the same car...dark blue with a black interior. I loved that car but it had a hiccup that no one could figure out. Some days when you turned the key, nothing happened....no clicking, no nothing. Wait a bit or have someone else try it and it would be ok. Ford garage had it for a week and gave up on it. We replaced the starter, battery and even the ignition. Did it until week sold it.
We had a 70 with the sleek roofline with the sport roofline. I always thought that the 1970 with the sport roof was my favorite Tbird since 1957. I never liked the front of the 67. The 70 i feel was much more stylish. Now I really dislike the other two rooflines... I still liked the 70-71 front end over all tbirds after 1957. Our Tbird was red with black textured vinyl top. It was an absolutely beautiful car. And very fun car to drive with a 429 Thunderjet engine, especially for a 16 year old that learned to drive on two different station wagons, a 76 impala and a 77 LTD.
The late actor, Andy Griffith was said to have had an identical car to the one shown here at ~0:10, - 0:25 and was seen frequently blasting around rural North Carolina in it back in the day.
My parents had many cars, dad had a mechanic's garage, but my favorite was his 1971 Thunderbird Landau 2door; Medium Blue Metallic with a White alligator grain top and white bucket seat console interior. That was a very special looking car that always recieved positive thumbs up wherever it went. Always parked in front, the beak was one of its most distinctive features but its a love it or leave aspect of the design and befitting to the distinctiveness of a Thunderbird, it's my favorite design of them next to the 66 glamour bird and 61 bullet birds. I'm a loyal fan of all your TH-cam content, always something wonderful to watch and learn always enjoyable. I especially love the chats with motor city moguls, keep the great things coming and god bless!
I inherited a 2 door 1970 Thunderbird from my late uncle in 1979. He bought it new in 1970. Other than the rear quarter windows failing after 6 months from new, it was a pretty reliable car till the day I sold it in 1986. Something I still regret.
I remember when these came out. I was 13 and already a hopeless car nut. I didn’t mind the 1970-71 Thunderbird but it was not terribly practical. Popular Mechanics surveyed 1,000 owners of the 1970 and most of them wanted the front end changed due to how easily damaged it was. It’s hard to believe that 3 years later we had a totally different approach due to the bumper impact standards. Maybe the Thunderbird was the final straw that helped push the law through!
I don't disagree with you often,but the beak and hood styling was a great improvement. I thought the late 60s TBirds were hideous. But i love the bustle back Sevilles of the early 80s. Different strokes i guess.
I bought my 1st car (a 1970 Tbird 2 Dr with the fastback roof style) for $60 bucks in 1988 when I was 14. I owned several more 70-71 Tbird coupes in my youth. I have a 65 now, but would love another 70! They drove like a dream. That Ford commercial was right..... They did feel like big jetliners taking off, lol. That 429 was no slouch!
I owned a1971 black Thunderbird till 1978 .i loved it ,best Car for Comfort and incredible powerful 429 Moter , I also love loved the Front and Back ,especially the back Turnligts. 12:50
Even the photos that appeared in newspapers and magazines didn't prepare me for the size of the 1970 Thunderbird beak - it was Humongous! The faces of the customers in the Ford showroom said it all, stunned disbelief. All in all, 1970 and 1971 became the last call on daring car designs as the looming government bumper standards would quickly enforce a sort of uniform flatness in the front and rear contours of all cars. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Beaky Thunderbirds remain unique in all the world. Great video, Adam!
LOVE the '71-'72 Riviera! I'm 66yo and was 13-14yo when the '71 Riviera came out and it was love at first sight, so far it looks like it'll go down as THE most distinct cars of my lifetime!
But underpowered unless ordered with the "Q" code 428--which few were. Ford fixed that in 1968 when the new "385" series 429 became the only engine available. Ive tweaked many a 390, including a rare "M" code 1963 Thunderbird with 3x2v carburetion, but the 429 would leave it behind without even working hard. I built (and modified) a 1978 Thunderbird 400 engine that also was quicker than the M code car both having the approximate same weight.
I have a red 1970 2dr sportsroof that my parents bought new. I love the car, and the beak, but may be biased having grown up in it. It is still one of the best riding and crazy powerful cars from that era. Back in the day, it handled better than anything it's size. I prefer driving it over my 64 convertible, and it turns almost as many heads. I think there are two camps. Some who prefer the 67-69, and others who prefer the sleek sports roof, crazy taillights, and the beak of the 1970-71. I definitely prefer the 70.
As I stated on your last 1970 / 71 Thunderbird video, I recall lots of ads in magazines with the 1970 Ford Thunderbird next to the brand new Boeing 747, stating 1970 being the year for "new birds". Agree with your comments on the 1970 Thunderbird "beak" being a little too extreme... on the LTD it actually looks pretty good.
Interestingly, Bunkie was the reason the Boss 429 ended up in a Mustang instead of the Torino that it was raced in. He specifically wanted it in the Mustang.
The '71 Mustang was enlarged over the '69 and '70 so that the 429 would fit comfortably under the hood - only for the 429 to be dropped from the option list for 1972.
When I was a kid there was a 67 black standard hardtop like the one at your 1 minute point of the video. Stunning design. In high school there was a mustard yellow two door landau on the Ford dealer's showroom floor exactly like the one shown at the 9:30 point. I owned two 71s over the years a 2 door landau and a 4 door. Both nice cars. Have to agree that the Ponitac nose did not do them any favors. I also like the standard hardtop 69 which like all non vinyl top cars of the era are hard to find
“Why fly when you can drive?” Take a peek at that beak - the Thunderbird certainly departed from its former glamour though at the time it was captivating!
I remember when I was a kid, one the grownups in my neighborhood had 70 TBird , dark chocolate brown with slotted mag wheels , and it seemed like it was always clean in the summertime and never seen it in the winter months , it was a nice car 😊
Two of my favorite cars are the 70 and 71 Thunderbird's. Followed third by the 71 Ford LTD. 71-72 Cougar. The Bunkie Beak has been very kind to these cars. Also like the T-bird's minus the b.b. The front end styling after 72 took the ditch.
Considering that the Pontiac Grand Prix--in its new, smaller size--was one of the hottest sellers of the 1969 model year, it was little wonder that Bunkie Knudsen wanted lightning to strike twice (not unlike when Elwood Engel, who designed the 1961 Lincoln Continental, was lured to Chrysler to work his magic on the 1964 Imperial, which looked surprisingly similar to the '61 Continental). So, to an extent, the 1970-71 Thunderbird looked surprisingly similar to the 1969 Grand Prix. Plus--Knudsen locked in the changes to the 1971 Galaxie/LTD beak while Henry Ford II was out of the country, which went against the then-established tradition of HF II signing off on each model year's new cars. Couple that with Lee Iacocca's "insurrection" and threat to have the stylists walk out, and Bunkie, indeed, was "soon history."
My Dad took my Mom’s 1971 LTD Brougham Coupe to the local Ford Dealership for service and brought home a new 1972 Thunderbird to show my mom. The 1st words my mom said when my Dad walked in was “ Please tell me you did not trade my car for that.” “ I did not” replied my Dad. “ Good because I would hate for you have to sleep in it tonight” . Needless to say the Tbird went back.
My family had many Thunderbirds, my mother had a 62 & 65 Landau, my brother had a 59, 61, 67 & 70. I had two, my very first car was a 66 Town Hardtop, I was given a brand new 73 Cougar XR-7, but it didn’t have power windows, so I traded it in on a 71 Town Hardtop like the ones pictured, mine was Turquoise with a white top and interior. I absolutely loved the car, but found out it had been in a couple of wrecks, I was told to get rid of it, so my grandmother bought me an new 73 XR-7 convertible, triple white (and of course it had power windows).
I liked the bird beak, I still do !
Other Fords also pushed the center drille forward from the rest of the front end. But none as much as the T-Bird.
I didn't realize how much i needed a history lesson on car design. I ate up every word on these behind the scenes design wars. That rear end of the 71 bird though!!
A friend of mines father had a 1971 Thunderbird 2 door while I was growing up. I thought it was the coolest car around. The beak was what made it unique.
agree. it made the design unique and distinctive.
The nose is why I bought a '71 two door "Coach" (no quarter window) Thunderbird.
Me as well. Love the beak! Especially on the coupes with NO vinyl top.
I like the beak. Great looking car, the 70-71s.
hahahaha
The 'BEAK' is a take it or leave it thing, but the 429 THUNDERJET was definitely a big hit and rocketship!!
A huge improvement beginning in the 1968 model year. The 1967 Thunderbirds had an underpowered 390 as base engine, although they could be ordered with the "Q" code 428, which even then didnt run as well as the 429
@@donreinke5863 Hard to beat 480 pound feet of torque...
@@kramnull8962 Anyone who has driven a well-tuned 429 knows.
That Bunky beak story reminds me of the Brady Bunch movie where everything Mike Brady designed looked exactly like the house 😂😂
Gary Cole portrayed the movie Mike Brady. 😂 And would go on to portraying Bill Lumbergh in Mike Judge's "Office Space".
Adam don't forget the 4 door thunderbird....
"Hey Jan, where's Marsha?"
"She's over there getting lei-ed by those boys" [Points to boys putting Hawaiian leis on Marsha]
Oh..wait...I think that was in the sequel.
I can`t remember it.@@ralphabreu5022
I must be a weirdo because the 70 T-Bird is my absolute favorite I love the beak nose look as well as the LTD
Not weird, 1970-71 is my favourite too, but strictly the 2 door. Did you notice that 2 different roofs were available ?
are you talking about the gator type material???@@HemiChrysler
@@johnkendrick7304 For the 2 door, there's a formal roof and a sports roof. The formal roof lacks the quarterlight windows. The sports roof is beautifully styled.
@@johnkendrick730470 I'm not a fan. I do like the 71 where ford refined some of that beak tho.
Due to my Uncle Don have an all black 1970 Thunderbird in my youth i've always absolutely loved them.With the 429 Thunderjet engine,from a rolling start it was a rocketship that pushed you back in your seat and it looked amazing.
My first car was a 1969 Mercury Marquis 429 4v .. as you mentioned a rocket ship that left most avid racers on the losing end of the race!
I kinda liked that snout on em.
Family had a '67 fully loaded triple black with the suicide doors. That was one classy T- Bird.
4 doors never looked good a short platform. I remember my dad first saw these in late '66 and said they looked weird.
@@Thunder_6278; Wheelbase on the FORDOR is 5" longer.
In high school my friend had a 71 Cougar GT, Ive always loved these cars even the "beak"
Ditto, a convertible XR7, it was stolen, the end.
I agree with the Beak over the blah flat front !
@@bextar6365 Say yes to the beak. It’s really chic.
I bought a 68 4 door when in high school during the late 70s. Best drive-in car ever. A beautiful car.
The glamour bird body style and detail is so fine and finessed. The suicide doors on the 4 door is so cool and screams understated luxury.
There was always something cool about those suicide doors. I'm sure they were totally impractical in tight parking spaces, but I still like seeing them in action.
Great watch. To be honest, I would take a 70 or a 71 T-Bird over a 72 anyday..... Thanks to Adam for posting.
The 1972-1976 was a Lincoln Mark IV with different sheet metal. Enormous vehicles and underpowered in stock form even with the 460 that replaced the 429 in 1973. There was a way to wake them up simply by changing the timing chain and sprockets, among other things.
Adam you brought back a memory with the 1970 Ford Thunderbird. My Uncle had traded in his 68 Coupe DeVille for the 1970 Ford 4-suicide door Thunderbird. His car look exactly like the one you showed-bright blue Irid with a Dark Blue vinyl top. I loved that car’s suicide doors, steering wheel that moved out of the way and huge back seat. The center counsel with the buckets were nice to. I know some people didn’t like the beak but I thought it made the front end
In readin' the comments it's appears that the majority of us LIKE the Bunkie beak. I'm also a big fan of the '71 Ford thanks to White Lightning.
I always loved the beak birds, and I think they look better in certain colors over others. I also liked the '71-'72 LTDs front end, maybe even a bit more. I had a 68 T-Bird which I think looked the best with the two smaller birds on the grill, one on each light door. But overall, I think the beak birds look menacing, and that's what they were designed to do. I'd love to have one. The '69 Grand Prix looks like chrome was on sale that year and Pontiac made the most of it. Ford got it just right with the beak birds!
I agree - '71-'72 LTD front ends were very attractive, I prefer the '71 but both were nice.
I think the beak birds were attractive and really spiced up the then four year old body style. I thought there was a lot of creativity in the front end design with the deep cove grills combined with the tapered headlights set in separate "boxes" did indeed give it a "menacing" look - I especially like the ones that have the inset running lights in the grill (7:00 and 11:20), not all of them had them so must've been an option.
I actually like the styling. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Personally I think the '70-'71 T Bird (especially the fast back model) was by FAR the best looking Thunderbird ever built and that high-compression 429 was a spectacular engine !
I agree.
The 429 was introduced as an option for the 1968 T-Bird
@HFX1955 A much better engine than that FE 428 was
@@johneckert1365 Agree !
Remember folks, birds actually do have beaks.
Thank you! His styling absolutely made sense... some of the time.
Haha - touché!
Damn straight!
Especially Thunderbirds in the Aboriginal sense of the creature. Look at any totem pole. The bird stares at you over its beaky snout like you owe it money
😁
You can’t beat the looks of hideaway headlights!
I thought the dull flat front end of the '67-'69 T-Bird was the worst part of their design due primarily to lack of headlights . I think visible head lights are like eyes and the faces of the '67-'69 T-Birds look blind to me.
My dad has owned now owned his 70’ T-bird for a good 13 years now, I love this car to death, that car is the reason why I’m into cars in the first place, can’t wait to be it’s proud owner one day
Nice video sir! I am fond of some of the old T-Birds. I do have to agree with you on the 67 Eldorado from a previous video. That Caddy was a work of art.
I must be crazy, because the 1970-71 ‘Bird is my all-time favorite version-and that includes the 1967 4-door Landau my parents owned when I was 10.
There were a number of beautiful 'Birds, but I, too, likes these, also. I looked at the grill and saw the 'Bird beak and the taillights as wings pointed down, rather an homage to the 'Bird itself.
You’re not crazy. First car I bought on my own was 71 two-door Thunderbird, 429V8 off a lease. My test drive was 50 miles, needless to say the seller was glad to see me return. My mother loved to drive it occasionally. Made me smile.
"Thunderbird 1970, with a beak so large, you'd think the 429 V8 ran on nuts and seeds."
😅😅😅
Or the engine was a straight 8.
I always liked the Bunkie Beaks on the '70 &'71 T Birds They looked distinctive. They were nicer cars overall than
the '72 thru '76 barge Birds that looked too much like a Mark IV
@@frankgiaquinto1571 I had 74 TBird and it was ,but I actually preferred the differences to the Mark IV. Often to me the difference to a Lincoln or Cadillac has been a bridge too far for me. I didn't care for the spare hump on the decklid or the Rolls-Royce grill.
The 1970-71 Thunderbird (2 door) is my favourite T-bird. I was seeking a 1971 model when I found my 1974 model. I bought the '74 because of the low miles, but '71 remains the preference.
Thank you Adam. I read about Bunkie Knudsen in a book years ago. I do appreciate you sharing this video and his time at Ford and about this car. This was enjoyable. Thank you.
That was a great commercial ad what a fantastic way to close a video, Keep up the fantastic work!!
Being a Ford man, there aren't too many Ford vehicles I wouldn't likely own, OK, maybe not a Pinto, although back in the 70s, I got my driver's license in 1971, and my whole life became about cars. I had a few friends that bought Pintos, and they loved them. I would work on them and drive them, and I figured they were OK for what they were. I had a 69 Mach l that I loved with everything I had in me. But I have always liked Thunderbirds, every generation had things that I liked. So in the fall of 1973, that horrible oil crisis hit the US, and it changed everything. Everyone wanted fuel efficient cars and the wanted nothing to do with cars that had big V8 engines, except me. We couldn't even put up Christmas lights that year! I didn't like waiting in gas lines, or the national speed limit being lowered to 55 mph. I had been waiting to drive my entire life, I didn't like any of it, but I was not interested in driving a foreign car, no way. With the price of big American cars falling to almost nothing. I found a 1970 Thunderbird, 2 door with the sport roof, it was a metallic copper color with the thick padded black vinyl top and black cloth interior. I hated the exterior color but the interior was so beautiful and elegant it made up for the exterior. Under the hood of course was the massive 429. It filled the entire engine bay, but it was so smooth, and responsive, I loved it. I thought the "Binky Beak" fit the Thunderbird name so I liked it. The rear styling and taillight design was very good looking, and of course the sequential turn indicators were over the top cool, so with all the other cool features of the car, especially the dashboard, it was fantastic. The round gauges that lined the dash with full instrumentation, that lit up in Ford's aqua blue color lighting was gorgeous. The wipers were hydraulically operated, powered by the power steering pump which provided an infinite number of speeds for the blades, another very cool feature from Ford's engineers, they would slow down while idling, which I thought was very classy while sitting at a light. I have always thought that the blades should work as needed, here in Southern California we get a lot of fog and drizzle. It looks pretty stupid if the blades are running at 90 mph, when they just needed to Cycle intermittently. In the mid-70s Ford introduced the intermittent setting on their upscale cars. From then on, I only ever use that setting. I could see the Country Squires, the Mercurys and Lincolns out in the rain or drizzle, and the blades would Cycle about every 20 seconds. To me that was too cool, and that meant that I was cool too. The only thing I didn't like about my 70 Bird was the 8 mpg it always got. No matter how careful I was with the accerator, 8 mpg was the best I could get. So between the bird and the Mach I with a 351 W, needless to say I spent a lot of time in those gas lines I so hated, plus with the price of gas skyrocketing, I was always broke. But the way I look at it, you either buy your car for gas or class, and I go for the class. I paid just $1,500 for my bird in 1973, and then sold it for the same price in 1979. The way I loved that bird, I felt I did OK. The Mach I on the other I had for over 37 years. I kept it in showroom condition, put 2 engines in it and drove it over 275,000 miles. My life's biggest regrets are that I didn't keep everyone one of my Fords over the years. Today I only have my 2008 Explorer XLT, which I love. But I'm always looking for a Ford Motor Company car to add to it. I like certain Chryslers, mostly from the 50s and 60s. I was born in Detroit in March of 1955, my family worked at the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation, I guess their in my blood. We moved to Southern California in June of 1958, but I know if we stayed in Detroit I would have worked for either Ford or Chrysler. I still have family in Detroit and that's where they work. GM not so much. GM tends to always make the wrong decisions with their cars. GM could stop making cars and become a bakery and no one would miss them.
Great video Adam!I have a 1970 Thunderbird sportsroof coupe. These cars were very well built and a very quiet ride. I like the front end of the 70 and 71. But it could be considered an acquired taste.
Never thought the ‘69/‘70 GP nose was that great. The ‘71 and ‘72 were a huge improvement.
No. They went to single headlights that ruined the design imo.
Yes - the switch in '71-'72 to single headlights and the "boat tail" rear end made it much more attractive than the '69-'70 GP in my opinion.
The Ford commercial is very cool. The Ads back in the day were actually entertaining.
Thanks for this one, Adam.. I thought those were rather bizarre looking at the time.. I didn't understand what designers were trying to accomplish with that.
Way back around 1982 a friend of mine had a four door 71 Thunderbird. Dark green with a black vinyl top. Very cool car! We took it to the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 82 and used its air conditioned cabin as an occasional refuge from the scorching July sun.
I had a Ginger Glow 71 Thunderbird Sports Roof with the VERY rare Special Brougham trim, including the factory fog lights, highback buckets, console, etc. What a great car! I fell in love with that snout and the Torino-esque roofline from when I was a kid.
Something my father handed directly to me was to always drive a sporty sedan even through the child rearing years. A van was NEVER in the cards for my father nor myself. As a kid the coolest sedan we had was a white 76’ Regal with maroon interior and matching Landeau top. 400 4-barrel under the hood with bucket seats and the H-shifter. Dad’s company truck was always a metallic green (company color) 3/4 ton Chevy. Other vehicles were a Catalina, Cougar Blue Max and a Lincoln Mark 7. They are in their 80’s now. Mom is driving a 19’ super charged Mustang yellow convertible and dad has a f250 super duty w/ oversized cam. They both love to drive the tires off their rides.
I loved the "Beaked 'Birds".
A friend of mine had a new one and I got to drive it a few times. That was a great car for long road trips. It just floated down the road at 80 plus mph.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the Olds Toronado. Great car. Wonderful memories.
My dad had a 68 Maroon on Black 2 Door Landau with the deluxe wheel covers. Nice car. Drove across the Prairies pullling a Camper and back to Oakville Ontario. That was an adventure.
Adam, Beaks rule!!!!😁😁🤣😂
The beaks were wonderful - so cool.
Had a 71 two door. 429 thunder jet. Had duals . A c 6. Posi. Never lost a race. Was nicknamed Thunder chicken )
My Father had the same car...dark blue with a black interior. I loved that car but it had a hiccup that no one could figure out. Some days when you turned the key, nothing happened....no clicking, no nothing. Wait a bit or have someone else try it and it would be ok. Ford garage had it for a week and gave up on it. We replaced the starter, battery and even the ignition. Did it until week sold it.
Wish these cars held up as well as they looked, most were in the junkyard before they reached 100.000.
Honestly my opinion is the '70 T-bird looks great! Of course my feelings are biased toward Mercury and ...that T-bird looks like a Merc'
As far as the full-size T-Birds went, the 1969 LANDAU COUPE was my favorite. A CLASSIC desigb.
YES! I love that one ❤️
I agree. Ironically, my 2 favorite sedans were the gorgeous 67-69 Thunderbird and the sleek box chevy.
Those coloured hubcaps were used on the Aussie Ford LTD and Landau 1975-1979.
We had a 70 with the sleek roofline with the sport roofline. I always thought that the 1970 with the sport roof was my favorite Tbird since 1957. I never liked the front of the 67. The 70 i feel was much more stylish. Now I really dislike the other two rooflines... I still liked the 70-71 front end over all tbirds after 1957. Our Tbird was red with black textured vinyl top. It was an absolutely beautiful car. And very fun car to drive with a 429 Thunderjet engine, especially for a 16 year old that learned to drive on two different station wagons, a 76 impala and a 77 LTD.
The late actor, Andy Griffith was said to have had an identical car to the one shown here at ~0:10, - 0:25 and was seen frequently blasting around rural North Carolina in it back in the day.
I personally love the 70.71
me too!
I like the beak birds! So distinctive. And I have driven them back in the day...sweet drivers
My parents had many cars, dad had a mechanic's garage, but my favorite was his 1971 Thunderbird Landau 2door; Medium Blue Metallic with a White alligator grain top and white bucket seat console interior. That was a very special looking car that always recieved positive thumbs up wherever it went. Always parked in front, the beak was one of its most distinctive features but its a love it or leave aspect of the design and befitting to the distinctiveness of a Thunderbird, it's my favorite design of them next to the 66 glamour bird and 61 bullet birds. I'm a loyal fan of all your TH-cam content, always something wonderful to watch and learn always enjoyable. I especially love the chats with motor city moguls, keep the great things coming and god bless!
I have had several thunderbirds including my 2004 in the garage. I loved the big birds of the early 70s.
I'm with you, I've got a 73 T-Bird black over black cherry and my 76 T-Bird Cream and Gold edition which is stunning.
I had a 71 two door. Great car, beautiful car. I wish I had another.
I love the Front of the 70 71 birds... I love the ride.. very smooth... the power.. lots of it....
I inherited a 2 door 1970 Thunderbird from my late uncle in 1979. He bought it new in 1970. Other than the rear quarter windows failing after 6 months from new, it was a pretty reliable car till the day I sold it in 1986. Something I still regret.
I remember when these came out. I was 13 and already a hopeless car nut. I didn’t mind the 1970-71 Thunderbird but it was not terribly practical. Popular Mechanics surveyed 1,000 owners of the 1970 and most of them wanted the front end changed due to how easily damaged it was. It’s hard to believe that 3 years later we had a totally different approach due to the bumper impact standards. Maybe the Thunderbird was the final straw that helped push the law through!
I wonder how many people hit their garage wall parking it! I know if I did that a few times I'd get tired of it. Plus it's ugly!
Imagine getting T boned by one of these things 😖
The following year Buick came out with the Boattail 1971 Riviera which at the time was another you either like it or you don't type of ride!!!.
Ps I also remember the 1970-71 Mercury Montegos and Cyclones with their protruding front clips as well!!!.
@@mikeweizer3149
That is one design that I never warmed up to.
Great stuff again, I enjoyed it. That tv ad was certainly smart and well executed.
I don't disagree with you often,but the beak and hood styling was a great improvement. I thought the late 60s TBirds were hideous. But i love the bustle back Sevilles of the early 80s. Different strokes i guess.
I bought my 1st car (a 1970 Tbird 2 Dr with the fastback roof style) for $60 bucks in 1988 when I was 14. I owned several more 70-71 Tbird coupes in my youth. I have a 65 now, but would love another 70! They drove like a dream. That Ford commercial was right..... They did feel like big jetliners taking off, lol. That 429 was no slouch!
I always liked it.
We knew it as "The Roman Nose." Thank you, Bunkie Knudsen. No bumper standards in those days. All-in-all, still a wonderfully quiet, well-riding car.
I owned a1971 black Thunderbird till 1978 .i loved it ,best Car for Comfort and incredible powerful 429 Moter , I also love loved the Front and Back ,especially the back Turnligts. 12:50
Even the photos that appeared in newspapers and magazines didn't prepare me for the size of the 1970 Thunderbird beak - it was Humongous! The faces of the customers in the Ford showroom said it all, stunned disbelief. All in all, 1970 and 1971 became the last call on daring car designs as the looming government bumper standards would quickly enforce a sort of uniform flatness in the front and rear contours of all cars. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Beaky Thunderbirds remain unique in all the world. Great video, Adam!
I love the beak!
My mother had a 1970 T-Bird, all white. I always thought it was a beautiful car, and it could get up and GO.
This styling theme was used at Mercury as well...see the 1970 Mercury Montego.
Drove a 62 T-Bird when I was a teenager. It was huge. It was far afield from its predecessors!
The “bird beak” also appeared on the 1970-72 Mercury Montegos and got progressively blunted by the 5mph bumper standard beginning in 1973.
I love the bulkier thunderbirds
I was born in 1963, but I don't recall ever seeing that wide grill Thunderbird version, but it looks great.
The consequences of no one being able to tell you “no”.
Adam, sales were a total flop, but you can see alot of guys today think it was a cool car, like the 1971 Riv, it was distinctive.
LOVE the '71-'72 Riviera! I'm 66yo and was 13-14yo when the '71 Riviera came out and it was love at first sight, so far it looks like it'll go down as THE most distinct cars of my lifetime!
'71 Riv, something to believe in, baby! Hey Tom, loved your late nite TV show. Could of swore you were dead. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....
Every time somebody talks '71-'72 Riviera, I come back to life - is that true love or what? 🤣@@Thunder_6278
I come back to life at the mention of '71-'72 Riviera's - how's that for "dead"ication? @@Thunder_6278
1967 was the most beautiful and elegant model.
Totally agree. I've had mine for about 35 years now.
But underpowered unless ordered with the "Q" code 428--which few were. Ford fixed that in 1968 when the new "385" series 429 became the only engine available. Ive tweaked many a 390, including a rare "M" code 1963 Thunderbird with 3x2v carburetion, but the 429 would leave it behind without even working hard. I built (and modified) a 1978 Thunderbird 400 engine that also was quicker than the M code car both having the approximate same weight.
I agree. I was never a fan of the T bird but the LTD and Montegos looked great as did the 69 Mustang.
I had a 70 as my first car in 1981. I loved it and it remains my favorite carbto this day.
It is a car that the more you look at it, the more you like it.
I have a red 1970 2dr sportsroof that my parents bought new. I love the car, and the beak, but may be biased having grown up in it. It is still one of the best riding and crazy powerful cars from that era. Back in the day, it handled better than anything it's size. I prefer driving it over my 64 convertible, and it turns almost as many heads. I think there are two camps. Some who prefer the 67-69, and others who prefer the sleek sports roof, crazy taillights, and the beak of the 1970-71. I definitely prefer the 70.
I had a '71 T-Bird. It was a fine ride! Used to do a lot of
cruisin' and boozin' in it.
I'm sure it had more dents and wrinkles than used aluminum foil paper.
As I stated on your last 1970 / 71 Thunderbird video, I recall lots of ads in magazines with the 1970 Ford Thunderbird next to the brand new Boeing 747, stating 1970 being the year for "new birds".
Agree with your comments on the 1970 Thunderbird "beak" being a little too extreme... on the LTD it actually looks pretty good.
Love this design of the beak. I have a poster advert of this for the 1970 thunderbird with the new Boeing 747s in the background.
Interestingly, Bunkie was the reason the Boss 429 ended up in a Mustang instead of the Torino that it was raced in. He specifically wanted it in the Mustang.
The '71 Mustang was enlarged over the '69 and '70 so that the 429 would fit comfortably under the hood - only for the 429 to be dropped from the option list for 1972.
I don't mind the nose of the 70-71 cars. But I really like the sloped rear window, almost "fastback" style that I wish my 67 had. Great video.
When I was a kid there was a 67 black standard hardtop like the one at your 1 minute point of the video. Stunning design. In high school there was a mustard yellow two door landau on the Ford dealer's showroom floor exactly like the one shown at the 9:30 point. I owned two 71s over the years a 2 door landau and a 4 door. Both nice cars. Have to agree that the Ponitac nose did not do them any favors. I also like the standard hardtop 69 which like all non vinyl top cars of the era are hard to find
Great content Adam, you are making some TV worthy videos if I may say so. Fantastic and Bravo!!!!!
I never liked the dull-looking flat front of the '67, '68 and '69 T-Birds and thought the '70 and '71 front made the car appear much more exciting.
“Why fly when you can drive?”
Take a peek at that beak -
the Thunderbird certainly departed from its former glamour though at the time it was captivating!
The 'beak' looked really good on the LTD's
I honestly liked them and the 4 door that didn't look like a 4 door
I love the historical context of how these cars happened and /or whose fault. 😂
I remember when I was a kid, one the grownups in my neighborhood had 70 TBird , dark chocolate brown with slotted mag wheels , and it seemed like it was always clean in the summertime and never seen it in the winter months , it was a nice car 😊
Two of my favorite cars are the 70 and 71 Thunderbird's. Followed third by the 71 Ford LTD. 71-72 Cougar. The Bunkie Beak has been very kind to these cars. Also like the T-bird's minus the b.b.
The front end styling after 72 took the ditch.
Considering that the Pontiac Grand Prix--in its new, smaller size--was one of the hottest sellers of the 1969 model year, it was little wonder that Bunkie Knudsen wanted lightning to strike twice (not unlike when Elwood Engel, who designed the 1961 Lincoln Continental, was lured to Chrysler to work his magic on the 1964 Imperial, which looked surprisingly similar to the '61 Continental). So, to an extent, the 1970-71 Thunderbird looked surprisingly similar to the 1969 Grand Prix. Plus--Knudsen locked in the changes to the 1971 Galaxie/LTD beak while Henry Ford II was out of the country, which went against the then-established tradition of HF II signing off on each model year's new cars. Couple that with Lee Iacocca's "insurrection" and threat to have the stylists walk out, and Bunkie, indeed, was "soon history."
Really enjoy hearing about the corporate politics that caused the auto organizations to change.
I had the 77. Loved that car.
I like the 71 ltd.
yeah, I have a 1971 Ford LTD 2 door hardtop.
Drove 72' and bought 71' for parts ... ( 1980 ) . will never forget how beautiful those cars were ....( heavy on gas ..7 mil to a gallon )
My Dad took my Mom’s 1971 LTD Brougham Coupe to the local Ford Dealership for service and brought home a new 1972 Thunderbird to show my mom. The 1st words my mom said when my Dad walked in was “ Please tell me you did not trade my car for that.” “ I did not” replied my Dad. “ Good because I would hate for you have to sleep in it tonight” . Needless to say the Tbird went back.
😂🤣😂🤣
My family had many Thunderbirds, my mother had a 62 & 65 Landau, my brother had a 59, 61, 67 & 70. I had two, my very first car was a 66 Town Hardtop, I was given a brand new 73 Cougar XR-7, but it didn’t have power windows, so I traded it in on a 71 Town Hardtop like the ones pictured, mine was Turquoise with a white top and interior. I absolutely loved the car, but found out it had been in a couple of wrecks, I was told to get rid of it, so my grandmother bought me an new 73 XR-7 convertible, triple white (and of course it had power windows).
I loved the beak
I love those Birds. They were fabulous cars.