Tom Kristensen's mighty Thunderbird carves through the pack
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2017
- See the best of Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in a 1959 Ford Thunderbird during the St. Mary's Trophy at Goodwood Revival. Full races available for GRRC Fellows and Members. Find out how to join: www.goodwood.com/grrc/join/ #goodwoodrevival
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"I need a short throw shifter to make me a faster driver" This man's shifter goes from Florida to New York from 4th to 3rd and he's still lapping the pack
People dont know how to make a machine talk and walk like others
Many race drivers in the old days preferred factory style shifters as they fitted better into the car's interior. With a big, flimsily steering wheel like in that T-bird it would be less operable to reach all the way down to a short, sporty stick everytime. Cool car, cool driver, massive fun to watch!
That's funny as hell! Back in the sixties Ford had a cab-over truck called A C Series. They had 5 speed manual transmissions in them and by the time you got from 1st to 5th you'd covered most of the United States. They were seriously a mystery shift. As they wore out they got worse and you ended up banging your knuckles on the dash. Thanks for the Memories!
Back in the day, my grandmother had a 58 Thunderbird. Never considered it a pretty car. And certainly, never thought I'd see one of the racetrack. Like another viewer sent., she's aged quite well! Goes to show you! Things just get better with age!
Short shifters are for uneducated morons in slow cars. When I put my trans in first I can touch my knee cry about it.
There's racing drivers and then there's Tom Kristensen
Tom is in my basement, locked up
There's racing driver's, and a guy in a car with much more power than everyone else. So yeah.
@Th3Aggr3ssiv3 Cons3rvativ3 nope
I have a 97 thunderbird I plan on doing the same thing with.
Mixed reviews about it but like pops "kristensen" I'm here to smoke you in my soaring barge around the corners and through the straights.
@@jesusofamerica Then you a nub, also jesus is flat pluto
That Thunderbird coming up behind those minis looked like a wolf running down a herd of sheep!!
THAT WAS COOL TO SEE‼️😀
Yes it did but there's no Minis in that race, the two small cars are Austin A40 Farinas
Wow, he was taking corners like he was driving one of those minis.
He was drunk...
Yup...wasted.
Short, lightweight cars are terribly difficult to drive. Those big RWDs practically drive by themselves. You just have to tell them the direction and they do everything else alsmost on their own. Weight distribution.
Piotr Malewski yeah they can get squirrelly but so do American cars with their soft suspension and super light springs. In a lot of ways of handling they are inferior to the foreign cars but if you build it and actually try to focus a little bit on handling they can blow through corners
@@theeoddments960 I switched from modern short hatches to 70ies rwd with leaf springs and live axle and went rallying with both. Like you they say it's inferior but with proper technique it can be very fast through corners, because it can use grip of all wheels evenly if thrown into a corner properly. Also it's much more forgiving. Since I've tested it, I value weigh distribution more than any other parameter. If short fwd skids in the rear axle, often it is a fight for survival, one move too late and you're done. In my old rwd nothing happens that quickly, when the rear goes, you just give it the direction and it drifts towards to, almost on it's own. And if i leave the steering wheel, it counter steers and gets the straight line on it's own- not the best idea to do, but if someone ever went panic, the car could have saved the person on it's own.
"And the Jag certainly more nimble than the Thunderbird" (as he pendulum passes the Jag)
This is much more entertaining than NASCAR!
NASCAR is entertaining for 5 or 6 minutes. lol
NASCAR used to be entertaining.
Used to be and shall never be again.
I must protest. NASCAR on street circuits are fun to watch. Ovals are not my thing, though. Too many stupid crashes and too many weather delays. And still the same 3-4 persons pull off the victories. I'm excited for the new season of NASCAR, though, when Matty D. will get into the Wood Brothers #21 car. Could be a regular top contender if they get it right.
Also more entertaining than f1
That’s about the best thing I’ve seen in a while. Way more exciting than Nascar. I was actually laughing at how those little cars looked afraid as he was catching them. Outstanding driver. Made my Day!!!!!!!
Chaga chaga chaga, chaga chaga chaga, CHOO CHOO B***HES! I'M COMONG FOR THAT BOOTY!
You could fairly see the minis looking back at the tbird and gasping in fear amd shock, ala looney toons.
Fun fact: that Thunderbird was used in the 1959 Daytona 500. There is footage of the car, just search “1959 Daytona 500”
Beautiful piece of driving! Those four wheel power slides. NASCAR used to be like that. Back when it was worth watching...
The amount of talent and courage it takes to throw that ancient lump of metal around a racetrack THAT HARD cannot be measured. Bravo sir.
lol thats what you call knowing your car, ihad a 64 fairlane that would do the same thing, just drift around corner when you hit the gas right, drifting is better than having car roll that is too disturbing while steering, my 67 cougar would lean too much if i took a corner fast but the fairlane just drifted and it was sweet
That old bird gets around the track just fine
I love how the Minis take that one turn probably thinking this is where they can split away from the T-Bird only to have the T-Bird kick out the rear end and swing through the turn just as fast. Love it!
Does a Ford fans proud to see that big tbird fly!
Probably 352cid, i wonder the eng. Specs
@@Neildo430ci Could be the optional 430 lincoln V8
@@barryo9065 your correct on the engine
@silverbird58 I'm pretty sure the 430 was the only engine ford ever competed with the Squarebird.
I'd rather see a Mk I Escort, Capri, or Cortina... but to each their own. US Fords were always lacking compared to the European models.
Looks like he was having a great time!
Thunderbirds are my favorite cars ever. I had a 63 thunderbird in high school and it was the southeast driving car I ever had.
Man that guy can drive!
I had a 1960 T-bird in 1964. I bought it from the original owner, a doctor who actually drove it. I learned that it had the 430 Lincoln engine in it. That was a tire smoking beast.
On my early 58-59 ranchero builds. Always looking for a 430. Now i have a 58' hardtop edsel pacer. Still looking. I settled for a 64' 390GT block
Neil Dohi, the easiest and cheapest way to go is to get a 428 engine which is in the FE engine family and do a rebuild. Do a .010 clean-up overbore and that’ll give you about 432 cid. Outward look is the same but you’ll have more modern, stronger and performance proven internals.
@@arttafil6792 The 430 he's looking for is not an FE block. Its MEL
Barry O, thank you for the correction. I was thinking of the 410 cid Lincoln engine.
Even though I lived through the hey days of hot rod ding I’m man enough to admit I don’t know it all.
Nice to see classic Tbirds racing for a change not just sitting at car shows!!
Ah, she's built like a steakhouse but handles like a Bistro
Nice one!
And has the interior of a Greek whore house. ;)
She's out of control!
Ah , you're killing me. AH YOU'RE KILLING ME!!!
Zapp Brannigan FTW!
:D
"You're sure it's a woman this time...?"
He's driving it like he stole it! Did he touch the barrier at 1:53? Wow!
He came pretty close to touching it.
He is drunk
@@swoli6-11 yay! Me too........can l please have a drive of it next?🤪
PissAllOverMyAnusWhileMaintainingProperHomeostasis he touched it. The car even budged a little when he tapped it. Kept that line clean like nothing even happened.
@@Immad1337 freaking wreck fest with this drunk driver...
Damn, this guy is driving it like a GT40.
This is really cool to watch all these classic cars doing what they were Made for!
Imagine the adrenaline flow of the dude in the mini seeing nothing but a ginormous T-bird, sideways, filling his rear view mirror, slowly getting closer and closer!!!!
This is roughly a millon times more entertaining than modern F1 or superspeedway draft-fests.
AGREED!!
I watched this a thousand times and it never gets old. Love that tbird.
I seen this race before that Thunderbird is fantastic. lifting the right front wheel on the right hand corner. it's such a shame the exhaust system came loose he had that race won handily. that's how the racing Gods work sometimes.
Stunning driving in that big 'ol beast....the clanging sound was the drivers brass balls!!!!
That's not a beast it's the only car on that track with the scooters.
I took my driving test in a 59 Thunderbird! My first (and only) Nascar race was at Riverside which was won by Steady Eddy Gray in a 60 Thunderbird!
roamic I could imagine seeing one of these at Daytona back in the day. The Thunderbird was a destroyer!!!
I don't think my 60 T-Bird could do as well as this 1959.
And you came last
@silverbird58 you say they all blow a big nut ower that car? Damn
Oh man! Seeing that tbird thundering down the way. Priceless!
pure brilliance that driving had me laughing like a drain, brilliant car control!!
Mr.Racingdriver. A true legend in any kind of car.
Gotta give credit when its due. Awesome driving skills )
Well, he did 9 Le Man wins :)
What a shame he got the meatball that old thunder chicken was about to cut them up like turkey
First time I see it called meatball. Will use it! If anyone doesn't know, the still black flag with orange mark is a mechanical black flag, and the car should retire to the pits. But I was under the impression they should show it with the cars number?
Bom shakalalaka bom shakalalalaka
That's why the called the flag that exhaust was fine
@silverbird58 i seen cars race with missing everyting except 1 wheel, damn that drift skills...
The meatball!
That is unreasonably funny
That thunder bird is ridiculous! Too cool seeing that thing flying and sliding around the track over taking everyone in the little Brit cars that are planted to the track. 🤣 The guy driving is one bad mother too. He wrestled that thing effortlessly floating the car all around. Awesome video 👍🏻🤘🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
It's great seeing the American T-Bird running down the Minis. Driving it on the edge the whole time, drifting it the entire track.
they are NOT mini's they are Austin A40 Farina's
I've never seen a big ol' American classic shift like this.
I want one!
Just see mopar guys power shift.
There’s a channel named uncle Tony’s garage and he has a video of him powershifting and tips on it and if you did that in any stick shift automobile from 1983-up you’d have a freshly picked gear shifter in your hand dismounted completely from the fuckkin console... impressive though.
People always giving TOO MUCH praise to drivers who drive heavily modified purpose built machines without acknowledging the fact that those modifications make the vehicle EASIER TO DRIVE. The real heros are those who can make a brick swim like a fish . This guy is the real deal.
I think you have a good point
Easier in some regards but purpose built race cars do not have power steering or brakes like this T bird most likely does.
@@halohunter5217 no power steering, no power brakes. Just good old-fashioned Detroit muscle.
I’ve driven one of this year of Thunderbirds, and he is right on the steering presets✨👍🏻
These guys are all very talented drives, but even they do mistakes, slide around, drift and save again. It's soo much fun to watch and shows how difficult it is to go fast with these classic cars!!
He had that bad ass bird in the wind!!! Love them fast Fords!❤
Man when that right front tire comes off the tarmac coming off the a turn at 12:00 thats just awesome
Watched mr. 9x in some other revival vids he is just awesome a total beast in the little nimble Ferrari or big galaxy or T-bird
Hit the pits, get the baling wire on it, and, Get the Heck back out There!!
Man I have always loved these races and the Goodwood Festival. Watching these guys run these classic vehicles to their max. I hope young people watch this & racing classic motor cars like this never ends!!
Man this guy can drive 👍🏻
What a great drive from Tom in our 59 Ford Thunderbird! A great shame the exhaust was knocked loose but a brilliant show regardless. For onboard footage visit our video here: th-cam.com/video/NWPe4A0FSO0/w-d-xo.html
Bill...........I would think most of the race parts on that car are custom?......suspension, etc etc......was that car ever road raced in period?. is it a big soft sloppy girl?....hp figure?......450?
ahhhh...u mention 600 in the other vid.......and it ran Daytona?...wow
Wasn't this Johnny Beauchamp's Ford T-Bird that he finished 2nd with in the inaugural Daytona???
I love the way that T-Bird uses its raw power to get around the track.
I like the style he's developed to get everything out of her she's got
A great pity the exhaust came adrift...
Didn't seem to be having any effect.
@@scootergeorge9576 it could go right through a floorboard if it came off, or a windshield
That bird can really fly🤣😂🥴
@@plantfeeder6677 Gotta love classic cars racing...you never know what might happen next..... :-D
Odd thing is the front end works fantastic.
One of the greatest revival clips I have seen this year! As great as this is, I could only imagine seeing how devastating these were on the Daytona race track back in the day!
I love these races! They’re all over the track, different power from different cars, etc. seems like such a challenge trying to keep those boats on the road haha and the noise is beautiful! Wow
Now THAT is driving!
This looks so much faster & more exciting on camera than formula 1.
This is the kind of racing people like to see. Cars sliding and bouncing all over the track, and the drivers fighting to keep them straight. Nowadays in nearly all forms of racing the cars seem so relaxed and calm, which never translates into one-track action and drama.
Finally a great recommendation.
Looked like he was drifting down the straights, hell of a driver
The Car looks big among the European Cars.. but here in the State's not too big.. my Brother owns a 58 Tbird.. 390 Y block. Can't wait to Show him is Classy Cruiser
@jimmy hawkins Yes.. thank you... this guys driving is amazing... can't stop watching this Car sliding around
I don't think he was steering that big 'ol T-bird. He was merely swinging that big tail around and hoping he got pointed in the right direction.
Steering the big bird with the throttle pedal!
;@@scootergeorge9576 Hey Scooter! Steering with his right foot f' 'sho!
Would love to know if it has the optional Lincoln 430 mill or the std. 352...Edit: looks like "352" on the hood maybe? Would be interesting to know what suspension mods they're allowed.
Would appear we have similar watch lists! Dave
@@UberLummox - A Holman Moody built 430 T-Bird was a very close second in the 1959 Daytona 500. That being said I spent some time with Google trying to find out what powers this car. Could only find, "big V-8" which is obvious. I'm guessing an FE; perhaps a 427 or 390. A lot of parts available for these engines. And it sounds bigger than a 352.
@@scootergeorge9576 Nice! Yeah, I've seen pix of Squarebirds on the ovals.
Surprised they weren't outlawed for not being based on a conventional full-size platform. I read they were 3500-3600 lbs. so maybe they met a weight requirement - if there was one.
Then again, the average US battle ship was 4000-ish, so who knows.
@@UberLummox - By 1960, it made sense to go with the Galaxie. One glance of the Starliner fastback brought out that year and the "Squarebird" gets parked.
Great stuff. That was what racing used to be like. Loved it.
I watched TK live at many a ALMS races, and every LeMan victory. But this drive impressed me the most!
Brilliant driving!
Damn thats a Cool car and amazing driving skillz
That fella can drive,wow!
So happy to find this video. Just recently obtained a 69 Thunderbird & had a hard time finding an old bird that handles around a course on TH-cam. Inspiration video for my new project!!!! Thanks Goodwood for sharing 😁.
Old Ford FE engines are no joke!
That's not a car, that's a ship! Very fast ship!
Tom Kristensen is my new favorite driver!
Looks like a great white shark than come to catch something 😂🦈
Amazing. Elegant driving. Just a bit of drift.
I had the same year and model of T-Bird. Driving on the Pasadena freeway was an adventure.
What a great driver hanging it out.👍
I had a Thunderbird like that , decades ago; I loved it!
Dear goodwood I’m verry disappointed that you don’t post full race replays any more
Mr. Le Mans rockin' the 'bird!!!!!! To bad the exhaust broke.
Holy mackerel what a driver!@!!! So awesome to watch!
It looks like Tom never took his foot off of the gas pedal.
My family had a 59 thunderbird, white with the 352 in it. She was a big girl but fun to drive.
That is just spectacular to watch…, thank you Lord Marsh
I have a 1960 t-bird. Mine is white with a 352 and an automatic transmission its a great cruiser. I realize the car in this video is built to race but knowing how big and sloppy these old barges are it is hard to imagine driving one that hard. Looks like a lot of fun though.
Probably some really HD shocks. Springs, too. But that old T-Bird is almost too beautiful to race. My dad had a '64 but I really like the fins on those 58-60 Birds. I saw a video here on TH-cam where a guy did a restomod and put a 5.0 Coyote motor in a black '63 Bird, sounded absolutely cool. I would love to do that on a 65 or 66.
Hats off to Tom. You know that he could hear that tailpipe hitting the pavement. Most likely didn't know what it was, and still endured lap after lap of thinking his car was going to fall apart...
You can see that bird fits his style of driving to T.
Clever
My new favorite driver
Son, you must take my word,
If there's a God up in heaven,
He's got a silver Thunderbird.
never saw anything in the Bible about God being a masochist.
... and a '57 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
Not a silver Thunderbird. He returns in a white Mustang. (Revelation 19:11)
@@racketman2u no, he's an avid car enthusiast though!
@@ernestimken5846 lmfao
He can swing a battle axe!
Big American Iron running at GW looks so cool. Big Boss coming through!😁
its so uncanny seeing all of these little compacts and then this lad comes around the corner
Fantastic viewing.takes me back to when I drove my 1965 mk 1 lotus Corrina around that circuit
I can't stand fords but seeing that T-Bird gliding across that track among compacts, was a thing of beauty! Look at that old man tap dance on the tarmac! Wow!
Must have been unnerving to see that menacing front end roaring up to your rear bumper during this race. It had a Batman /Mad Max vibe to it - and an aggressive driver to boot!
Instantly liked this video because I'm watching a big 59' TBird running down cars half its size. I love 1/4 mile but this has now caught my eye!
Vintage road racing is the shizzle. I'm a Yank but drag racing has always been a big snooze for me.
Think I may have a new favorite driver. This guy has a grip on the T-bird and Fairlane.
This is a lot more entertaining than F1.
Visibility in a 70 year old car is better than today's cars.
Drive like you stole it! 👍👍✨
@Daan Vaan no ..are you a detective ?
Need a lot of guts & balls to drive this mammoth on the relatively-tight Goodwood, props to Tom which were able to nail down that beast.
Meanwhile: Toms shop manager is asking, “ Why do we have so many exhaust hangers left over?”
Man. Must be day and night between this American land yacht and the Audi R8 and R10 he drove at Le Mans. I don't know the man, but the car guy in me feels that he probably enjoys driving the Thunderbird way more.
The Thunderbird, what a beautiful growl.
Pure power of the big block and a skill driver can do wonders if i got it right
Thanks for posting
I have had the privilege of driving a 59 Thunderbird at Taupo
This is absolutely amazing!!
Props to the OGs. These machines aren’t easy to drive.