Before you go any further, here’s my verdict on the four-door Thunderbird.
It is one of the best-looking American cars of the 1960s.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on with its design to driveway story.
During 1965, Ford’s product planners had decided that the Thunderbird convertible had reached its use-by date.
Demand had slipped to under 10 per cent of total T-Bird production.
Buyers preferred coupes with airconditioning.
And, looming rollover regulations made future drop-tops expensive engineering headaches for such a low volume car.
A replacement was needed.
Enter design chief Bill Boyer and Ford boss Lee Iacocca.
As Boyer recalled in his book Thunderbird. A Design Odessey , Iacocca walked into the styling studio one day, saw a full-size rendering of a sleek four-door in black cherry with a black vinyl roof (his favourite colours) and made the call on the spot: “Let’s get that one nailed down, that’s our convertible replacement.”
Done deal.
What makes the four-door stand out?
It is those rear-hinged back doors, borrowed from the Lincoln Continental, and the clever pillar treatment that gives it a coupe-like sweep.
It looks long, low, and effortlessly elegant.
Buyers agreed.
Ford built 77,541 of them—28 percent of Thunderbird production, comfortably outselling the convertible.
Yet critics still sniff: “not a real T-Bird,” just a dressed-up Ford sedan.
Nonsense.
Think of the T-Bird as an early example of the four-door coupes which now inhabit the dealerships at Audi, Mercedes, Genesis, BMW, Maserati, Porsche and other elite brands.
Think of it the way Ford’s PR folk described it:
“We created this car for the few. The few discerning Americans who always loved Thunderbird’s looks, luxury and performance — but longed for four doors for easy entering and exiting.”
You can wait around and hope, but you will never see the likes of this car again.
David Burrell is the editor of retroautos
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