One of only 5,049 open-top Thunderbirds ever built
The final model year of the so-called ‘Flair Birds’
A design icon of the 1960s
When Ford introduced the Thunderbird in 1955, it expressly did not set out to build a sports car. The Thunderbird was meant to be something different from Chevrolet’s Corvette: a fast, luxurious two-seater for people who preferred their performance with comfort rather than racing-driver romanticism. The concept worked. So well, in fact, that Ford added four seats from 1958 onwards, firmly establishing the Thunderbird as a ‘Personal Luxury Car’.
The fourth generation appeared in 1964. It had become squarer, wider and more American still. Countless playful design details gave the Thunderbird a character all its own. For 1966, the final model year of the series, it received a new grille, a revised front end and full-width rear lights complete with sequential indicators. Restraint was still not part of the brief.
Beneath the long bonnet sat Ford’s 390-cubic-inch V8 as standard, displacing 6.4 litres. Anyone who felt that 315 SAE horsepower was a little inadequate for the journey to the country club could, for the first time, opt for the 428-cubic-inch V8: seven litres and torque in abundance. Naturally, the gearbox was automatic.
Whether as a Hardtop, Landau or Convertible, the Thunderbird had long since ceased to be a small sports car and become a fully fledged luxury cruiser for four. The 1966 model brought the concept neatly to its conclusion: plenty of engine, plenty of equipment and even more presence. America could build many things in those days. Inconspicuous cars were not among them.
This Thunderbird is one of just 5,049 Convertibles built for 1966, fewer than one tenth the number of Coupés and Landaus produced. Perhaps the most famous appearance by a T-Bird like this came in 1991, in Thelma & Louise. This particular example arrived in Austria from the United States in 2013. It also comes with a cover for the rear seats, of the type Ford offered until 1963 for the so-called Sports Roadster. By the time of the fourth-generation Thunderbird, such a thing was available only through the aftermarket.
Hardly driven since arriving in Austria, the Thunderbird will require a thorough inspection before it can once again be released into the wild.