Remember folks, birds actually do have beaks.

@CarsandCats

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! His styling absolutely made sense... some of the time.

@christophergordon6593

2 ай бұрын

Haha - touché!

@UberLummox

2 ай бұрын

Damn straight!

@WellbredNfedKembleTV

2 ай бұрын

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

@billolsen4360

2 ай бұрын

😁

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.

@jaburadvocacia261

2 ай бұрын

agree. it made the design unique and distinctive.

@mikalnaylor

2 ай бұрын

The nose is why I bought a '71 two door "Coach" (no quarter window) Thunderbird.

@UberLummox

2 ай бұрын

Me as well. Love the beak! Especially on the coupes with NO vinyl top.

@duroshebanja6810

2 ай бұрын

I like the beak. Great looking car, the 70-71s.

@judgegixxer

2 ай бұрын

hahahaha

The 'BEAK' is a take it or leave it thing, but the 429 THUNDERJET was definitely a big hit and rocketship!!

@donreinke5863

2 ай бұрын

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

@kramnull8962

2 ай бұрын

@@donreinke5863 Hard to beat 480 pound feet of torque...

@donreinke5863

2 ай бұрын

@@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 😂😂

@MisterMikeTexas

2 ай бұрын

Gary Cole portrayed the movie Mike Brady. 😂 And would go on to portraying Bill Lumbergh in Mike Judge's "Office Space".

@ralphabreu5022

2 ай бұрын

Adam don't forget the 4 door thunderbird....

@bobbylibertini

2 ай бұрын

"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.

@brerrabbit9585

2 ай бұрын

I can`t remember it.@@ralphabreu5022

"Thunderbird 1970, with a beak so large, you'd think the 429 V8 ran on nuts and seeds."

@christophergordon6593

2 ай бұрын

😅😅😅

@johnhudelson2652

2 ай бұрын

Or the engine was a straight 8.

@frankgiaquinto1571

2 ай бұрын

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

@donfronterhouse4759

2 ай бұрын

@@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.

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.

@nickbonvino2292

2 ай бұрын

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.

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

@HemiChrysler

2 ай бұрын

Not weird, 1970-71 is my favourite too, but strictly the 2 door. Did you notice that 2 different roofs were available ?

@johnkendrick7304

2 ай бұрын

are you talking about the gator type material???@@HemiChrysler

@HemiChrysler

2 ай бұрын

@@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.

In high school my friend had a 71 Cougar GT, Ive always loved these cars even the "beak"

@alexanderspenser4960

2 ай бұрын

Ditto, a convertible XR7, it was stolen, the end.

@bextar6365

2 ай бұрын

I agree with the Beak over the blah flat front !

@duroshebanja6810

2 ай бұрын

@@bextar6365 Say yes to the beak. It’s really chic.

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.

@pcno2832

2 ай бұрын

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.

Family had a '67 fully loaded triple black with the suicide doors. That was one classy T- Bird.

@user-pp1ni2jy3f

2 ай бұрын

4 doors never looked good a short platform. I remember my dad first saw these in late '66 and said they looked weird.

@Johnnycdrums

2 ай бұрын

@@user-pp1ni2jy3f; Wheelbase on the FORDOR is 5" longer.

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.

@nicengel9004

2 ай бұрын

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.

@user-ri5pj3iq9l

2 ай бұрын

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.

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.

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

Wish these cars held up as well as they looked, most were in the junkyard before they reached 100.000.

I bought a 68 4 door when in high school during the late 70s. Best drive-in car ever. A beautiful car.

Drove a 62 T-Bird when I was a teenager. It was huge. It was far afield from its predecessors!

I loved the "Beaked 'Birds".

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!

@TomSnyder-gx5ru

2 ай бұрын

I agree - '71-'72 LTD front ends were very attractive, I prefer the '71 but both were nice.

@TomSnyder-gx5ru

2 ай бұрын

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 !

@FrankyRedEyes

2 ай бұрын

I agree.

@HFX1955

2 ай бұрын

The 429 was introduced as an option for the 1968 T-Bird

@johneckert1365

2 ай бұрын

​@HFX1955 A much better engine than that FE 428 was

@mark_osborne

2 ай бұрын

@@johneckert1365 Agree !

Loved that all tbirds (except for 1980) were ground breaking, different, affordable but also luxurious cars for the common man . Ford needs a new tbird with these winning qualities

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.

You can’t beat the looks of hideaway headlights!

@user-sm9yc5sf9t

2 ай бұрын

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.

I always liked it.

The consequences of no one being able to tell you “no”.

The Fairlane/Torino grille always reminded me of a snapping turtle. As for the T-Bird beak, I thought it was ghastly.

Great watch. To be honest, I would take a 70 or a 71 T-Bird over a 72 anyday..... Thanks to Adam for posting.

@donreinke5863

2 ай бұрын

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.

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.

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.

Those coloured hubcaps were used on the Aussie Ford LTD and Landau 1975-1979.

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.

Never thought the ‘69/‘70 GP nose was that great. The ‘71 and ‘72 were a huge improvement.

@user-pgchargerse71

2 ай бұрын

No. They went to single headlights that ruined the design imo.

@TomSnyder-gx5ru

2 ай бұрын

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.

I personally love the 70.71

@TomSnyder-gx5ru

2 ай бұрын

me too!

The Ford commercial is very cool. The Ads back in the day were actually entertaining.

I love those Birds. They were fabulous cars.

The “bird beak” also appeared on the 1970-72 Mercury Montegos and got progressively blunted by the 5mph bumper standard beginning in 1973.

I liked the bird beak, I still do !

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.

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.

Had a 71 two door. 429 thunder jet. Had duals . A c 6. Posi. Never lost a race. Was nicknamed Thunder chicken )

@maxwellmurdoc9256

2 ай бұрын

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.

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.

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.

As far as the full-size T-Birds went, the 1969 LANDAU COUPE was my favorite. A CLASSIC desigb.

@pjesf

2 ай бұрын

YES! I love that one ❤️

@mikyl-fo8rh

2 ай бұрын

I agree. Ironically, my 2 favorite sedans were the gorgeous 67-69 Thunderbird and the sleek box chevy.

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.

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 find it interesting that the bird beak on the '71/'72 TLD/Galaxie were some of he sharpest looking ones, imho. It's to bad the '70/'71 T-birds front wasn't as handsome as the rear.

@TomSnyder-gx5ru

2 ай бұрын

I agree, I always thought the '71 "beak" LTD's were the best looking of all LTD's - and don't get me started on those beautiful full width taillights at the rear!

“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!

That was a great commercial ad what a fantastic way to close a video, Keep up the fantastic work!!

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.

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.

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.

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'

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!

@mikemichaud5048

2 ай бұрын

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!

@gwiz3059

2 ай бұрын

Imagine getting T boned by one of these things 😖

@mikeweizer3149

2 ай бұрын

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!!!.

@mikeweizer3149

2 ай бұрын

Ps I also remember the 1970-71 Mercury Montegos and Cyclones with their protruding front clips as well!!!.

@dave1956

2 ай бұрын

@@mikeweizer3149 That is one design that I never warmed up to.

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

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.

This styling theme was used at Mercury as well...see the 1970 Mercury Montego.

Adam, Beaks rule!!!!😁😁🤣😂

The insurance companies hated them. With essentially no front bumper, the front end was particularly vulnerable in accidents, and expensive to repair. Insurance companies had a lot to do with automotive styling in those days.

@kellybanning2013

2 ай бұрын

Same with the split bumper cameras of that era

The 'beak' looked really good on the LTD's

I have had several thunderbirds including my 2004 in the garage. I loved the big birds of the early 70s.

@kevincostello3856

2 ай бұрын

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 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!

7:00 The fact that this once 'sporty' car had landau bars... like a hearse... really made me giggle

My family had a 67 Thunderbird. It was a total piece of crap from the time it rolled out of the showroom to the time we finally got rid of it a few years later. What a dog.

I love the bulkier thunderbirds

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 love the historical context of how these cars happened and /or whose fault. 😂

Growing up, I vividly remember my uncle's blue 71 T-Bird 2 door Landau he bought brand new, and to me, it was THE ultimate dream machine compared to the plain jane, no frills VWs my parents owned at the time. I always looked forward whenever he would visit, so I could ask to go for a ride in it. I would later learn how the 70-71 T-Birds styling would come about, and who was behind it, and though I don't hate it, doesn't look quite as elegant as the 67-69 front end styling. I do however, think the 71-72 full size grilles were the most attractive designs of any car from that era, or throughout the 70s.

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.

@Zickcermacity

2 ай бұрын

😂🤣😂🤣

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.

@DinsdalePiranha67

2 ай бұрын

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 had a 71 two door. Great car, beautiful car. I wish I had another.

I agree. I was never a fan of the T bird but the LTD and Montegos looked great as did the 69 Mustang.

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.

Back in the day, my boss drove a green 71 suicide door T-Bird. He always seemed to have problems with it stalling from the day he bought it. One day it mysteriously stalled on the railroad tracks when a train was coming. He got out of it before the train took it out. We always wondered if he didn't just say it stalled so he could get rid of it. He switched to Cadillacs after that.

“Pronounced beak-like form….” Wade, you are hilarious!

I honestly liked them and the 4 door that didn't look like a 4 door

It is a car that the more you look at it, the more you like it.

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 😊

I loved the beak

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."

I love the beak!

Love these 70 Fords especially the 'Birds. I see echoes of this design in the 87-88 Turbo Coupe. I currently have a 35th Anniversary SC with 15k certified miles. I love it and I loved my 88 Turbo also

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.

I like the 71 ltd.

@HemiChrysler

2 ай бұрын

yeah, I have a 1971 Ford LTD 2 door hardtop.

I’ve had two of the 1971’s. Including the 6,000 mile four door in original condition that I donated to PBS. Its auction is on KZread. The stying made sense for the time & it was an exceptional cruiser. Triple tobacco brown with a brougham interior. Really well built & when America ruled the roads. Sad it’s gone.

The black coupe with the plate 70T-BRD really suits the beak.

Drove 72' and bought 71' for parts ... ( 1980 ) . will never forget how beautiful those cars were ....( heavy on gas ..7 mil to a gallon )

I've owned several T-birds .my favorite was 1970 4dr. It was a rare color kind of brownish red metallic with chocolate brown top. It had been a factory exc's car. It an ABS braking system,antenna in the windshield and t he seats were all champagne cloth,the production models all had some surfaces in vinyl. The best looking car I've ever owned

I actually like the styling. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I had a 70 as my first car in 1981. I loved it and it remains my favorite carbto this day.

Beauty is in the eye of the person

The nose looked FINE for its time. It was a cost effective way to revise the 1967-'69 styling for 2 more years until the 1972 full redesign. It was vulnerable to parking dings but I felt it looked great and would've gotten one had I been a lot older and driving then.

I really have always liked the 4 door version minus the huge bird beak, maybe because it’s so odd to have a 4 door thunderbird and with suicide doors. I however think the 67, 68, 69 is probably the best styling.

Bunkie should've stayed in bed that day... "Good taste is all a bunch of bunk!" ~Semon Knudson

"Henry Ford once said that history is bunk, today Bunkie is history." Lee Iacocca

I liked the 1971 T-Bird better than the 1970 bcuz the 2 door model had a nicer shape with the long front end! My dad was sales mgr at a Ford dealership and I worked there as a car jockey 1970-71. His 'driver' was a loaded chocolate brown 1971, with the matching wheel covers, sunroof, and 428 motor. It was a gorgeous car!

@donreinke5863

2 ай бұрын

If it was a 1971, it had the 385 series 429. The 428 FE series engine (as well as the 390 FE) was dropped from production at the end of the 1970 model year, only being installed in Torinos, Montegos (Cyclones) , Mustangs and Cougars. From 1969 on all other Fords and Mercurys used the new 429, while Lincolns used the longer-stroke 460. Ford trucks continued to use the 390 and smaller 360 FE engine until 1977 when they were replaced by the 351 M and 400.

Funny thing is that Knudsen also dictated the "beak" styling for a European model, the German 1970 Ford Taunus which then was nicknamed the Knudsen Nose Ford!

Knudsen supposedly had a 1970 Bird on the way to production and cancelled it. I would really like to see that car, have never seen a picture.

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.