My favorite Thunderbird is the 1962 Sports Roadster in red, please. This 256-page hardcover is highly recommended and details a colorful story of two hard-working car guys (John Holman and Ralph Moody) who built one of the largest race teams in history. If you would like some great information on the Holman-Moody race team and how everything happened with Ford’s involvement in big-time auto racing, check out 2002’s “Holman-Moody: The Legendary Race Team” by Tom Cotter and Al Pearce. These were the last Thunderbirds to this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see an electric-enhanced and powerful Thunderbird in the future. The 1983 model was popular on NASCAR tracks, and won numerous races thanks to Bill Elliott and the boys from Dawsonville, Georgia.Īfter the 10th generation (1989 to 1997), Ford took some time off and re-introduced a two-seater “real” Thunderbird in 2002 through 2005. The eighth (1980 to 1982) and ninth (1983 to 1988) generations found Thunderbird downsizing again, but in no way taking the place of the Mustang. This occurred mainly because the Mustang, introduced in 1964, took over as the “thunder” from Ford Motor Company thanks to cars like the Boss 302 and soon-to-come Cobra Jet 428s and Boss Hemi-style 429s. A major style change occurred in its fifth generation, when the 1967 T-Bird grew into a Lincoln-based luxury vehicle. Overall, Thunderbird went through a total of 11 model generations starting in 1955 with a two-seater and growing into a four-seater during 1958’s second generation. Then in 1983, a Turbo four-cylinder joined the group as a new design hit the streets with much popularity. Close to the 430 were the 428- and 429-inch engines, used in 1966 through 1971.Īfter the gas crisis of the early to mid-1970s that included rationing and long lines at the pump, Thunderbirds went to somewhat smaller V8s and even 6-cylinder engines beginning in 1981. The showroom-floor Thunderbirds put out 350 horses in a “de-tuned” form, and this engine lasted as the biggest ever until 1972, when Ford put the 460-inch V8 in its now “luxury”-more-so-than-“thunder” Thunderbird. There were 34 5th Gen sold in the last 5 years. Ford teamed up with Holman-Moody of NASCAR fame to produce a 430-inch racing V8 that was guaranteed to put out over 400 horsepower although it was rated at 350. There are 249 Ford Thunderbird for sale across all model years (1955 to 2005) and variants, 9 are 5th Gen and 3 are model year 1970. Q: What is the biggest Ford engine ever put into the Ford Thunderbirds? Also, what was your favorite Thunderbird?Ī: The first “big” engine to appear in the Thunderbird came in 1958 thanks to Ford’s involvement in NASCAR racing.
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