2/16/2024 0 Comments 1963 ford thunderbird wheel specs![]() ![]() Thunderbird: An Odyssey in Automotive Design by author William P. 1962 was the best year with 78,011 cars built.Īdditional Auto Museum Online articles are found on the links below… Total third generation Thunderbird production was 214,375 units. New car price was in a range of $4,500 to $5,500. The convertible model height was about an inch higher. Thunderbirds rounded tail lightsĭimensions included a 113.0 inch wheelbase.205.0 inche overall length… 76.5 inch width and 52.5 inch height. Rear suspension included a live axle and leaf springs. Transmission was a three speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic.įront suspension included upper and lower A-arms and coil springs. Optional was the high performance 340 horsepower engine with three Holley two-barrel carburetors. The AM radio and a remote controlled driver’s side mirror were standard equipment.Īs mentioned above, the 63 Thunderbird came with a 390 cubic inch V8 rated at 300 horsepower. Additions to the option list included vacuum assisted door locks and an AM/FM radio. The 1963 model had minor changes from 1962. Lee Iacocca, Ford’s president at the time, knew that there were no limits to what some people could and would pay for prestige and the T-Bird gained a reputation of being above the general Ford line. Ford envisioned the Thunderbird to stand alone to some degree and appeal to those who, while attracted to the car, were not really willing to admit they would drive a Ford. The oil crisis of the early 1970’s was far into the future and there was no reason to think that size and fuel efficiency would be an issue. At the time the third generation T-Birds were designed, bigger seemed to be better. The third generation (61-63) Ford Thunderbirds featured new and much sleeker styling than the second generation cars.The car had an aerodynamic form that was easily 20 years ahead of its time. Since the 61 model had entirely new styling it was an opportune time to introduce the Swing-Away Steering Wheel. ![]() Of special significance was 1961 was the year that the Swing-Away Steering Wheel was added as a new option. The base engine for Thunderbird remained a 390 cubic inch V8 rated at 300 horsepower.ġ963 was the last year of Thunderbird’s third generation which began in 1961. ![]() Only 55 M-codes were sold with their high performance 340 horsepower engines. Of these units, 5,913 were convertibles and 455 were Sports Roadsters. Some of this was probably due to the fact that Thunderbird would have a comprehensive restyling for the upcoming 1964 model year. Ford offered their Thunderbird with the simple construction and reasonable price tag of a Ford.ġ963 was not a knockout year for the T-Bird as only 63,313 were sold, about 15,000 less units than the prior year. What the first Thunderbird highlighted was style and sophistication that used to be available only from expensive European imports like Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Sleek, aerodynamic design of the 1963 T-Bird. The first Thunderbirds carried over current Ford themes including the egg crate grille, single headlamps built into the front fenders, single circle taillights and stubby tail fins. The Thunderbird development program was launched by Ford in February of 1953, just a month after the Corvette prototype’s debut at the General Motors Motorama. Many collectors believe the third generation Thunderbird is where Ford really got their idea of a personal luxury cruiser together. This fact probably led Ford to create a new automobile niche called the “ personal luxury car“. In reality, the two cars were really two different machines from the exterior body material to the interior appointments. They were competing head to head but Ford appeared to put more creature comfort features into their Thunderbird. 1963 ThunderbirdĪnother important thing to note was that the Ford Thunderbird was not really built solely as a sports car like the Chevy Corvette. The first 1955 Ford Thunderbird was built in September 1954 in Dearborn, Michigan. The winning employee, a Ford stylist, won a suit from Saks Fifth Avenue. As a side note, the “ Thunderbird” name was drawn from an in-house contest at Ford Motor Company. ![]()
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