In addition, a Limited Edition "Principality of Monaco" Landau model was introduced. Landaus added simulated wood grain interior trim to go along with the landau top. The Landau became the second most important model after the standard hardtop, at 12,193 sold. An AM radio and a remote driver's side mirror became standard, while vacuum assisted door locks and an AM/ FM radio were added as options.ġ963's sale numbers were somewhat down, at 63,313 units. 1963 1963 Ford Thunderbird LandauĬhanges for 1963 were relatively mild. The problem was quickly corrected when Elvis Presley was involved in an accident in which one of the Kelsey-Hayes wheels collapsed during hard turning. Early models suffered from problems related to their specially-designed wire wheels.
#CUSTOM 65 THUNDERBIRD CODE#
1,427 Sports Roadsters were produced in 1962, including 120 models with the special M Code option. The most striking addition to the Sports Roadster was a fiberglass tonneau cover which covered the back seat of the car and created a two seater appearance. In addition, model year 1962 saw the introduction of the Thunderbird Sports Roadster, a limited production version of the convertible which added 48 spoke Kelsey-Hayes designed wire wheels, special badges to the front fenders and a passenger side grab bar to the front dashboard. This was the beginning of the 1960s/1970s fashion for vinyl roof treatments, and a vinyl roof remained a popular Thunderbird feature for the next 20 years. This special engine code ( VIN engine code M) option was quietly discontinued halfway through the mid 1963 production run.Īlso introduced in 1962 was the Landau model, with a vinyl roof and simulated S-bars on the rear pillars. It used 406 heads as well as the same carburetors that were found on the high performance 406 powered Ford Galaxie, but with a modified version of the intake manifold to allow for proper air flow under the engine. Model year 1962 saw strong sales figures of 78,011 units (including 9,884 convertibles).Ī high performance option for 1962 added " tripower" - three two barrel carburetors - to a higher compression version of the 390 engine. The Chrysler 300G was also a powerful personal luxury car rival during 1961.įor 1961 the listed retail price, before optional equipment, was US$4,170 ($40,836 in 2022 dollars ). In luxury and performance, the third generation Thunderbird briefly saw competition from the Studebaker Avanti, before its production ended in 1963. Model options included air conditioning, power windows, power seats, AM radio, fender skirts, and white wall tires. Several standard features, such as power steering and power brakes, back up lights, and bucket seats, were costly options on most other automobiles of the time.
Other innovations include a floating rear view mirror, directly attached to the inside of the windshield. To prevent accidents, this disabled the gear selector until the steering wheel was returned to the center position.
#CUSTOM 65 THUNDERBIRD DRIVER#
With the steering column installed transmission gear selector in the park position the steering wheel would slide approximately 18 inches (460 mm) to the right allowing the driver to exit the vehicle easily. The most distinctive feature of the 1961 to 1963 Thunderbirds was the highly touted 'Swing Away' steering wheel.
The Thunderbird for 1961 introduced several firsts for the automotive market. 1961 1961 Ford Thunderbird interior with "Swing-Away" steering wheel Kennedy's inaugural parade, probably aided by the appointment of Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense. The Thunderbird was 1961's Indianapolis 500 pace car, and featured prominently in US President John F. A new, larger 390 cu in (6.4 L) FE-series V8 was the only engine available (in 1961). Sales were strong, if not quite up to record-breaking 1960, at 73,051 including 10,516 convertibles. It featured new and much sleeker styling (done by Bill Boyer) than the second generation models. The third generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car produced by Ford for the 1961 to 1963 model years.
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