1977 Ford Thunderbird - Still Getting Bested

Imagine my delight the other morning when I arrived at the office to find this historically significant hoopty for sale in the parking lot across the street. This is a 1977 Ford Thunderbird and it was one of the very few bright spots for the Ford Motor Company during the 1970's. 

While it started out, technically, in 1955 as a competitor to Chevrolet's Corvette, for the most part  (not counting the 2002-2005 retro models) "Ford Thunderbird" meant some sort of luxury car during it's forty-three year model run. However, if I define the personal luxury car as one based on a midsize two-door sedan, and I do that based on what the most popular selling ones were, remarkably, until 1977, Ford didn't really have a contender in that oh-so-'70's market segment. Sorry, Ford Elite fans, that car just didn't cut it. 

From its inception through 1976, the Ford Thunderbird was built on top of whatever standard or full-size chassis Ford was using at the time; albeit at times with some modification. While many give credit to Ford for creating the "personal car" with the Thunderbird, General Motors redefined the class in 1969 with their mid-sized Pontiac Grand Prix and in 1970 with their Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Both the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo sold significantly better than the Ford Thunderbird which was left behind being a discounted Lincoln Continental Mark. Which is somewhat ironic given that the Lincoln Continental Mark III and IV were built off the Thunderbird's chassis dating back to 1967. With their higher price points, the Continental Mark and Thunderbird were targeted at different buyers than the burgeoning "personal luxury car" buyer was.

The best Ford had to compete with GM was a gussied up, mid-sized Torino coupe they called "Elite"; Torino replaced Ford's mid-sized Fairlane in an elongated model transition in 1969 and 1970. A classic example of "styling does matter", the half baked Elite languished on dealer lots as GM sucked in the profits of an automobile type that in today's crossover world makes no sense whatsoever. Ford made the Elite from 1974-1976; 1974 models were "Gran Torino Elite", 1975 and 1976's were simply, "Elite".

For 1977 Ford woke up and didn't so downsize the Thunderbird as much as restyle the Torino and badge it as a Thunderbird; the Torino itself got some cosmetic work and became the "LTD II".  That moved the Thunderbird out of the Mark IV\V lane and into the personal luxury car key party. In a decade when Ford seemingly did nothing right it was a simple but effective move that worked quite well. These 1977-1979 Thunderbirds were the best selling T-Birds of all time. 

Didn't hurt that Ford also chopped over two grand off Thunderbird's sticker price year over year and that starting in 1978, GM turned their personal luxury cars into homely, lilliputian sadness-mobiles. This generation of Thunderbird checking all the boxes style conscious, personal luxury car buyers had been corn-fed on and came to expect. Big but not too big on the outside, cramped on the inside. What's not to love? Ha.

I swear I thought this said "14,500" at first but with the seller asking $1,450 they may find a buyer sooner than later. Closer to $1,000 the buyer gets the better. It's got some advanced surface rust on the bottom of the doors and fenders that would need to get taken care of before any fun stuff happens under the hood. Wouldn't take much to hot rod this thing into a really cool sleeper.

Now, if this was a '77 Monte Carlo or Grand Prix. even in this shape. I might have a problem on my hands. Then again, it wouldn't be priced so low either. Sad that the GM models still besting the Thunderbird even after all these years.