Ford Thunderbird (fourth generation)
The fourth generation Ford Thunderbird is a large personal luxury car produced by Ford for the 1964 to 1966 model years. This generation of the Thunderbird was restyled in favor of a more squared-off, "formal" look. The only remnant of the Thunderbird's former sporty image was that the standard 390-cubic-inch 300 hp (224 kW) V8 engine needed nearly 11 seconds to push the heavy T-bird to 60 mph (97 km/h). The softly sprung suspension allowed considerable body lean, wallow, and float on curves and bumps. Contemporary testers felt that the Buick Riviera, Pontiac Grand Prix and Chrysler 300K were substantially more roadworthy cars, but the Thunderbird retained its leading market share.
This article is about the fourth generation of the Ford Thunderbird automobile. For general Thunderbird information, see Ford Thunderbird.
Ford Thunderbird
Fourth Generation
1964–1966
United States: Wixom Assembly Plant, Wixom, Michigan
- 2-door hardtop coupe
- 2-door landau
- 2-door convertible
- 3-speed Cruise-O Matic MX automatic
- 3-speed Ford C6 automatic
Films and Popular Culture[edit]
A black 1964 Thunderbird convertible had a notable role in the TV series Highlander: The Series as protagonist Duncan Macleod’s main mode of transportation. A white 1964 Thunderbird convertible was used by Felix Leiter in a chase scene in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, starring Sean Connery. Another appears briefly in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. A Convertible 1964 Thunderbird appears in the Twilight Zone episode, "Come Wander With Me", starring Gary Crosby.
In 1965, an Episode of the TV Show "Hazel" (S4, E16) had 2 similar-looking Thunderbirds, a 1964 and a 1965, which caused some confusion during the show. In reality, the 1964 and 1965 Thunderbirds were distinctive enough to not allow confusion, but the 1965 was the first Year of the 2-sided Key, which was completely different from the 1964.
A gold 1966 Town Landau was driven by Dean Martin as Matt Helm in the 1966 film Murderers' Row. It featured several gadgets including the ability to display a scrolling message which ran across the tail-lights. The driver could dictate what they wanted to appear there into a microphone. A green 1966 Thunderbird convertible was prominently featured in the 1991 road film Thelma and Louise, starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, a red 1966 Thunderbird convertible was featured in the 1983 film The Outsiders which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and a black 1965 Thunderbird Convertible was featured in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. A black 1965 Thunderbird Landau was featured at the start of the Nintendo Power video N64: Change the System. It was shown transporting the three gamers to Nintendo of America headquarters for a first-hand sneak preview of Nintendo 64.