Successful collector car marques such as the Ford Thunderbird are all about style. True style flows from the nature of the design project and evokes a visual emotion that is consistent with the design objectives of the project. Albeit, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet quality design and lasting style is recognized by the masses of people who may not be able to articulate their reasons for applauding a particular style.

For example, the Ford "Baby Bird" Thunderbird of 1955 - 57 was originally well received by the public as a design and style Classic. In fact after the 55 T-Bird was only four years old it was being referred to on TV as a "Classic" car. Why was this? The car was basically a 1955 Ford cut down in height and length to become a two passenger "Personal" car with sporty and luxury characteristics. It was never sold or promoted as a sports car. The style of the car visually whispered the words, "personal, sporty, luxury, powerful and exciting," to the mind of the viewer.

The wrap-around windshield made the front fenders seem even longer than they really were. It also gave the driver and passenger a "fishbowl" sort of view that at the time seemed very empowering.

The thrusting headlight rims and hood ornament combined with the slight taper of the body down and in to the rear was right in line with the early 1950’s custom car craze to lower the rear of the car. This simulated the power surge causing the front of the car to rear up upon acceleration. This of course is in exact contradiction to the current fashion of having the rear end of the car hiked up into the air like a sprinter waiting for the starting gun.

The wrap-around windshield really started with the very limited production 1953 Cadillac Eldorado and the 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta. For the year 1954 the wrap-around windshield appeared on all of the GM Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile models. It was so striking and novel in appearance that it became a fashion requirement. The eloquently designed and styled Lowey 1953 Studebaker coupe looked like it had been molested when it appeared in 1955 with a wrap-around windshield and a big heavy and chunky chrome grille. Even worse, the similar model Studebaker/Packard Hawk looked horrid with four headlights cobbled on to the front fenders which were designed for two headlights. This is a notable example of true style being corrupted by uncontrolled fashion.

The "Baby Bird" Thunderbirds of 1955 - 1957 were a design success for Ford but yet a sales question mark as the car found a home primarily with the affluent who could afford multiple cars in the upscale price range. Some 50,000 or so small Thunderbirds were built and it is projected that some 30% of that number survive today, whereas the survival rate for less collectible cars is usually below 10%. Today, the baby birds tend to be found in one of two states, either carefully pampered low mileage original cars and totally restored show cars, or deteriorated project cars that need big bucks spent on them to be restored. Quality cars typically sell in the thirty to seventy thousand dollar range. If you want a nice one, perhaps you have already waited too long to buy.

The 1958 Thunderbird represented a completely new approach to personal luxury. The new bird was now a unibody companion to the Lincoln and built on the Lincoln production line. The car was surprisingly not much bigger than the 1957 model, but it had ample room for four passengers to ride in style. The design and style were superb with one notable exception. The "Square Bird" (1958 through 1960) had a massive slack-jawed bumper/grille combination that looked like a huge fish mouth with two bumper guards jutting up like big fangs. The side view, the rear view and the interior were all wonderful, but the car had a face on it that only a mother could love. Collectors have snapped up these cars. If you want one you had better buy it now as they are becoming increasingly unavailable and the price is going nowhere but up.

The next generation T-Bird was what collectors call the "Bullet Bird." For 1961 through 1963 the bird shared the production line with Lincoln. Like the 1961 Lincoln, the design and styling of the 61-63 models is top-notch. From an esthetic standpoint the appearance of these models is near perfection. I particularly like the wrap-around dash that continues into the door panels. Buy a convertible and you can easily convert it into a "Roadster" clone by adding the tonneau cover for the back seat and replica Kelsey Hays wire wheels. You should be able to find a solid car needing only minor restoration money for a reasonable price. Again, buy it now because prices are going up up up.

The fourth series of Thunderbird production, 1964 through 1966 has been referred to by collectors as the "Sculpture Bird," or the "Flair Bird." Still sharing a unibody understructure with Lincoln, the car was a little more square and beefy looking than the previous series. The interior of the car was about as luxurious as you can imagine. In 1966 you could have ordered the optional 428 cubic inch engine for massive power. The 1966 is the most collectible of the three years as it has the more conventional bumper and grille on the face instead of the massive combination grille/bumper of the 64 and 65 models. If you can find a nice one, buy it. Any price under ten thousand is a good buy.

You can still find good cars out there in the six thousand or so range that can only go up in value. Keep in mind that these cars are spendy to restore. So, if you find a low mileage original car in the fifteen thousand dollar range, it is probably a better buy than a five thousand dollar car that needs a lot of work.

1967 was the first year for the "Big Birds." For the five year production run of 1967 through 1971 the Thunderbird was back to a body and frame construction shared with the Lincoln Mark III. Design and styling of the 67 through 69 years is quite good. Also, these years you could have bought a four-door thunderbird sedan with suicide doors on the rear. These are quite collectible. Not many were made or sold. If you find one, buy it.

The 1970 and 1971 Thunderbirds were restyled with a longer hood and beak-like front end that made the car look like a Pontiac. We have owned a 1970 Thunderbird and I can tell you that it is very easy to crunch the grille in a parking lot. From the driver’s seat you cannot tell how far that beak sticks out there. Still, the car has a sleek and no-nonsense look about it that says "personal luxury" ready to move out fast. The collectors are just finding these cars. If you find a "cream-puff" four-door or a 1970 with the beak uncrunched, buy it now. You won’t find one if you wait till later. Production was down to about 40,000 cars in 1970 so they are not plentiful.

Next we have the 1972 to 1976 "Luxo-Birds." From 1955 to 1971 the phrase "Unique in All the World" applied to the Thunderbird. With the 1972 to 1976 Thunderbirds the T-Bird became a blatantly rebadged Lincoln Mark IV. It had virtually all of the toys and luxury of the Mark with a price about $2,500 lower. I own a 1973 Thunderbird with a 460 cu. in. engine. I love it.

It is a super luxury cruiser but it is not distinctively different from the Mark IV. But then, I very much like the Mark IV too. If you like the big luxury personal cruiser look for a low miles original T-Bird or Mark IV from these years. They are available for not a whole lot of money. You can be sure that they will not be building more cars like this in the future. They were pricey luxury gas hogs that were very useful for impressing the neighbors. Today they are costly to restore if deteriorated. I predict that years from now these cruisers will be comparable to the big Packards and Marmons from the 1920’s today. Keep on the lookout for a clean original car and you may find a real bargain with respect to future appreciation.

1977 was a major turning point for the Thunderbird. From its birth in 1955 until 1977 the T-Bird had been growing in size, luxury and price. The 1977 to 1979 Thunderbird was a move down in size and price. Now 900 pounds lighter and smaller, the T-bird also sold for thousands less. Sales exploded from approximately 91,000 to an astounding 322,000 sales in 1977. Some collectors refer to this series as the "Torino Bird."

Others call it the "Fashion Bird." Built on the Ltd II chassis and mechanicals, the body was uniquely Thunderbird. The Town Landau model with a bright tiara crossing up and over the mid-roof was reminiscent of the flashy Ford Crown Victoria of 1955. The car had a distinctive architectural look to it. The public loved it!

By today’s fashion standards it looks out of date, but I will maintain that the style of the 77 to 79 T-Bird was true to the design and a beautiful car then and now. Oddly enough, I found a 1977 T-bird on someone’s list on the web of the "Ten Most Ugly Cars." This is absurd. This Thunderbird is just fine from a design and pure style standpoint. It is clearly not fashionable by today’s standard. But then, I think that the current fashion craze for ovoid "blob" cars with slanting eyes, the rear end hiked up into the air and a goofy wing on the trunk lid look utterly absurd. By analogy, what do you think of the high school basketball players today wearing baggy trunks that come down to their knees and are so big that they look like a skirt! It’s goofy! If you think that that looks good, then you should go out and buy a blob of a Japanese "buzz-box" car and forget about collector cars.

Collectors are just starting to think seriously about the 77 to 79 Thunderbirds. You should be able to find a very nice one for not much money. Look now. If you find a low mileage bird that has been well preserved now is the time to buy. In 1960 I passed on the opportunity to buy a nice 1955 Thunderbird for $1,500. In 1974 I passed on the opportunity to buy a nice 1957 Thunderbird for $3,000. The 1977 Thunderbird is now over 25 years old. If you pass on buying a nice one now, don’t cry about it ten years from now. If you are a car nut… your biggest expense is most likely to be DEPRECIATION. That is not the case with a pristine 77 to 79 Thunderbird.

The year 1980 brought a downsizing of the Thunderbird to the Ford Fox platform. Hundreds of pounds lighter and some ten inches shorter, the "Box Bird," or "Fairmont Bird," as many collectors call them have not yet found great favor with the car collectors. Sales fell off to a meager 49,000 units in 1982. I have heard this version of the Thunderbird referred to as "ugly," "over-decorated," and anemic in power. I disagree.

The 1980 Thunderbird looked very similar in many ways to the 1979, it was just smaller…. much smaller. Also, by 1982 Ford had taken some huge price increases. I think that the biggest problem with this version of the T-Bird was simply that it did not measure up to the luxury expectations of the typical Thunderbird buyer. They were shocked at the thought of paying almost twice as much for a luxury Fairmont as they had previously paid for a 1972 rebadged Lincoln Mark IV called a Thunderbird.

One style blunder of the 1980 T-Bird was that the 14-inch wheels and puny tires looked odd on a body with such large wheel wells. Take a look at my 1982 Thunderbird Town Landau that has been converted to 15-inch alloy wheels and bigger tires. Also, the fake wire wheel hubcaps that looked fine on a new 1955 Thunderbird looked really fake by 1982 fashion standards.

The same can be said for the padded roof, opera windows, headlight doors and other styling queues that were simply going out of date. The V-6 engine was not a powerhouse, but the whole set-up was not significantly different from the new 1983 Thunderbird.

1983 was the beginning of a new version of the Thunderbird referred to as the "Aero Bird." This version was substantially unchanged for six years. The times were changing and this new aerodynamic or "jellybean" shape brought a whole new style to the T-Bird. The first time I saw one I just did not like it. But, the style grows on you and I came to not only like it…

I bought a new 1983 Thunderbird. The price loaded was over $14,000 which seemed like an enormous amount of money when you consider that my brother had bought new a loaded 1978 Town Landau for approximately $8,000.

Sales soared up to almost 141,000 in 1986. From a style standpoint, the 1987 Thunderbird is a classic in my book. Also, the Turbo Coupe is an excellent choice if you are looking for a collectible. Go for the V-8 over the V-6. There are lots of them out there. They are not recognized as highly collectible now, but I assure you that they will be. Look for a well cared for low miles original. Seek and you will find. Buy it. Try driving a daily driver that is appreciating, instead of depreciating.

The tenth incarnation of the Ford Thunderbird (1989 - 1997) is referred to as the "Super Bird," by most collectors. With only superficial changes for a run of nine years, the last big Thunderbird was super in many respects. With a supercharged V-6 in the earlier years and a big V-8 later, the car is a good-looking version of the personal luxury sport coupe. Sales drifted down to 66,000 units for 1997. The exterior of the car has a sleek but rather bland yet appealing shape. The interior continued with the luxury that one would expect to find in a four-passenger cruiser. In 1993 Ford launched the Lincoln Mark VIII which was in many ways an upscale Thunderbird… up in the $40,000 price range.

Ford pulled the plug on the big T-Bird and the Mark VIII both in 1997. Too bad. Seems that the buyers had lost interest in big personal coupes and were buying SUVs. If you want to buy a car that is near the bottom of its depreciation curve and will go nowhere except up, look for a pristine Thunderbird Super Coupe, or V-8, or a Lincoln Mark VIII. You cannot lose with one of these cars unless you pay too much for one that is worn out. Watch for estate sales and you will find a buy that makes paying 40 to 50 thousand dollars for a new car seem foolish.

After a four-year hiatus, The Thunderbird returned to Ford Showrooms as a modern reincarnation of the "Baby Bird," which collectors refer to as the "Retro Bird,"or the "Modern Bird." As with the original bird, there is a very limited market for a sporty two-seat car. Buyers tend to be single or affluent enough to spend a considerable amount of money on an additional car that is reserved for pleasure driving.

Most buyers perceive them to be collectible and will preserve them as such. Ford has announced that the last new Thunderbird will roll off of the assembly line in July of 2005. If you have the money and interest in collectible cars, consider the merits of buying a new 50th Anniversary Thunderbird. Sure, you will take a big hit in depreciation but if you hang on to it for the next twenty years I am confident that you will not regret the purchase.

Who knows what lurks in the mind of the FoMoCo brass? I would put my money on a small four-seat thunderbird to surface in two or three years. Look at the Lincoln Mark X and you won’t need a crystal ball to see what is coming. WDM