For 1967, the Ford Motor Company gave the Thunderbird yet another image makeover, introducing the sport-luxury brand’s first four-door model.
Each generation of Ford Thunderbirds from 1955 through 2005 must have a nickname, it seems. For the fifth production cycle offered between 1967 and 1971, T-Bird enthusiasts have assigned the name Glamor Bird. The label is certainly appropriate, as this was the largest and most luxurious Thunderbird offered to date. In a further departure from the traditional Thunderbird image as a personal sport-luxury vehicle, the convertible body style was discontinued. Meanwhile, a four-door model was added to the lineup, officially known as the Landau Sedan.
Like the rest of the Glamor Birds, the Landau Sedan abandoned the previous unitized construction and adopted a hybrid body-on-frame platform. To make room for two extra doors and a more accommodating rear seat, the sedan rode on a three-inch longer chassis with a wheelbase of 117.2 inches. (This longer T-Bird sedan chassis was shared with the Lincoln Continental Mark III. See our Mark III feature here.)
To add some distinction, the rear doors were hinged at the rear and opened from the front, the arrangement famously known in years past as “suicide doors.” In most other aspects the quattroporte T-Bird was virtually identical to its coupe sibling, with a luxury cabin and every available convenience gadget of the era. Priced in the $4800 to $5500 range, the Glamor Birds were far and away the most expensive cars in the Ford lineup, priced at a few thousand more than a comparable Galaxie or LTD.
For 1970, all the Glamor Birds including the Landau Sedan received new front-end styling with a prominent Bunkie Beak (below). The protruding nose was a favorite of Ford president Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen, whose term at the company lasted only 19 months. While the more-doors T-Bird sold in decent numbers at first, far outselling the previous convertibles and accounting for around a third of Thunderbird sales in ’67-’68, the volume soon tapered off. When the next generation of Thunderbird appeared in 1972, there was but one body style offered: a two-door coupe.
We could say Ford jumped the shark here, but actually they repeatedly jumped the shark and they kept selling T-Birds.
Sure, there was no business case for there to be a four-door in the ’72 T-bird generation but being plug-and-play there was no reason not to revive it for ’77 and carry it through ’82.
By the time the ’83 Aerobirds were in development the budget given to the Cougar’s distinctive roofline should’ve been scotched in favor of a four-door, since the sport sedan writing was on the wall by the early ’80s.
Given that the 1977-79 T-Bird is a modified LTD II, it wouldn’t be hard to make a what-if four-door using an LTD II sedan, swapping out the front and rear clips, and some interior bits and badging. More ambitious, but also doable, would be making the rear doors open suicide style. I’ve seen a ’77 Town Car with suicide doors; the workmanship is amazing and the car looks like it rolled off the line that way.
The Bullet Birds have long been my favorite (I own a ’63), but I’ve long thought that the ’66 was the last truly special T-Bird. On the other hand, the ’67-’69 four-door model has been growing on me lately, and I much prefer it to the same era’s two door. They look pretty good in dark colors.
The 66 was the last good looking bird until the aero birds came out. The glamor birds were just too big and ugly, and the next gen wasn’t much better, and the shrunken fox chassis birds were the worst of all. At least when the aero birds came out, they revived the T Bird sportiness.
I had a fox chassis bird, with a miserable 255 V8 it was pathetic. I still miss my 92 T Bird Sport, 5.0 FI, if my kids hadn’t of outgrown the rear seats I’d have kept it.