Ford the "no" company

[Mark B. Morrow]

I am a little surprised that a guy with a 64.5 Mustang and a 66 Thunderbird is apparently fine with the current Ford line-up. I have a 66 Thunderbird and there are so many amazing details in that car. I can spend lots of time sitting in the car just admiring the controls, the cockpit styling, etc... I know that this kind of unique product won't come around again, and certainly not at the same relative price difference from the main-line models which the 66 Thunderbird enjoyed. To me, the car is still a metaphor about how Ford needs to figure out how to make money selling moderate volume, distinctive vehicles. I don't know if they made money on my particular Thunderbird. It was 20 years old when I got it. It was one of the primary reasons why I purchased four brand new Fords after that, though.

 

I'm pretty sure there was lots of profit in the '66 T-Birds for Ford. That has more to do with the costs of making different cars back then. No company could afford to do the annual model body changes or in T-bird's case 3 year model changes today. The work that went into the '66 T-Bird instrument panel alone is mind boggling. I know, having disassembled mine during the restoration.

 

The price differential between the '66 T-Bird and the average '66 Ford was nearly 50% higher. Remember that the Thunderbird in those days was built on the Lincoln line at Wixom and was priced accordingly. The sticker on my '66 convertible with the options was right around $6,000. A base Galaxie or nice Fairlane was around $3,000. A modern T-Bird based in the same differential would be Mid $50k or higher.

 

T-Bird prices were significantly lowered when the car was downsized in '77 and the car became a variation of the LTD II.

 

Now, would I like to see a modern T-Bird with a unique platform and top of the line interior and drivetrain? Sure, but I don't know if the business case can be made for the investment needed to make it happen. It simply costs far more to make a new car today than it did in '66. I hope Ford does bring the T-Bird back on a car that is deserving of the name. I believe that the resources need to go to Lincoln first.

 

I'm certainly fine with the current Mustang and look forward to the next one.