Lincoln to Concentrate on Cars, Crossovers

[ehaase]

http://autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...E/70102009/1024

 

Note that some who have stated here and on other boards that the MKR will definitely be produced are premature. Other than that, there is little new here, even though the article is new.

[LincolnFan]

So a RWD Lincoln isn't set in stone yet? That fucking sucks.

[Blueblood]

What? So they are doing nothing differet from the past?!? How is that concentrating on cars?

[DCK]

What is killing Ford is all the red tape to get something greenlighted and into the market place.

 

Really, if they can't make a bold descision to go for it then they mine as well save everyone the trouble and liquidate their assets now.

 

It takes forever.................I mean 18 months for the Fairline to get greenlighted????????????????? How terrible is that...............now in the end of 2008 beginning of 2009 we will finally see the production version of the vehicle that debuted in january 2005.......................How does Ford not see this serious problem?

 

The fairline looked great but that was 2 years ago...........we still have another 2 years before it hits show room and Ford is so excited that they it looks real similar to the concept? 4 years ago?

 

 

Now How can they still be on the fence about a RWD Lincoln? Do they even wish to compete? Really its like they don't understand the market place, they don't get it, and they don't care..................Mullaly you need to fix the mess Bill Ford and Nasser created ASAP or default on that loan and have the banks take away the Ford American operations.

[ZanatWork]

My money is on Lincoln getting more rwd, and I think the MKR leads the way-with a more sensible nose, I'd hope.

 

Mullaly and Fields seem to share one attribute Ford needs: impatience. Fields has only had real authority in NA for one year, and a huge amount of change at Ford happened last year. I know some will yell and complain forever, but I'd like to think people are aware that a green-light on a project may happen weeks before the information gets to the press, and then the R&D begins in earnest...suppliers are selected...and so on.

 

Does Ford need to do this whole process faster? Yep...but rushing it leads directly to recalls and stop ships (Ford GT control arms should be ringing a bell right about now) and Ford's launches MUST continue to be smooth...Ford stands to gain from gaining quality ground while Toyota is showing to be more and more fallible.

[DCK]

I know some will yell and complain forever, but I'd like to think people are aware that a green-light on a project may happen weeks before the information gets to the press, and then the R&D begins in earnest...suppliers are selected...and so on.

 

We are talking about 18 months here for Ford to simply make a descision. Even if we lived in the fantasy that it took weeks to hit the press then what 17 1/2 months? 17 months...................NO DIFFERENCE..........pathetically too long.

 

Let's be real, Ford has or hopefully we can say had absolutely balls to make any decisions at all. On the fence about everything all the time until it is too late. Under Bill Ford it seemed like they'd rather not compete than put effort into a project.

 

Does Ford need to do this whole process faster? Yep...but rushing it leads directly to recalls and stop ships (Ford GT control arms should be ringing a bell right about now) and Ford's launches MUST continue to be smooth...Ford stands to gain from gaining quality ground while Toyota is showing to be more and more fallible.

Their main problems aren't making smooth launches, they showed they can handle that, we are talking about the extreme length of time before they even greenlight a project. Also the fact that someone at Ford loved November to be their launch month instead of getting a vehicle out when it is ready.

[PolarBear]

What is killing Ford is all the red tape to get something greenlighted and into the market place.

 

Really, if they can't make a bold descision to go for it then they mine as well save everyone the trouble and liquidate their assets now.

 

It takes forever.................I mean 18 months for the Fairline to get greenlighted????????????????? How terrible is that...............now in the end of 2008 beginning of 2009 we will finally see the production version of the vehicle that debuted in january 2005.......................How does Ford not see this serious problem?

 

The fairline looked great but that was 2 years ago...........we still have another 2 years before it hits show room and Ford is so excited that they it looks real similar to the concept? 4 years ago?

 

 

Now How can they still be on the fence about a RWD Lincoln? Do they even wish to compete? Really its like they don't understand the market place, they don't get it, and they don't care..................Mullaly you need to fix the mess Bill Ford and Nasser created ASAP or default on that loan and have the banks take away the Ford American operations.

 

It took them that long to see if there was enough R&D money left in the kitty after they finished Jaguars budget. Wanna know why I hate that stoopid Brit car so much- there's your answer. Ford is going to kill off two of their brands while they spend a fortune keeping Jaguar on life support. Un-frigging believable.

Edited February 3, 2007 by PolarBear

[focus05]

As far as I've heard, the Fairlane-concept based vehicle will be out in a little over a year. Not two years from now. They've begun significant testing with mules, which means as long as there aren't any major engineering hang ups, we're 15 months away at most. It did take them too long to make that decision, but at least they made the right one, instead of spending all their time piddling on the pathetic Freestar.

 

The MKR is a no-brainer to me. I cannot believe this hasn't been green-lighted. Not only does Ford need a RWD CV replacement, but it needs a RWD Lincoln. I mean, even if they drop the GM, that's still probably 100-150k of units a year for those two. Worth the platform investment at their profit levels.

 

From my perspective, and obviously I am not a car guru and am not able to fully appreciate the intricacies of launching a vehicle, but the MKR received unbelievable response at Detroit. The styling, the TT engine, the RWD.

 

What Ford needs, as much as the solid profit-making vehicles, are the sporty, emotional and powerful flagships (an HP Fusion, an HP truck, a Lincoln that is the embodiment of passion, a Mercury that is the embodiment of chic) that draw people in. The thing that the Edge and Fusion, I think, will help with most is getting people into the dealership. And Lincoln needs a similar thing - except on a completely higher level in its market - to get that same response. The MKZ and MKX, as nice as the MKX is, are not good enough, and I'm not convinced the MKS is either.

[Watchdevil]

The thing that the Edge and Fusion, I think, will help with most is getting people into the dealership. And Lincoln needs a similar thing - except on a completely higher level in its market - to get that same response. The MKZ and MKX, as nice as the MKX is, are not good enough, and I'm not convinced the MKS is either.

 

Lets face it... People want vehicles at a reasonable price and are a lot smarter with money than they used to be. Many people financed themselves to death to get the BMW or Mercedes name (as well as some others) in their driveway. Chrysler proved that you can get a mass amount of people to purchase one of their cars who would have otherwise bought a more expensive luxury make. They delivered the illusion of a more expensive car with expressive styling in basically the same package.

 

That is nothing new. Take a look at 1977-79 with the Thunderbird. Before 1977, the Thunderbird was priced out of reach for most people. Back then that was the type luxury cars (along with Cadillac and Lincoln) people aspired to own. When it switched to the intermediate plaform, it was styled to look better than the one that preceded it yet it was a couple thousand dollars less in price. The Thunderbird had it's best years ever in sales and was one of the most popular cars at that time.

 

People may find better value in a Ford compared to a topped out look-alike over at Lincoln. That is why Lincoln needs to be different, feature what customers expect in this class and excel to command luxury car pricing.

 

I am just afraid Lincoln will say it's response to making the MKR is going to end up being a restyled MKS to look somehwhat like the MKR (probably just a nose job similar to the way the Fusion the 427 look) with RWD biased AWD.

[Ovaltine]

Take a look at 1977-79 with the Thunderbird. Before 1977, the Thunderbird was priced out of reach for most people. Back then that was the type luxury cars (along with Cadillac and Lincoln) people aspired to own. When it switched to the intermediate plaform, it was styled to look better than the one that preceded it yet it was a couple thousand dollars less in price. The Thunderbird had it's best years ever in sales and was one of the most popular cars at that time.

 

I agree with your basic premise here, AND beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

With that said though, I would take any version of the "big" Birds (with a 429 cid) over the '77-79 edition.

 

My first car was '72 'Bird (w/429), and my parents bought a silver with red trim '77 Bird when they first came out. The '77 was a "nice" car, and fairly attractive. But there was something magic about the big 'Birds. It didn't help the '77 Birds that they shared the same basic dashboard with the LTD II and preceding Torinos and Elites. The '77-78 taillights were definitely classic Thunderbird though! The grill was good too. I hated what they did though with the '79s. It was change for changes sake, and the results sucked.

 

Sales of the '77 DID skyrocket though, so it was an unqualified success to be sure! But... that smogged down 351 Windsor just didn't cut it, after hearing those secondaries on the '72s 429's four barrel open up, barking out the back of a resonator-less dual exhaust. Ahhhh..... the memories! B)

 

-Ovaltine

 

 

Edited February 5, 2007 by Ovaltine

[g48150]

What is killing Ford is all the red tape to get something greenlighted and into the market place.

 

Really, if they can't make a bold descision to go for it then they mine as well save everyone the trouble and liquidate their assets now.

 

It takes forever.................I mean 18 months for the Fairline to get greenlighted????????????????? How terrible is that...............now in the end of 2008 beginning of 2009 we will finally see the production version of the vehicle that debuted in january 2005.......................How does Ford not see this serious problem?

 

The fairline looked great but that was 2 years ago...........we still have another 2 years before it hits show room and Ford is so excited that they it looks real similar to the concept? 4 years ago?

Now How can they still be on the fence about a RWD Lincoln? Do they even wish to compete? Really its like they don't understand the market place, they don't get it, and they don't care..................Mullaly you need to fix the mess Bill Ford and Nasser created ASAP or default on that loan and have the banks take away the Ford American operations.

 

You got it nailed, and I hardly ever agree with you DCK.

 

The F-250 Super Chief, the Reflex, the Fairlane, and now the Airstream. Now all yesterday's news that countless "other" car manufacturers are free to copy the styling and the purpose of the vehicle.

 

Stupid, just stupid...

[TStag]

It took them that long to see if there was enough R&D money left in the kitty after they finished Jaguars budget. Wanna know why I hate that stoopid Brit car so much- there's your answer. Ford is going to kill off two of their brands while they spend a fortune keeping Jaguar on life support. Un-frigging believable.

 

The thing is if Ford put Jaguar up for sale there would be a queue of buyers for it but can you say the same for Lincoln? (I heard a rumour that both Hyundai and Toyota but a bid in recently, but Ford bottled it). Jaguar is an international brand with a curable problem of basically having the wrong products for a great brand. That is Fords fault for asking American consumers what they wanted from a Jaguar and then making the S Type. Ford know they got it wrong but they also know the brand is strong and critically it's got international respect. Let's be brutally honest Jag was more sucessfull before Ford took over, and that's despite all the cash poured in.

 

If Lincoln came to Europe with it's current product range then they would flop big time. Most people in Europe have never even heard of the brand. For this reason Jaguar gets cash and Lincoln struggles. Lincoln must internationalise. They could even borrow the Rover brand off Land Rover to enter Europe quickly with their products but Ford management are too slow to realise this.

 

Unless Lincoln internationalises it is doomed, because the likes of Lexus are growing at 33% a year in the USA. Hell Land Rover grew by 30% in 2005. Jag is part of Land Rover and despite it's problems it will always win a cash battle with Lincoln, because it's so hard to see what Lincoln is doing to grow sales outside the USA. Ford will never axe Jaguar whilst Land Rover continues to be the sales star that it is now.

[Watchdevil]

I agree with your basic premise here, AND beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

With that said though, I would take any version of the "big" Birds (with a 429 cid) over the '77-79 edition.

 

I'll agree with you too that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that's cool with me. Hell my idea of beauty changes every once in a while. I have grown fond of the 1972 Tbirds all of a sudden. The smaller bumpers and less ornate trim plus the simple taillamps and horizontal bar grile are nice.

 

The Thunderbird sharing the dash of the preceding intermediate Fords before 1977 never bothered me. I actually liked the interior back then. I loved the one in my 78 LTD II with the comfort weave vinyl buckets seats, console and engine tuned dash trim. The identical interior was offered in the Tbird.

 

I do remember when the 1977 Thunderbird came out and remember the impact it had on me and other people who loved it...

 

If you read a good history book of Thunderbirds, you may be surprised to know that in the early 70's Ford already toyed around with intermediate Thunderbird prototypes based on the early 70's Torinos. Ford also originally designed the 78 Fairmont Futura to actually be a Thunderbird. Thankfully though, the Thunderbird escaped Mustang II like proportions. However, many of those styling excercies ended up being virtually copied by the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, thanks to Iacocca's influence. Not only that, there were Mustang protoytypes that looked very similar to Dodge 024/Plymouth Turismo. And we all saw that Chrylser copied the roofline of the 1977-79 Thunderbrid and the 1977-79 Mark V with it's 1980 Dodge Mirada/Chrysler Cordoba. Chrysler also blantantly stole the hardtop roof off the original Tbird for the Masarati TC convertible. The 1984 LeBaron Coupe was also pretty much a scaled down rip-off of the 1983 Tbird.

 

That was not the end of Tbird styling being copied. If you look closely at the 1992 Cadillac Eldorado and Seville... There is much of the Tbird in them, just changed enough to look slightly different. The rear of the Seville especially resembled a four door Tbird from 1983-88.

[focus05]

The thing is if Ford put Jaguar up for sale there would be a queue of buyers for it but can you say the same for Lincoln? (I heard a rumour that both Hyundai and Toyota but a bid in recently, but Ford bottled it). Jaguar is an international brand with a curable problem of basically having the wrong products for a great brand. That is Fords fault for asking American consumers what they wanted from a Jaguar and then making the S Type. Ford know they got it wrong but they also know the brand is strong and critically it's got international respect. Let's be brutally honest Jag was more sucessfull before Ford took over, and that's despite all the cash poured in.

 

I have a new perspective on this that makes me think keeping Jaguar was a good idea. Ford dumps $1-2 billion into Jag from now until 2010. It sucks and Ford can't launch high volume product that quickly, but in 2010, we have the XF, XJ, XK, X- (another sports car) and possibly a CUV. Assuming that Ford executes that well, they have a brand capable, thanks to its name, of selling 75-100,000/year (worldwide, of course) with significant profit. Let's be honest, the Ford brand will barely drive profit for at least 3-5 more years seeing as people are willing to pay as much as $4-5k more for comparably equipped Camrys than Fusions. However, Jaguar has great brand equity, and people will pay for it if it's really good (XK is proof). Further, if they build their business model right, Jaguar is a cash machine that is self-sufficient. Same with Land Rover. Because the Land Rover and Jaguar brands are not damaged goods (yet), Ford is more likely to make a profit off of them in the short-term than their depressed "Ford" brand that no one will pay practically anything for.

 

In fact, I would bet that Mullaly's entire position going forward is simply to break even (and maybe lose a little, not much though) with the Ford brand, maybe even the Lincoln/Mercury brands while BRAND equity is rebuilt and let Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar drive the cash flow. That gives Ford maybe 3-4 years of extra breathing space to build real equity in the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury (if it survives) brands. Which means people don't need to associate Ford's brand with quality, efficiency, performance or top customer service or anything like that until at least 2012, and it will take them that ENTIRE time to get the brand back up there even if every product launched from now until 2012 is perfect.

Edited February 25, 2007 by focus05

[TStag]

I just hope Ford sees sense and upgrades and Internationalises Lincoln's products and then sells them in Europe as Rover's. There is massive potential to sell more Lincolns if they do this. Land Rover's deler network in Europe is an unter utilised tool.

[syrtran]

If you read a good history book of Thunderbirds, you may be surprised to know that in the early 70's Ford already toyed around with intermediate Thunderbird prototypes based on the early 70's Torinos. Ford also originally designed the 78 Fairmont Futura to actually be a Thunderbird. Thankfully though, the Thunderbird escaped Mustang II like proportions.

Until two years later. I assume you are aware that the 80-82 cars are just restyled Futuras, and the 83-88 cars added nothing significant size-wise.

[EMDEE]

I don't quite get what people are smoking in this forum. Jaguar is a profitable brand? Jaguar has great worldwide respect? Jaguar was doing better before Ford bought it? I'd sure like to see the facts that back any of those claims up. Jaguar was a quivering wreck on the verge of total collapse when Ford bought it. It's quality control and reliability were the laughing stock of the industry. They could hardly get a headlight to work, let alone modern engines and electronics. Sales were in a nose dive and buying public simply didn't trust the marque any more. The first thing Ford did, and did successfully, was rebuild product quality from the ground up. It took billions of dollars just to reach average levels of durability. Then came the S type. Not sure how people can say it was the wrong type of car, since it was a virtual knock-off of the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E Class. It's biggest problem was its excessively retro styling, which also dictated poor use of interior space. Despite the point for point common exterior and platform measurements with the Lincoln LS, the Jag felt small and cramped in comparison to the Lincoln. The X-type was even worse in this regard.

 

Even the big Jag sedan has been a market failure, despite its having the most advanced use of aluminum and lightweight materials of any luxury car. Audi may have pioneered this technology, but their cars are still overweight. Only the Jag has succeeded in making a major reduction in the weight of their large sedan. So why doesn't it sell? Stooopid styling decisions again. Some clowns in UK just couldn't let go of the big sedans ancestors, so customers got a highly advanced car that look all but exactly like the quivering wreck models it was replacing.

 

No, Jaguar's problem isn't Ford. It's Jaguar. Still, if the next generation cars are as good as Ford can make them, and as beautiful as Jaguar's concept cars, Jag may still be a success for Ford. But it's about time that Ford stopped spending money on the brand, money that would be better spent breathing life back into Ford, Mercury and especially Lincoln.

Edited March 2, 2007 by EMDEE

[Len_A]

I don't quite get what people are smoking in this forum. Jaguar is a profitable brand? Jaguar has great worldwide respect? Jaguar was doing better before Ford bought it? I'd sure like to see the facts that back any of those claims up. Jaguar was a quivering wreck on the verge of total collapse when Ford bought it. It's quality control and reliability were the laughing stock of the industry. They could hardly get a headlight to work, let alone modern engines and electronics. Sales were in a nose dive and buying public simply didn't trust the marque any more. The first thing Ford did, and did successfully, was rebuild product quality from the ground up. It took billions of dollars just to reach average levels of durability. Then came the S type. Not sure how people can say it was the wrong type of car, since it was a virtual knock-off of the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E Class. It's biggest problem was its excessively retro styling, which also dictated poor use of interior space. Despite the point for point common exterior and platform measurements with the Lincoln LS, the Jag felt small and cramped in comparison to the Lincoln. The X-type was even worse in this regard.

 

Even the big Jag sedan has been a market failure, despite its having the most advanced use of aluminum and lightweight materials of any luxury car. Audi may have pioneered this technology, but their cars are still overweight. Only the Jag has succeeded in making a major reduction in the weight of their large sedan. So why doesn't it sell? Stooopid styling decisions again. Some clowns in UK just couldn't let go of the big sedans ancestors, so customers got a highly advanced car that look all but exactly like the quivering wreck models it was replacing.

 

No, Jaguar's problem isn't Ford. It's Jaguar. Still, if the next generation cars are as good as Ford can make them, and as beautiful as Jaguar's concept cars, Jag may still be a success for Ford. But it's about time that Ford stopped spending money on the brand, money that would be better spent breathing life back into Ford, Mercury and especially Lincoln.

Absolutely 100% true and on point. It was said back when Jag was an independent company, that if you wanted to buy a Jag, you'd better get to know your dealer mechanic real well.

 

I also agree with you - Ford needs to put money back in to it's core Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands. Those that said Lincoln needs to be internationalized, well, isn't that what Wolfgang Reitzel proposed, when Nasser was still in charge?

[old_fairmont_wagon]

The biggest blunder that Ford made with Jag was the X-type. End of story. The money that was spent on the X-type should have been used, instead, to make a significant restyling and updating of the S-type. Instead, they piddled away brand equity on a entry level supposedly high volume product that was nowhere near what a Jag should be. I sat in an X-type, and, if that was my only experience with Jag, I wouldn't have desired to move up into any of their other vehicles as there just wasn't much luxury there. They lost a bunch of money on the X-type, and lost a bunch of money on the S-type as its sales were undercut by the X, and it didn't receive any updates to make it more cross competitive with its class rivals. Without producing a solid S-type, there was no reason that buyers would think to upgrade at the end of their lease as well.

 

Jag's heritage is interiors up to the standards of Audi with on road performance nearing that of BMW. The styling was always tasteful but distinctive Jaguar. In the modern era, tasteful doesn't cut it in the styling department. It needs to be bold and different without being overtly ofensive.

 

As for Lincolns going as Rovers, I just don't know about that. Most of what Lincoln has in the stable is just too big for most of europe. Rover's brand equity won't move large vehicles in europe. Ford would do better to use Mercury vehicles in Rover dealerships and nameplates. MErcury's styling is more euro than any of the other domestic brands (save for Saturn/Opel/Vauxhaul) and would fit in best over there. The Mariner and Milan would be good starting products over there. If Ford decides to make a Mercury version of the C2 platform (please, please please!) car, that would be the volume product for Rover in europe. Many might worry about the Mariner being cross shopped against the LR2, but, they are really different vehicles in many ways. For one, the LR2 will have the Off road bones where as the MAriner would be the urban crossover. For the Milan, perhaps in rover form, it could offer the MkZ powertrain as an option, as well as some MkZ exclusive options.

[KinneticBrian]

I just hope Ford sees sense and upgrades and Internationalises Lincoln's products and then sells them in Europe as Rover's. There is massive potential to sell more Lincolns if they do this. Land Rover's deler network in Europe is an unter utilised tool.

 

Lincolns being marketed as Rovers is a joke. In fact, Ford developing Lincoln as a brand to appease the European market is absolutely certain to destroy the brand outright. Lincoln needs to come back as an American brand. Distinct in style and character. Cadillac has not found much success at all in European Marketing despite millions of dollars developing the "International" Seville or STS.

 

Upgrading Lincolns products is where I definitely agree. I like the MKZ as an entry level car, but is it something special? Hardly. Yes it is a nice car, and I am probably going to be leasing one soon, but there's nothing special about it. My disdain for the current Town Car is well documented on this board, as is my disgust toward the Navigator and Mark LT. The Town Car has a great brand identity in spite of the stale at best current model. A restyle of this car that picks up cues of the '90 to '97 Town Car with the knife edges of the Mark V, suicide doors and a big shot of power under the hood would help. Where the European flavor could come in is with an all-new Continental that takes styling benchmarks and aim at the Mercedes CLS and then a Mark IX that uses the size and profile of the Bentley Coupe as it's benchmark. Keep the MKZ where it is and update it as soon as possible.

 

As to Thunderbirds, I have had a lot of exposure to the early '70's Birds through an engineer friend of my family who had a '72 and a '78 until he died a few years ago. Both in mint condition as he kept everything. The '72 was a car I always loved with it's clean lines and power to burn. I also owned a '78 with the 351M which off the line wouldn't get out of it's own way, but once rolling did just fine. I miss my '78 for some strange reason, perhaps that it was my first car.

 

One thing for sure I can say... Lexus and BMW may be the latest thing going, but those brands will never reach the legendary status in the U.S. that Lincoln and Cadillac or even Thunderbird enjoy.

[TStag]

Maybe your right. Mercury's do look more European and would go well in Europe. Shipping them in under the cover of darkness as Rover's makes a lot of sense. I think Land Rover dealer could really give Mercury products a big boost on the International stage. In actual fact Land Rover and Jaguar would then be a very good fit with Ford. They are still too much of an add on at the moment.

 

Maybe it would then be time to fully integrate Land Rover, Mercury and Jaguar in the USA so that they sold in the same dealers. This would help Land Rover and Jag by giving them more dealers and Mercury by making them more distinct from the rest of Ford.

 

Not sure what you do with Lincoln though. Ford has a tough choice there. Either find more sales in the USA by producing a US only product that will sell in much higher numbers. Or make a more internationalised car and sell it elsewhere. Or maybe it's time to kill them off.....

[NickF1011]

Maybe your right. Mercury's do look more European and would go well in Europe. Shipping them in under the cover of darkness as Rover's makes a lot of sense.

 

NO!!! It makes ZERO sense. Stop already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Watchdevil]

Until two years later. I assume you are aware that the 80-82 cars are just restyled Futuras, and the 83-88 cars added nothing significant size-wise.

 

QUOTE(Watchdevil @ Feb 24 2007, 05:59 PM) *

If you read a good history book of Thunderbirds, you may be surprised to know that in the early 70's Ford already toyed around with intermediate Thunderbird prototypes based on the early 70's Torinos. Ford also originally designed the 78 Fairmont Futura to actually be a Thunderbird. Thankfully though, the Thunderbird escaped Mustang II like proportions.

 

 

I think you missed the context of what I stated. In the early 1970's, Ford experimented with Torino-based Thunderbird prototypes. One result of that ended up being the Ford Elite complete with some of the big Thunderbird styling to compete with the intermediate GM personal luxury cars that were becoming so popular. The next step took redesigning that Torino/Elite into a Thunderbird with a smaller size and price tag.

 

Meanwhile, Ford created prototype Thunderbirds based on the upcoming Fairmont "Fox" platform. The end result was the 78 Fairmont Futura while the wildly popular Thunderbird continued on the intermediate platform. When 1980 rolled around, the Thunderbird (and Cougar XR-7) was not simply a restyled Futura. It added all new body panels (non-interchangable) and a significantly longer wheelbase which was not shared with the Futura. It made more efficient space inside than the car it replaced. Unfortunately it also had a misproportioned boxy upright look that also made the wheel track look too narrow in width. The original styling proposals where more angular and much sleeker like a wedge. The end result was a sales disaster while GM mid-sized cars defethered it in sales...

 

1983 brought forth the controversial and sensational "Aerobird" which was of course still based on the "Fox" platform but the wheelbase was reduced a few inches, however it still had a much larger body, more rear seat and trunk room than the then current Mustang that shared the same platform.

 

When I said the Thunderbird escaped Mustang II (I did say Mustang TWO) proportions I meant exactly that. Many of the late 70's Thunderbird proposals had the Thunderbird shrunk down to the size of a Mustang II. Matter of fact the styling prototypes looked very much like the body's of a Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant 2-door sedan.... It's no coincidence that Iacocca took with him some rejected Ford design proposals to Chrysler...

 

As far as the styling of the 1972-76 Tbirds vs. the 1977-79 goes, that is subjective. I do love the 1972-76 'Birds, but mostly the early ones without the big bumpers and with a painted steel roof... What I like about the 1977-79 'Birds is the smaller size and some of the new styling features like the hidden headlamps and the unique basket handle roof design. I remember experiencing the style for the first time when they were new and it struck me as sensational and different compared to the preceding models...

 

Scaled down, the 1972 Tbirds would still be a beautiful car. The Grand Torino Elite debuted in 1974 1/4 and it pretty much took care of the idea of a smaller Thunderbird on intermediate proportions, but also adapted the 1973-76 Thunderbird grille flanked by single round headlamps instead of dual ones, the large color keyed bodyside moldings, trapazoidal opera windows and sectioned vinyl roof designs and virtually the same basic front end, beltline and side window styling as the larger Tbird. Sure it was in fact a Cougar XR7 clone as well but everyone has to remember everything came out of the same styling studios and most of the large Fords had key styling language which cause the 1974 Cougar to look similar to the same year Thunderbrid. The Cougar started out as a smaller Thunderbird alternative. Adapting the Cougar into a Thunderbird look-a-like Elite was the first step. 1977 was the next step with the Thunderbird name attached to it. It's just that the market for intermediate personal luxury cars bursted wide open in the mid-70's and by 1977, Ford offering an affordable Thunderbird proved to be a big hit... Had Ford named the Elite a Thunderbird to begin with it may have been more sucessful than the Elite named model because of the rich heritage and mystique associated with the Thunderbird name.

Edited June 4, 2007 by Watchdevil

[MKX1960]

I agree with your basic premise here, AND beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

With that said though, I would take any version of the "big" Birds (with a 429 cid) over the '77-79 edition.

 

My first car was '72 'Bird (w/429), and my parents bought a silver with red trim '77 Bird when they first came out. The '77 was a "nice" car, and fairly attractive. But there was something magic about the big 'Birds. It didn't help the '77 Birds that they shared the same basic dashboard with the LTD II and preceding Torinos and Elites. The '77-78 taillights were definitely classic Thunderbird though! The grill was good too. I hated what they did though with the '79s. It was change for changes sake, and the results sucked.

 

Sales of the '77 DID skyrocket though, so it was an unqualified success to be sure! But... that smogged down 351 Windsor just didn't cut it, after hearing those secondaries on the '72s 429's four barrel open up, barking out the back of a resonator-less dual exhaust. Ahhhh..... the memories! B)

 

-Ovaltine

 

 

 

My Neighbor has one of these. I'm pretty sure its a 77.