Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1965 Ford Thunderbird convertible.
Ford marketed its 1960s Thunderbirds as if they were aircraft. “Flight plan cleared – proceed to Thunderbird,” an ad said. “Move the Swing-Away steering wheel over, slide into the cockpit, and you’re ready to soar.” Are you ready to take flight? Look no further than Gladstone, Oregon, where a beautiful blue ‘bird is ready to take you to new heights. The car is being offered by by a dealer, and the auction will end on Monday.
By the time the Thunderbird was 10 years old, it was already in its fourth generation. The 1964 redesign brought a more “formal” look when compared to prior versions, bringing the car more in line with its positioning as a personal luxury car. The two available body styles were convertibles and hardtop coupes (some of which came with special “Landau” padded vinyl roofs).
The following year for 1965, some engineering changes took place; among them, front disc brakes became more widely used and sequential turn signals were integrated into the rear taillights. Despite the fact that the T-bird had some compelling equipment offerings, its year-over-year sales dipped by about 18,000 units compared to 1964. Some of that decline was attributed to Ford’s own new Mustang (which came at a lower price point, therefore capturing the spotlight and drawing away buyer interest).
Today’s featured ‘65 is a striking convertible in a Medium Blue Metallic exterior finish complemented by a white power-retractable soft top. The rear wheel skirts add to the sleek side profile, and 15-inch steel wheels with whitewall tires keep things looking original.
In the interest of catering to that luxury-oriented buyer, this T-bird is all about comfort. Its signature swing-away steering wheel allows for easier entry and exit of the cockpit. Additional features include a center console, full gauges, wrap-around rear seats, power windows, power steering, a new “Silent-Flo” ventilation system, an AM radio, and power brakes.
Power under the hood comes from a 300-horsepower 390cid “FE” V8 mated to a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission. Ford said this powertrain provided the “incomparable smoothness to an in-flight ride.”
“Other cars you drive,” they said. “This one you Thunderbird.”
Time to place your bid, and then go pack your luggage for an upcoming flight!
The auction for this 1965 Ford Thunderbird ends Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. (PDT)
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery
I was 10 years old in 1965, and already on my way to becoming a life long Gearhead. In my opinion, the cars of the 60s were works of art, especially those from the Chrysler Corporation and the Ford Motor Company. I knew everything there was to know about most of the models from Ford and Chrysler. My family lived in Detroit until 1958 when they packed up their kit and moved their entire Kabul to Southern California. While in Detroit, my mom’s side of the family all worked at Chrysler’s Highland Park headquarters, and my dad’s side all worked at Ford, that’s just the way it was in Detroit at the time, if you worked in the automotive industry, you were proud and you lived large. The Ford Thunderbird was already a high profile automotive icon. They were featured in movies, the Beach Boys had a major hit song about a T-Bird, if you drove a Thunderbird, you were part of thecHigh society crowd. To show you had made it in life you drove Cadillacs, Lincolns, Imperials, and if course Thunderbirds. The 1964 Thunderbird was introduced, they built on the 61 through 63 Rocket Birds, that were already in the Personal Luxury Car category, which the Thunderbird created. The 64 styling and features were totally different from any other car offered by the Detroit Big Three, the exterior and interior continued the ultra unque styling the Thunderbird was known for. In 1965, the slide away steering column, the sequential rear turn indicators and luxurious cockpit interior design just kept building the one of a kind reputation that was expected from Thunderbird. In 1967 there were suicide 4 doors, landau top and a gorgeous redesigned dash fit in real nicely with the luxurious wrap around back seats defined Thunderbird in the Lincoln tradition, and that went on until the 1976 model year. In 1977 the Thunderbird was downsized as part of the industry wide direction that began after that damn 1973 oil crisis. In 1984, Ford gave us the beautiful, even smaller areo look Thunderbird and Lincoln Mark Vll, LSC. For me it was love at first sight, I bought a 1990 black with black leather Mark Vll LSC. What a car! Not only was it gorgeous inside and out, but the LSC had 4 point air suspension, sofistcated instrumentation, including a complete electronic computerized message center. Under hood was the high performance Mustang 5.0 Injected V8, with the best sounding factory duel exhaust system that I had ever heard. There were so many cool features on the LSC, I felt Lincoln gave us now a little older and more sofistcated Gearheads exactly what we wanted, even though we didn’t really know we wanted it. All my friends repeatedly told me the Mark Vll LSC fit me perfectly, who was I to disagree with them. That LSC was my daily driver for just over 20 years. In any event, I love every generation of the Ford Thunderbird, even though every generation is notably different, there is enough of heritage in each Thunderbird generation to keep the Thunderbird spirit alive forever. There are those that feel that over the years the Thunderbird had lost it’s way, and sure the Thunderbird was nothing like what it was in the beginning, but then neither is the Mustang, and yet some how it is, well, the Thunderbird is too. There are so many cars and trucks that make the Ford Motor Company what it is today. No other automotive manufacturer has as many must have collectable cars and trucks to us Gearheads. There are so many reasons that I think makes the Ford Motor Company the best auto manufacturer in the world, And yes, I believe Mr. Henry Ford is one of those major reasons. He didn’t just build cars, he helped build America too. America wouldn’t be the same if there wasn’t a Blue Ford Oval in all the little towns in America. I don’t think it gets much better than that!
What is the best way to find my bucket list car: 2005 T-Bird, either blue ot champagne with both tops
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