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The fifth generation of the Thunderbird was produced from 1967 through 1971, commonly referred to as 'Glamor Birds'. The design changed considerable, now available in four doors. Part of the reasoning was to distinguish it further from the Mustang, which had been intruding on the sales of the Thunderbird. So the Thunderbird was moved upward, further into the luxury car segment.

The unibody construction was abandoned for a body-on-frame construction. The design was changed, complete with a new grille and headlight layout. The headlights were hidden until needed. The rear doors were 'suicide' with the handle positioned on the opposite side of traditional doors. The door opened backwards. A convertible option was no longer offered.

In 1968 the grille was new but the rest of the vehicle remained mostly unchanged. Ford now offered a powerful 429 cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine capable of producing 360 horsepower. 1968 also marked the first year that the Lincoln Continental and the Ford Thunderbird would be closely related, built in similar fashion. This would continue until the close of the 1990s.

The grille and taillights changed in 1969. Two taillights replaced the single units. A sunroof was offered as optional equipment.

In 1970 the Thunderbird was available as a two-door or four-door. Minor changes were made in 1971, with most of the changes occurring to the bumper and grill.

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The fascinating forgotten civil defense history of Mister Softee trucks

Mon, 26 Aug 2013

Hemmings came across an interesting article from the Throwin' Wrenches blog about the intersection of ice cream, cars and civic duty in America's late 1950s. In particular, it focuses on the Mister Softee trucks, which criss-crossed neighborhoods of the eastern US serving ice cream. Looking past the ultra-durable vehicles used - heavy-duty Ford-based chassis, for what it's worth - the article delves into some deeper national-security territory.
See, Mister Softee truck owners were voluntary members of the Civil Defense, thanks to all the useful stuff (potable water, generators, freezers and fridges) that the machines carried with them for serving ice cream. Click over to Throwin' Wrenches for the full run down of how Mister Softee would have stepped in to help fight if the Cold War ever turned a little hotter.

Ford shares falling on news of lower-than-expected profits next year

Wed, 18 Dec 2013

Ford has released projections for its 2013 profits, along with predictions of its 2014 earnings, and the news has forced the company's stock to stumble, falling over seven percent as of this writing. The Blue Oval is expecting earnings of $8.34 billion for 2013, although the bulk of that is coming largely from its North American operations, as troubles abroad continue to take a toll.
Calling 2013 an "outstanding" year, Ford expects its revenue to be up about 10 percent, thanks to gains in market share everywhere but Europe. But it's 2014 predictions that are causing stock prices to fall, as the Dearborn-based manufacturer expects pre-tax profits to fall to $7 to $8 billion, because of troubles in both Europe and South America, according to a report from Reuters. This is despite an expansion plan that will see it open an additional factory in the southern hemisphere, as well as two plants in China, all in a bid to launch 23 new or refreshed products next year.
The issues in South America aren't so much related to a fall in sales - Ford expects improved profits in Brazil and Argentina - but because of currency devaluations in Venezuela that are projected to cost it around $350 million. While that would still allow it to break even with 2013, Ford cites continued economic risks that could push losses even higher.

Amazon looking to bring Kindle to your next car?

Mon, 25 Feb 2013

Maybe so. The online retailer and digital media monolith recently announced the Amazon Cloud Player, an application for Ford Sync that allows users to stream media from their Amazon Cloud account directly to a Ford vehicle. This foray into automotive technology got the minds at Gigaom.com thinking about what could be next for Amazon. As Kevin Fitchard writes, the logical step is to make audio versions of your Kindle library selections available in your car. As he points out, Amazon has already laid the groundwork for such a move.
Amazon pulled the sheets back on Whispersync for Voice last year. The tech pairs ebooks with an Audible book for a small extra fee, allowing users to either read along with a narrator or switch between audio and text versions on command. Fitchard says it wouldn't be some great leap to apply the same principles to a car, where voice recognition software would allow users to pause or select chapters without ever taking their eyes off of the road.
It all sounds just fine to us, but Amazon hasn't said a thing about such a move. Still, we wouldn't be surprised to see the company come down this road in the near future just the same.

1970 Two Door Thunderbird (glamour Bird) on 2040-cars

Ford Thunderbird for Sale