Under The Hood- Ford Thunderbird (1969)

Most of the time when people think about Ford Thunderbirds they think of the cutesy 1957 model, or the iconic 1962 model. However, the fifth generation (1967-1971), despite the fact that it began the model’s transition to the awful K-car of the 1980s, deserves to be remembered int his pantheon not just as a good car but as one of the best used bargains of the current era- they can be found on AutoTrader for around $2000 AUD.

The grille looks fairly unorthodox, sort of like a whale shark. What throws the eye is that the headlights are hidden behind the grille. This design was inspired by the F-100 Super Sabre jet. Overall, the car is much larger than what went before but there is a good reason for this- the Thunderbird name was being moved from sports cars to large luxury cars. This was due to the Mustang cannibalising sales.

The car features the 429 V8 engine. This makes 360 brake horsepower at 4600 rpm. Maximum torque is an impressive 651Nm. It also features a three speed gearbox. Overall, the Thunderbird is an underrated but important part of the second golden generation of American muscle cars.