Ford 1961 Thunderbird Convertible
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little sportscar called the Ford Thunderbird.
The first generation lasted 1955-1957 and mixed a compact V8 with a two-seat Convertible bodystyle, subtle fins, and optional continental-style spare wheel. Its natural competitor was Chevrolet's Corvette - a model which had taken a little time to get off the start line.
Come 1958, Ford decided that four seater would find more appeal, based on the new, larger Ford sedan, this model the 'square bird' also boasetd quad lamps, a bottom-feeder grille, and assorted accouterments lavished carelessly over most of the markets 1958 models.
In 1961, in what might have been considered another opportunity to eff things up, the Ford Executive committee decided that they would pair the Thunderbird with another of the Ford Corporations low-volume specialist models - the Lincoln Continental.
Though some superficial similarities also exist, it is a large portion of the front underbody systems that are shared. Both vehicles are quite striking - the Continental particularly so.
The Thunderbird looked like a bullet - long pointy nose, with afterburner tail lamps. A hardtop Coupe was also available.
AT the 1962 launch thecar was equiped with 390 CID (6.4 litre) V8, for 1962, a new 'M' code engine was also available, with three twin-carburetors and the 406 engine heads. This lifted power to 345 bhp (257 kW). This motor was dropped half way through the 1963 model year.
Stunning though it is, the Thunderbird had grown from a petite 2-seat sportscar into a 205 in (5,270 mm) cruiser and would basically stay that way until the end of production of the tenth generation in 1997.
This Lego miniland scale Ford 1961 Thunderbird Convertible has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 99th Build Challenge - "Land Yachts" - a challenge to build a vehicle meeting the typical definition of a land yacht - a very large vehicle marketed to US consumers 1950 - 1980 fuel crisis.
Ford 1961 Thunderbird Convertible
Once upon a time, there was a lovely little sportscar called the Ford Thunderbird.
The first generation lasted 1955-1957 and mixed a compact V8 with a two-seat Convertible bodystyle, subtle fins, and optional continental-style spare wheel. Its natural competitor was Chevrolet's Corvette - a model which had taken a little time to get off the start line.
Come 1958, Ford decided that four seater would find more appeal, based on the new, larger Ford sedan, this model the 'square bird' also boasetd quad lamps, a bottom-feeder grille, and assorted accouterments lavished carelessly over most of the markets 1958 models.
In 1961, in what might have been considered another opportunity to eff things up, the Ford Executive committee decided that they would pair the Thunderbird with another of the Ford Corporations low-volume specialist models - the Lincoln Continental.
Though some superficial similarities also exist, it is a large portion of the front underbody systems that are shared. Both vehicles are quite striking - the Continental particularly so.
The Thunderbird looked like a bullet - long pointy nose, with afterburner tail lamps. A hardtop Coupe was also available.
AT the 1962 launch thecar was equiped with 390 CID (6.4 litre) V8, for 1962, a new 'M' code engine was also available, with three twin-carburetors and the 406 engine heads. This lifted power to 345 bhp (257 kW). This motor was dropped half way through the 1963 model year.
Stunning though it is, the Thunderbird had grown from a petite 2-seat sportscar into a 205 in (5,270 mm) cruiser and would basically stay that way until the end of production of the tenth generation in 1997.
This Lego miniland scale Ford 1961 Thunderbird Convertible has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 99th Build Challenge - "Land Yachts" - a challenge to build a vehicle meeting the typical definition of a land yacht - a very large vehicle marketed to US consumers 1950 - 1980 fuel crisis.