1969 Ford Thunderbird

The fifth-generation of the Thunderbird introduced the second major change in the car's design direction since its debut in 1955. The 1958 through 1966 Thunderbird had been fundamentally unchanged, built as a sporty two-door coupe and convertible with two rows of seating. The new 5th Gen, introduced in 1967, abandoned the prior unibody construction in favor of body-on-frame construction, eliminated the convertible, added a four-door body style with suicide doors for rear-seat access, and moved up-market into Lincoln territory. Among the most prominent design features of this generation Thunderbird was the fighter jet-inspired grille opening that housed hidden headlights.

The 1969 Thunderbird continued to be offered as a two-door hardtop, and a two- or four-door Landau with seating for four. The hardtop listed for $4,800, the 2-door Landau at $4,950, and the four-door Landau at $5,025. The two-door Landau was the most popular with 27,664 examples produced, followed by 15,650 of the four-door, and 5,913 of the hardtop. Landau's could be optioned with a power-operated Thunderbird Sun Roof.

Styling changes for the 1969 model year included large rectangular taillights with a single back-up light mounted in the center of the escutcheon panel. The front grille had a horizontal division bar with the Thunderbird emblem in the center. Optional equipment included an AM/FM stereo radio, air conditioning, six-way power seats, power windows, and cruise control. The 429 cubic-in Thunder-Jet V8 engine rated at 320 horsepower was a $237 option. The four-barrel version boosted power to 360 hp.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020