1963 Ford Thunderbird

Ford introduced the Thunderbird in 1955 and the first generation, produced until 1957 was a harmonious fusion of sport and luxury. The second generation was introduced in 1958 and its redesign saw the addition of additional seats. Ford executives, particularly Robert McNamara felt that the two-seater limits its sales potential, thus the four-seat configuration for 1958. Over the next three years, over 200,000 Thunderbirds were sold, eclipsing the first generation by a factor of four.

Having spawned the personal luxury car segment and proven adequate demand, the Thunderbird was redesigned for 1961 with styling that earned it the nickname the 'Bullet-Birds.' It had a unique bullet-like body side appearance with aerospace influences by Alex Tremulis. Under the hood was a new 390 cubic-inch FE V8 rated at 300 horsepower and backed by a three-speed automatic transmission. During its first year, 73,051 examples were sold. Promotional appearance at the 1961 Indianapolis 500 where it served pace car duties and its use by U.S President John F. Kennedy during the inaugural parade (who appointed Ford executive Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense) helped boost sales.

Sales were strong but demand still existed for a two-place Thunderbird. Division Chief Lee Iaccoca commissioned designer Bud Kaufman to develop a solution. Mr. Kaufman penned a Sports Roadster that used the Thunderbird's sweeping lines with a unique fiberglass tonneau cover extending from the trunk to behind the front seats. This design effectively transformed the four-passenger Thunderbird into a two-seater. The Sports Roadster package came with 48-spoke Kelsey Hayes wire wheels, unique side badges, and a passenger grab bar. Due to the steep price, sales were sluggish.

Another new addition for the 1962 Thunderbird was the vinyl-roofed Landau option with simulated S-bars. An upgraded version of the 390 cubic-inch V8, called the M-Code, came with three two-barrel Holley carburetors, larger cam, special heads, larger dual exhaust, and was rated at 340 horsepower. Approximately 200 examples of the M-Code engine were placed into the Thunderbird between 1962 and 1963.

The 1963 Thunderbird had a mid-body feature line that begins to dip near the back of the front door. On the side of the door, just ahead of the line dip, are three sets of five cast 'hash marks.'

Body styles on the 1963 Thunderbird including a two-door hardtop coupe with seating for four and priced at $4,450. The two-door Landau Hardtop had a base price of $4,550 and the convertible listed at $4,900. The Sports Roadster was the most expensive and exclusive, with a price of $5,560 and 455 examples sold. The hardtop coupe received the most sales at 42,806. The second most popular was the Landau Hardtop with 14,139 sales followed by the convertible with 5,913 sales.

The base engine was the 390 CID V8 rated at 300 horsepower.

A Limited Edition Landau version, commonly referred to as the Monaco Edition, was introduced in January of 1963 and had a white exterior with maroon top, white steering wheel, and white leather interior.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2020