The Ford Thunderbird: A National Treasure

This car was meant to be the Corvette's answer, and today we're going to talk about all of them – Square-Birds, Bullet-Birds, Aero-Birds, Larry Birds, angry birds, the whole dang flock of birds is here. We're going to meet the people who made it happen and follow along as it grew into a national treasure. Except this one, we don't have to steal from the Declaration of Independence.

The Ford Thunderbird: An Overview

As you all may have heard, we've extended our partnership with Valvoline. And while Valvoline has faith in my abilities, it's coming to my attention that some people on the internet have been questioning just how well I can pour. So today I'm going to climb up this custom ladder designed by NASA to deliver the tallest, most perfect pour you've ever seen in your life.

The Power of NASA-Designed Ladders

NASA is known for its really smart scientists. You know who else says a bunch of really smart scientists? Valvoline. They've been making oil since like 1866, which is over a hundred years before we even went to the moon. Crazy! Valvoline is the original motor oil. They literally introduced motor oil to America.

A History of Innovation

Think about that. And they didn't sit around and be happy with that. They kept climbing. They invented racing oil. Then they invented high mileage oil. Next, they invented the synthetic blend. And next, they invented the phrase "high-performance motor oil."

The Thunderbird's Place in History

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- This car was meant to beFord's answered the Corvetteand today we're gonnatalk about all of them.We're gonna talk aboutSquare-Birds, Bullet-Birds,Aero-Birds, Larry Birds, angry birds,the whole dang flock of birds is here.We're gonna meet thepeople that made it happenand follow along as it grewinto a national treasure.Except this one,we don't have to stealfrom the Declaration of Iner-pendence.- Wow.- This is everything you need to know toget up to speed on the Ford Thunderbird.(mimics bird cawing)(thunder)(8-bit music)As you all may have heard,we've extended ourpartnership with Valvoline.And while Valvoline hasfaith in my abilities,it's coming to my attentionthat some people on the internethave been questioningjust how well I can pour.So today I'm gonna climbup this custom ladderdesigned by NASAto deliver the tallest,most perfect pour you'veever seen in your life.(suspenseful music)So NASA's got a bunch ofreally smart scientists, right.You know, who else says a bunchof really smart scientists?Valvoline.They've been making oil since like 1866,which is over a hundred yearsbefore we even went to the moon.Crazy.Valvoline is the original motor oil.They literally introducedmotor oil to America.Think about that.And they didn't sit aroundand be happy with that.They kept climbing.They invented racing oil.Then they invented high mileage oil.Next they invented thesynthetic blend next.Next they invented thephrase "Mo power, baby".JK, I invented that.(crows cawing)An original doesn't sit around.An original does somethingthat no one else has ever done.That's why Valvoline isthe ultimate protectionfor every engine.(mimics bird cawing)That's why Mario Andretti uses it.That's why my practically best friendChris Forsberg uses it.But personally my favoritereason to use Valvolineis 'cause their headquartersare in Kentucky,my home state.So take it from theKentucky Cobra. (hisses)- I love you!- I love you too!Donut is proud to partner with a motor oilwith such a rich historyand an innovative future.This one's for you, Dad.(suspenseful music)- It's beautiful.- Too-da-loo.(suspenseful music)Thanks Valvoline.Now back to the show ."Up To Speed".Chapter one, lightning etc.Like so many Oscar winning movies,this story starts in WW2.I'm talking World War 2, baby.American GIs in the European theaterwere busy fighting forjustice and whatnot,and while they were therethey were surrounded bysome pretty dope carslike the MG T-type and the Alfa Romeo 8C.Then they came home to factoriesthat were ready to produceon account of the war effortand with a little money to spend.But they found their optionsfor cool roadsters sorely lacking.You know, Sal, it's the darnedest thing.I stopped by the old auto lot todayand there was nothing for me.I've got all this cashola from the GI billburning a hole in my britches,but all they had were old people cars.Anyway what can I do about it?Let's go have three steaksand a bottle of whiskey for lunch.It's the 50s.At Ford a guy who sawthis problem developingwas Frank Hershey.Now Frank was an automobile designerwho got his start working on a V16 enginefor the Peerless Motor Company.The car of his dreamswas the Jaguar XK120,so he set about making somethingwith that kind of style andthat kind of performancebut with the creature comfortsAmerican consumers had come to expect.If there's one thing I can tell youabout American consumers, boy,is that we love our creature comforts.Regular hamburger bun?No thanks.Throw two greasy donuts on there.(groans) Comfortable.But when his boss George Walkerfound out about his project,he ordered that it be shelvedas Walker believedthere simply wouldn't beenough of a market.Hershey saw potential though.He believed in his ideaand he kept working onhis dirty little secret,the dream of an American roadster.Now at the same time, HenryFord II, AKA Hank the Deuce,was in France at the Paris Auto Show.While he was there he met up witha little guy named Enzo Ferrari.Ford and Ferrari would go onto have a longstanding rivalry,which someone really should makean internet history show about.And also they should also do a four-part,yeah, I'd say four-part podcast about it.Oh wait, we did!You can check them out,I'll put the link inthe description below.These guys would grow to hate each other.But at the time they really got along.They got along so well in fact,that Enzo gave The Deuce a 212 Barchettawhich Henry frickin' loved.He loved it so muchthat he turned to none otherthan George Walker and said,"Why don't we have something like this?""We do, sir."We've been working on it for a while."Frank Hershey has somethingyou're really gonna love!""Hershey, huh?"That sounds good."I'm gonna get myself a chocolate bar"after eating my fours steaks"and bottle of bourbon for lunch."So Frank got his teamtogether and went to work.Now it wasn't hard to get started againbecause he'd been workingon models at home.So they hit the ground running, boy.But one question was the name.Ford had a company-wide namingcontest for the new modeland offered the most 50sbusinessy prize ever,a $250 suit.Cool.If you do this I'll give youan outfit to wear to work.A designer at Ford, aguy named Alden Giberson,was having coffee at a diner one morningand on his coffee cup was a drawingof a magnificent bird of thunder.A thunder bird if you will.(mimics bird cawing)He submitted that name and he won.With the name set and withthe designs ready to gothe car was ready for the world,and on February 20th atthe Detroit Auto Showthe first Thunderbird took flight.(engine revving)Chapter two, thunder.Just 20 months after Hankthe Deuce said, "Do this,"Ford did it.It came out from the 1955 model yearand because of the rush job,some of the design elementswere borrowed from other Fords.The round headlamps and stubby tail finscould be found on somemainline and Crestline models.But the vibe, man, the vibe,that was the first for Ford.It was a two-seater witha detachable hard topor a folding soft topand a wedge shape that said,"Hey, I'm going places."The speedometer went all theway up to 150 miles per hourand had a 4.8 literY-block V8 from Mercurymaking 193 hrsprs.(engine idling)All of this was new for Fordbecause for years the big threehad an aversion to makingAmerican sports cars.It was marketed as a personal car,had power seats,the ride quality was top notch,the windows rolled down.They called it seventh heaven on wheels.Now remember that the Corvettehad just been launchedand it was sold as a sports car,but it couldn't find buyers.The first gen Corvettewas a relative flop.It wasn't until 1955 when theystarted becoming all right.And even then it took a fewyears for the word to get out.But for this video,what you need to knowis Ford's personal caroutsold Chevy's sports car 23 to one.Fort the next few yearsthe T-Bird would see significant updateslike an optional Paxton superchargerbringing horsepower up to 300.It also got its famous porthole windowto accommodate a pretty gnarly blind spot.One of the people responsiblefor updating the T-Birdwas McKinley Thompson.Now McKinley was the firstmajor African-American designerat one of the large firmsand blazed a trail for black designersin what was then and is now too oftena predominantly white industry.In his words, he fell inlove with cars one daywhen he spotted a 1934Chrysler DeSoto Airflowin a beam of sun justas the clouds parted,all lit up like a searchlight.He entered a contestin MotorTrend magazineto imagine the car of the future.His winning drawings were roomy,made of lightweight plastic andpowered by a turbine engine.From that he received a scholarshipgo to the Art Center College,and soon after that he was hired at Ford.While he was there he hadhis hands on everything,including the T-Bird, the Mustang,but most significantly hewas involved with the Bronco.He was also responsiblefor some sweet conceptslike this two wheeltwo-seater called the Gyro.Is it gyro? Euro.Is Euro, right?He died in 2006 but his legacy lives onboth in some incredible designsand in the doors that he helped openfor a more diverse industry.Chapter three, Square-birdsand Bullet-birds.As the demands of the public changedthe Thunderbird designchanged to accommodate them.A lot of that push came from Bob McNamara.Now he's famous for a lot of things,but at the time he was one ofthe whiz kid executives at Ford.You know, Sal, it's the darnedest thing.I stopped by the Ford lot todayand they didn't have anything for me.I'm young and funbut I also have these twokids I need to cart around.Anyway, it's 4:30.Let's go have eight martinis.I love the sixties.I hope everyone always drinks this much.So with an eye on sales in 1958,Bob turned the two-seaterinto a four-seater.As you might guess that made it longer,two feet longer,and a full thousandextra pounds of weight.It lost its wedged shape,getting a more squared offprofile that would earn itthe very creative nickname of Square-Bird.To deal with all that extra weight,Ford put a 5.1 liter V8and had the option of a sevenliter V8 making 350 hrsprs.I mean that's a lot today butthis was in the late fifties.They didn't even haveair bags or seat belts.Ford also placated whiny carnerds in the next generationby offering a sports roadster package.Now it had 48-spoke wheelsand most importantly a tonneaucover for the back seats.You don't like back seats?We got you, we hear you, buddy.Just cover them up.This generation had a moreaerodynamic bullet-like silhouette,earning the, again, verycreative nickname, Bullet-Bird.(engine revving)The Flare-Bird of 1964is the epitome of midcentury space ageyness.But it specs didn't really keep upwith the increased weight.By 1966 you had to havethat seven liter V8if you wanted to get to60 in under 11 seconds.Now as the years went on theT-Bird would start to sufferfrom a lack of attentioninside the company.Lee Iacocca, Lee Iacoccabecame the general manager,and that meant the debutof his pet project--- Family car,sports car, luxury car,total performance car.The new Ford Mustang.- Now the Stang wasn't gonna hearany of this personal car nonsense.It was about speed and muscleand being way, way cool.But that meantthat the Thunderbird segmentof the market got smaller.So to distinguish itIacocca leaned into theThunderbird's overall bodiness.The size increase came at a bad timeas new emissions regulationsand eventually the gas crisis meantits engine displacementdidn't grow along with it.I know you guys love when Italk about the gas crisis.If you want me to make gas crisis shirtshit the Like button.New safety regulations endedthe T-Bird convertible tooas Ford didn't see muchpoint in figuring outhow to make the aging Thunderbirdnot kill you if it rolled over.And because of all this stuffit spent most of the 70sreally not having an identity.It was just kind of a mess.Chapter four, Turbo Coupes.(mimics turbo noises)The Fox-body was one ofLee Iacocca's last pushesbefore he moved to Chrysler.It was rear wheel drivewith a unibody constructionand MacPherson struts upfront,meaning it left room fora lot of engine options.So it was incredibly versatile.It became the base for theMustang, the Mercury Cougar,the Mercury Marquis, the Lincoln Mark VII.If you want to knowmore about that platformcheck out this episodeof "Bumper 2 Bumper".But basically if your dadhad great taste in the 80she got himself a Fox-body.Now Ford knew that there wasan opening in their lineupfor an upscale car that alsoput up some awesome numbers.In 1983 Ford debuted the overhauled lookwith three new trims:the base, the Heritage with a Windsor V8,and the performance trim, the Turbo Coupe.This bird had a 2.3liter turbo four cylinderwith ported fuel injection,traction lock diff,performance suspension, alloy wheels.The only transmission that was availablewas a five speed manual.It was an enthusiast caraimed at import competitionlike the BMW 320i and the Saab 900 Turbo.Ford had finally figured outthat there was room for something speedynext to the Mustang.Now these Aero-Birds,nicknamed for their more aerodynamic look,again, so creative.These Aero-Birds were a hit.Sales increased for the next few yearsand in 1987 Ford doubleddown on the Turbo Coupegiving it a tasty little redesign.They went for a grill-less look up front,added hood scoops for the new intercooler.They also upped the boost by 50%and put in a doubleexhaust for higher output,getting 190 hrsprs and240 pound feet of torques.(engine revving)It was so well receivedthat MotorTrend named itthe car of the year in 1987,a full 32 years afterthe first one debuted.And it was car the year again in 1989,when it again got a full refresh.This time they swapped outthe turbo for a blower.A 3.8 liter V6 with an EatonM90 supercharger to be exact.The Thunderbird Super Coupe had 210 hrsprsand 350 pound feet of torque.(engine revving)(tires screeching)Throughout its historythe Thunderbird had beenmotor sports adjacent.You saw it here and there at the trackbut it wasn't doing anything bananas.In 1977 though it replaced the Torinoas Ford's primary NASCARmodel and it did all right.But in the eightiesthings really took off.Bill Elliott in particularcrushed with these cars.He won a championship oneand in 1987 at Talladega he set the recordfor fastest lap in stock car historywith an average speed of212.809 miles per hour.A record that stillstands in a Thunderbird.In the 90s though sales felland in 1997 Ford would end up cancelingthe whole Thunderbird line,leaving us with memoriesof a true American classic.I'm James Pumphrey and thatwas everything you need...Wait a minute, I thoughtI brought it back.Oh yeah, I forgot they did.They brought it back.Chapter five, Retro-Birds.Ford did cancel the line in 1997,but in 2002 they saw an opportunityto make a sales play based on nostalgia.You know, Sal, I wentby the Ford lot todayand it's the darnedest thing.There was nothing there for me.All they had were young people cars.Everything's too fast, too sporty.Anyway, let's go drinksome Ensure for lunchand then poo poo our pants.It was back to being atwo-seater with an open top.The iconic circularlights and classic grill,the porthole windows,and the long lines wereclassic design elementsthat recalled the models from the 1950s.And they really worked,but that's about all that worked.It did have a big V8 but itwas not a really fun one.Oh my God.Adjusted for inflation itcosts more than $50,000.And for that you gota lot of cheap plasticand recycled parts from other Fords.Essentially, they justre-skinned the Lincoln LSand made it look like an old car.And in 2005 Ford canceledthe Thunderbird again.Now it's a shame to see it go like that.The Bird meant a lotto the American market.It showed peoplethat you didn't have tosacrifice luxury for performance,and it became synonymouswith class in America.Hey if you guys can hear it,I don't know how much you can hear it.It's a guy mowing his lawn next door.Thank you guys so much for watchingthis episode of "Up To Speed"and all the other stuff on Donut.Make sure you hit that Subscribe button.Check out this episode of "Money Pit"hosted by my buddy Zach Jobe.Follow me on Instagram @JamesPumphrey.Follow Donut @donutmedia.I love you guys, bye.