Sign In Join 



Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

19418 messages,  Last post on Dec 06, 2009 at 5:06 PM

You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright

What is this discussion about? Classic Cars


Messages Page 1607 of 1943
1
...
1604
1605
1606
1607
1608
1609
1610
...
1943
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion

#16057 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [andre1969] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Dec 05, 2008 (7:01 pm)
Reply

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 05, 2008 6:52 pm)

Oh I think the large overhangs, the gushy tires, the enormous unsprung weight inherent in the suspension design, etc. Hard to say, but the car always felt way out of balance to me. I've driven many big heavy cars but those later Birds always seems to be to be particularly clumsy. I don't think I'm the first to mention this.
#16058 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [lokki] by fintail
Dec 05, 2008 (7:05 pm)
Reply

Replying to: lokki (Dec 05, 2008 4:58 pm)

When I was very young my mother drove one of those big Birds, white on white. My parents loved that car. It was replaced by a Ciera...different world.
 
NADA prices are for ignorants.
#16059 of 19418
holy cow by qbrozen
Dec 05, 2008 (7:13 pm)
Reply
This just goes WAY beyond poor spelling!
#16060 of 19418
Re: holy cow [qbrozen] by andre1969
Dec 05, 2008 (7:49 pm)
Reply

Replying to: qbrozen (Dec 05, 2008 7:13 pm)

I'll give him bonus points for the Comic Sans font, though. Gives it sort of a playful atmosphere...like mixing Ice House and Monster and then watching Mama's Family outtakes on Youtube.
#16061 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [lokki] by lemko
Dec 06, 2008 (6:37 pm)
Reply

Replying to: lokki (Dec 05, 2008 4:58 pm)

Here's the really truly Dark Age for the Thunderbird!
 

 
This one looks almost exactly like my Dad's car except it's a 1982 model instead of a 1981 model like his car. The only real difference is the 'Bird logos on the headlamp doors. The 1981 model had silver backgrounds instead of black.
#16062 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [lemko] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Dec 06, 2008 (7:18 pm)
Reply

Replying to: lemko (Dec 06, 2008 6:37 pm)

I think, if I remember the story correctly, that when everyone at Ford looked at the design for this car back in the late 70s, they were so bummed out by it that management decided then and there to produce the "aero" T-Bird that was so much more attractive.
#16063 of 19418
Fork lifting a Mopar by jlflemmons
Dec 06, 2008 (8:37 pm)
Reply
Looking at the picture, I would say they had to lift it to keep from hanging the underbody on the ramps. Still doesn't explain why they would use that photo for the ad, though...
#16064 of 19418
by lokki
Dec 06, 2008 (8:48 pm)
Reply

 
My dad's friend had a yellow 67 T-bird with the Sucicide doors. I thought it was the sexiest car, ever. A beautiful design, worthy of the Thunderbird name. I thought he was rich, owning that car.
#16065 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969
Dec 07, 2008 (9:24 am)
Reply

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 06, 2008 7:18 pm)

Normally I like cars from that era, but even I don't care for the '80-82 T-bird. So that must be a sign that it was REALLY bad!
 
The car was a poor seller, although the economy might have had more to do with it than the car itself. They sold 156,000 in 1980. It outsold the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cordoba, and Mirada, but the Regal moved about 214,000 units, and the Cutlass Supreme coupe managed to run off about 275,000 (that's JUST the personal luxury coupe body style, NOT including the sedan, aeroback coupe, or wagon) Oh, and the Cougar ran off about 58,000 units, which is probably a feat, considering it started around $600 more than the T-bird...~$7000, versus ~$6400.
 
For 1981, sales fell sharply, to about 87,000. The economy was getting worse, so that was part of it, but the car itself had to be to blame as well. Sales of the Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Regal, and Cutlass actually went up that year, although I'm sure that year's more aerodynamic facelift helped. Sales of the Cordoba/Mirada dried up, and the Cougar XR-7 coupe fell to about 37,000.
 
1982 was a really pathetic year. 45,000 T-birds sold. 17,000 Cougar XR-7's. In fairness, the T-bird's competition took a beating in that recession year as well, but just think...5 short years earlier, the '77 T-bird managed to move over 300,000 units!
 
I'd heard that initially, the 1983 T-bird was going to be a new design, but still carrying on that same squared-off style. But it got scrapped in record time, and we got the aero style Bird instead. It managed to move 121,000 units that year, a miracle considering how bad the economy still was.
 
It's amazing how night-and-day different the '82 and '83 T-bird are, considering they both sprang from the same Fox platform.
#16066 of 19418
Re: Bird Land [andre1969] by 210delray
Dec 07, 2008 (7:19 pm)
Reply

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 07, 2008 9:24 am)

As ugly as those 1980-82 T-birds were, I still think the worst were the '77-'79s. Even Motor Trend called them "aesthetically forlorn," after they were no longer new of course.

Messages Page 1607 of 1943
1
...
1604
1605
1606
1607
1608
1609
1610
...
1943
Prev
Next
Last
Go To Msg #
Search This Discussion
To POST a message, please Sign In.

New? Join Now!

Forum Tools

Please sign in.
Email Address:

Password:

Forgot Password?

Search Forums

Enter Keyword(s)

Advanced Search

Browse by Vehicle



View All Vehicles
Advertisement
Ask the Community
See What People Are Asking

Browse by Board

Browse by Topic


View All Topics

Today's Chats

Advertisement