![]() ![]() Cadillac and Oldsmobile had introduced modern, short-stroke V-8s in 1949 as Buick launched the Riviera two-door hardtop. In terms of practicality, just about everything was wrong as the cars were costly, demanded maintenance and were difficult and expensive to repair.īy 1954, American production woodies were gone, but something very different was underway among the Big Three. With the wagon having been dropped, it was now impossible to overlook the Town and Country’s placement in an upscale market.Ī Town and Country convertible was offered in 1949 and a twodoor hardtop was the sole model in 1950, but woodies of any kind were doomed. Convertibles, four-door sedans and a handful of coupes were built, all obvious derivatives of the original and even more stylish. The Town and Country returned for 1942 and then disappeared midway through the model year when World War II stopped the flow of civilian vehicles, but it was an idea too good to abandon and so it returned for 1946. The Town and Country took a fresh approach with rounded rear styling that gave it a sedan look and the nickname, “barrelback.” It was stylish, at least somewhat exclusive and clearly not designed as a working man’s station wagon. By then, of course, the Thunderbird had already produced its share of the unexpected and even the car itself would have been unthinkable just 15 or 20 years before its 1955 introduction.Īmerican automakers had offered radical and flamboyant models on a limited scale before World War II- think, for example, Chrysler Airflow- but it would be a stretch to claim that they were the direct ancestors of what would later be known as “personal luxury cars.” Similarly, the mid- to late-1930s saw the slow rise of woodies as status symbols since they hinted that someone driving a station wagon probably had a better car, too, but few woodies could lay claim to being anything like a personal luxury car until Chrysler introduced its Town and Country for 1941. The idea of a four-door Thunderbird was at least moderately surprising at that time and the fact that its rear doors opened at the B-pillar would have been utterly shocking if Lincolns hadn’t been offering suicide doors since 1961. “When they were first introduced in ’67, they caught my eye and my love,” explained Mike Murray, whose is featured here, “and at that point in time, I said ‘someday, I’m going to own a four-door Thunderbird.’” While Thunderbirds have appeared in forms ranging from supercharged open twoseaters to turbocharged coupes, some owners hold a deep appreciation for a version that might not come as quickly to mind. The truly massive taillight assembly all but guarantees that the slightly concave rear panel generally goes unnoticed. ![]() This Collector Was Immediately Drawn to the Four-Door Look. Aug| By Bob Tomaine The Thunderbird Started as a TwoDoor Sports Car and Grew Into a Four-Door Sedan. ![]()
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