Car of the Week: 1964 Ford Thunderbird

[dodgechargerfan]

With his lively wit and ability to make people laugh, Joe Giglio is a real card. However, he’s better known as a member of the Four Aces, the band with numerous top 10 hit songs during the ’50s. Giglio’s personal ace in the hole is this 1964 Thunderbird convertible.

Like cars, music provides a cultural reference point. The Four Aces typified early-’50s pop music before rock ’n’ roll became mainstream. This vocally driven music replaced ’40s big band. Artists such as Patty Page, Nat King Cole and the Four Aces had a laid-back style with light melodies and innocent lyrics. Rock ’n’ roll is to the “Jetsons”-tailfinned cars of the late ’50s as what the Four Aces are to the reserved style of early-’50s automobiles.

As soon as the garage door lifted during my visit, Giglio drove out his T-Bird and it became understandable why 50 years ago it was a valet’s favorite charge. Handsomely proportioned with a long, low and sleek silhouette, the ’64 Thunderbird was an attention magnet. Compared to today’s generic-looking “belly button” cars, the Four Aces’ song “Stranger In Paradise” comes to mind when walking around and sitting in Giglio’s sultry ’Bird.

Read more.

 

[dodgechargerfan]

:dave:

 

[68R/T]

Mostly a sales pitch for Thunderchickens with very little of how he came to find this one. And he even bought it as it now sits. A boring article about a boring car.

 

[restoman]

I rather like that vintage 'Bird.

One of our customers had a '65 coupe that I drove for a weekend. It was a really smooth riding car, hard on gas and not very powerful. Loved the interior, though!

 

[Jester]

I like 'em, but I like just about anything that isn't a modern jellybean car.

 

[TheIronSausage]

The '64 is my favorite year of Tbird, and possibly one of the only cars in the world that might​ look better as a convertible than as a coupe.

 

[Dr.Jass]

The only Thunderbirds I like are the '83-'86 cars, preferably in Turbo Coupe guise. No other year would make me stop and look at one at a car show, since I think every year outside that range is ugly.

The best thing about the T-bird? It died in ignominy twice, with its tail between its legs: First in 1997 and again in 2005, both times due to giving the impression of it being nailed to the showroom floor. God, that last one was awful.

 

[71ChargerRT]

The only Thunderbirds I like are the '83-'86 cars, preferably in Turbo Coupe guise. No other year would make me stop and look at one at a car show, since I think every year outside that range is ugly.

That era makes me think of this


I hold a slight preference for this version, my dad was selling Fords at the time and he had one of these as a demo.