I’ll state from the jump that this week’s essay is mostly a means by which to share pictures I had taken of the featured Thunderbird last fall, but I do have some other ideas about it to share, so I hope you stay with me. Much has already been written about this generation, colloquially referred to as the “Flair-bird”, and I’ll link some of our homegrown content below. I had Las Vegas on my mind at the time of this writing, as it had been just under two weeks since I had returned home to Chicago after spending almost an entire week there on vacation.
At the Tropicana. Sunday, October 1, 2023.
This year’s Vegas experience was different than in years past, as I had mentioned in passing in last week’s Curbside Musings. In addition to celebrating the 50th birthday of a good friend and former high school classmate, I happened to be on the Las Vegas Strip the week before the famous Tropicana Hotel & Casino was to be imploded to make way for a new sports complex for the soon-to-be-former Oakland A’s baseball team. I had stayed at the Tropicana back in 2014 after a bud had found an incredible deal there for our friend group. I had loved the experience of staying at what was one of the oldest and most storied properties on the Strip.
The Tropicana had originally opened in 1957 as one of the costliest-to-build and most upscale resorts in the area. By the time I had stayed there, it was fifty-seven years old and had gone through multiple owners, renovations, and expansions, but it was still a very nice property. Even though I was staying in one of the hotel towers that had been constructed much later (either in 1979 or ’86), the entire complex still seemed to maintain much of its posh aura, including the giant stained-glass ceiling that had been installed over the main casino floor in ’79.
By the standards of the ever-changing Strip, the Trop was no longer the biggest, flashiest, most spectacular anything in particular by the time I had stayed there. What I do remember, though, is how I felt as I walked through the property. It was the magic of feeling somehow connected to all of the glamorous people throughout the years who had stayed, performed, spent or won money, and/or seen a show there. Just by being in this space, I had felt adjacent to history and this casino’s spot in Las Vegas lore. The experience of being there with friends who were and are like chosen family added to the special feel of that trip.
Similarly, the Thunderbird had possessed the aura of being an extraordinary car in its early years before the arrival of many other personal luxury coupes. It was an aspirational Ford and a halo model, much like the Tropicana had been referred to as the “Tiffany of the Strip” in its heyday. Long before it shared both a platform and market segment with the Lincoln Continental Mark series, the Thunderbird was a Ford that would be right at home amid cars from much more prestigious makes, both foreign and domestic.
Sixty years removed from when this ‘Bird was new, it’s still not hard to imagine its appeal off the new-Ford showroom floor. It’s beautifully and deftly styled, looking much lighter than its 4,400 pounds. Stretching 206.4 inches on a 113.2″ wheelbase, it was also 77.1″ wide and just 52.5″ tall in the standard hardtop form we see here. The 390 cubic inch FE (“Ford-Edsel”) V8 provided 300 horsepower, which drove the rear wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission.
Overall sales of almost 92,500 for the redesigned ’64 were smartly up by about 46% from the prior year, with the Thunderbird offered in three body styles that were carried over from before: the standard and Landau hardtop coupes, and the convertible, with the low-take, two-seat Sports Roadster being left behind. This generation of Thunderbird seemed to retain much of its popularity going into its second year, with sales dipping just 18% to a respectable 75,000 units for ’65.
I’m originally from Flint, so when I think of this generation of Thunderbird, I’ve asked myself which ’64, between the Buick Riviera or the Ford Thunderbird, I would prefer now or would have preferred then. Buyers overwhelmingly chose the Thunderbird, with just 37,700 second-year ’64 Rivieras sold in its one body style. As far as which car I find more aesthetically pleasing, it’s a slight lean toward the Buick at this writing, though on some days it might be the Thunderbird. Both cars are immensely appealing to me.
Getting back to the Las Vegas metaphor, this Thunderbird certainly does have the visual flash, sparkle, and allure of one of the old-school, coin-operated slot machines, a handful of which are still left in operation at the California Hotel & Casino downtown near the Fremont Street Experience. I have yet to see a slot machine that has been deliberately made to look ugly, but I hope you get my idea that all of the chrome adorning this Thunderbird helps to give its occupants, and especially its driver, the sense that its interior is a special place in which to spend time.
The “Trop” on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, exactly one week before its implosion.
Much like the Tropicana was imploded in the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 9, 2024 in order for its valuable real estate to be developed into something newer and with a much bigger footprint, Ford dealerships have had nothing like the Thunderbird in its stable since the last one rolled out the door in 2005, which is now literally twenty model years ago. The non-Mach E Mustang appears to be the last new, domestic Ford passenger car for sale. It’s a changing landscape, everywhere.
I recall having heard as a young adult, perhaps from one of my college professors, that others may not necessarily remember what you did or what you said. They will, however, remember the way you made them feel. A classic Thunderbird like this ’64 will always be fondly remembered as “that car” by many who recall how special they felt when they encountered one either firsthand or in someone else’s driveway, the dealership, or the parking lot. Like the Tropicana, the Thunderbird is gone, but unlike that famed resort, there are still many examples of the latter still in the possession of their owners with elevated taste. Long may they soar.
Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
Saturday, September 30, 2023.
For additional CC Flair-bird content, click on the following links from Aaron65, Paul Niedermeyer, and myself.
Maybe it should be the Sands, since the Flair Bird seems fully prepared to fly you to the moon. (Although the ’65, with front discs, would better handle the “return safely to the Earth” part of the equation.)
Excellent comment 🙂
I can definitely use a little Sinatra flowing around my head here in the early morning.
And btw, I have always loved this generation of Thunderbird (and the contemporary Riviera too). Great post, Joe.
Thanks, Jeff. During my first two Las Vegas trips, the Riviera on The Strip was still still open. I wished I had spent time there almost immediately after its closure had been announced. Now, there’s a CC topic! Model names and Las Vegas casinos…
Nice! If only my Las Vegas days had started before the actual Thunderbird / Silverbird resort had been closed and demolished.
I STILL remember the car of the elementary school teacher, Mr. Nealy, who had a ’64 in a metallic silvery blue color! I’ll have to admit, though, that the ’66, with the full width taillights is my personal favorite! 🙂
You know, there’s a Marc Cohn song called “Silver Thunderbird.”
I kept “hearing” MJ’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” while reading this writeup, along with (of course) the Beach Boys’ “Fun Fun Fun” which was released when the ’64 T-Birds were in showrooms.
+2 on the ’66 being my favorite of this generation, but this ’64 looks pretty sweet.
Moparman, the association you mentioned is exactly the kind I was talking about! I sense that the Thunderbird, at least one of the earlier ones, was that car for many people.
The wide whitewalls are annoyingly incorrect though. Everyone switched to narrower whitewalls in 1962. With Lincolns you could order a car with wides, but that was the end of them. And the whitewalls on that 1964 Thunderbird look wider than they even would have been in 1961. The wire wheels were a factory or dealer option on these, but classic cars particularly when prepped for resale today have them way more than they ever did when new.
I’ll see if I can photoshop some dubs / donks onto it for you when I get home from work.
If Ford was using the same wire wheels in 1964 as they did on the 1962-63 Sports Roadster, these are probably incorrect too. The originals were not compatible with fender skirts. Only in later years did someone reproduce and sell wire wheels that did not extend so far out at the hubs so that they could be used on cars with skirts.
I dropped out of college in my senior year to drive from the East Cost to Las Vegas to “discover the meaning of life”. The union hall of the Culinary Worker’s Union sent me to the Tropicana to be a room service waiter. The hotel was in a downslide and still mob owned. Between the mob, the guests, and the employees, I learned more about humanity in two years than doctorates in sociology and psychology could ever give me.
Any stories to share?
When I got my first check at the Trop, I was walking out when I was “greeted” by a tall, wide, and cauliflower-eared union rep. He was signing me up to the union and wanted dues. I told him I didn’t have the cash, just my paycheck. He said, “no problem, endorse the check”. I did, and he pulled out a wad of cash that would put a shame to any wads of cash I’ve ever seen. He cashed my check for me, minus the dues, of course. This guy couldn’t have been a character on The Sopranos because casting would have thought he was too far over the top. I was in prime physical shape back then, and very few people scared me. This guy scared the hell out of me.
I have other stories, but they are NSFW.
Two words: Out. Standing.
Man, that car is beautiful, and that particular shade of red really suits it. Back when cars had low beltlines. But yeah, the wide whitewalls are a little out of place. They don’t exactly look bad, but they’re from a different era.
That deep carmine red is a stunning shade that suits this car well – I agree. I do not mind the mixing of the different elements from different eras, with the wide whitewalls. I take a similar sartorial approach with my own wardrobe. I mix elements I like even if they aren’t all from the same era, and I know I look fly.
It’s interesting how you draw the comparison between the TBird and Vegas, Joseph; as soon as I read your mention of the A’s moving, I thought about Oakland. The city of my birth, though it’s just where the hospital was – I never lived there, though I spent my first 25 years in Alameda County just a few miles north or south of the city. Although overshadowed by San Francisco across the bay, Oakland was still a pretty nice place. Industrial, yes, but a beautiful setting, gorgeous parks in town and redwood forest open space hills on the eastern edge. It was the “big city” for us, for trips to the zoo, the public swimming pool, shopping, and if I was lucky a visit to the Jeep display at the Kaiser HQ building downtown. Not quite a TBird town though … perhaps a bit more of a solid but quality Buick or Oldsmobile kind of place.
I love hometown reminiscences like this. I have spent a little time in Oakland, as I had family that lived there for a while. Lake Merritt was lovely, and I liked the family restaurant near the lake.
The T bird my brother bought in “76-7” was like this one.Was so nice to drive, ride in..Turned out to be a bit more of a fixer upper than he anticipated. He did get about two and “3/4” years out of it though.
(Minus about a month @ “Butler County Ford”; transmission work)
At least he got to live the dream for that amount of time, even if the car doesn’t sound like it lived up to his fantasy. He had the experience and that counts.
Love the glassine paint .
I don’t mind the wide whites, I’ve loved them since childhood .
I’d rather the Riviera but nothing wrong with this fine coupe either .
-Nate
Those whitewalls can be quite nice. They’re not working so well here though.
I’m with you on the wide whites. They look just fine to me.
Great comparison. SOmehow the new palaces on the strip lack some of the glamour of the days of the rat pack. Similarly the numerous personal luxury coupes of the 70s and onward somehow lack the flair of the “Flair Birds” and earlier T-Birds back to 1955.
Our family always had pedestrian Ford wagons except for a very brief interregnum in 1964. Dad was waiting for his first Bethlehem Steel company car (Ford Custom 500 sedan) to arrive at Towson Ford in April of that year, and it was delayed for some reason for several weeks. The Co. allowed him to rent a car in the interval and he chose a Rangoon Red T-Bird as a fun fling until the company car arrived. I felt like King of the neighborhood for the 3 weeks it was parked in the driveway, and icing on the cake was a
visit to the Lyric Theatre in Baltimore for a concert by the Baltimore Symphony. When Dad dropped a dressed to the 9s Mom & I off at the curb in front of the marquis I felt like the King of the Universe! A new red T-bird could do that back then!
How cool to have been able to be a Thunderbird Family for that three-week stretch! Nothing that cool ever graced the Dennis family driveway. Your observation about eras of PLCs and Vegas glamour are also spot-on – I agree.
Yeah the wide whites are grossly incorrect. If I were to choose a mod it would be flames on a black one.
But I digress.
The “Roadster” was to come with actual wire wheels. Elvis finagled one of the first ones and was having one of his crew drive it from Memphis to Vegas.
It’s unclear how but one front wheel folded up, presumably from a hard turn.
Ford hastily retrofitted all of them with steel wheels and faux wire wheel covers.
But that red Roadster was almost very very famous.
I’d love to find pictures online of the bent wheels on the Elvis car. Wow.
I know we’ve had these discussions before on this forum regarding the nicknames of the various generations of ‘Birds. In fact, I’ve been in a few discussions, even suggesting Box Birds for the much derided ’80-’82 which seemed to stick.
Aero I get, having owned and ’83 and a couple of ’88(s). I also get Bullet Bird, although I liked JPC’s suggestion of “Cigar” Bird for the ’61-’63(s). Big Bird for ’73-’76… Check, although the owners if the Sesame Street franchise may have a problem with this, unless those cars came in yellow, but I digress as usual…
But let me ask this: What is the meaning of “Flair Bird” for these? I accept it, but I’m not seeing it. Maybe someone more well versed in car design can explain.
RS Rick, that’s a great question about the nickname. I do think “Boxbird” works for the 1980 -’82 models (which I sort of like, okay, everybody? LOL). How about “Fair-Bird” for the Fairmont everyone else but me thinks it looks like? I’ll be curious to see if anyone else weighs in. 🙃
Since I had a ’79 Fairmont Futura, I commented just the other day that for 1980’s downsize, since it already had the basket handle thing going for it, it would’ve made a fine smaller T-Bird. (That’s likely a biased opinion on my part.)
And I too don’t hate on the ’80 to ’82 models. That being said, I’m glad I waited for the ’83 Aero Birds before I traded my Futura in on one. 😉
Can relate. I worked in the showroom of the Tropicana for the past 6 years, until the day it closed. When I started working there in 2017, it was already well past its prime. The final 2 corporate owners wouldn’t spend a penny on the place, unless something was leaking or on fire. By the time they closed the doors it was a complete dump.
Pop bought a 1964 Thunderbird in 1972, when it was also well past its prime. Younger folks might not remember, but in this era the average car was pretty used up by 8 years and 80k miles. It was just a commuter beater, used to drive the 4 miles from home to the commuter train to NYC. But even though it was in rough shape, it wasn’t hard to see how glorious it must have been in its heyday.
Evan, that’s so sad about the Trop’s last days. I remember seeing pictures of the exterior of the Tiffany Tower with what looked like peeling paint and thought to myself, “Now, that shouldn’t be…”
I often imagine what older luxury cars used to look like when new and the pride in them their first owners must have had.
I can certainly see why this TBird made you think of Vegas.
Paul, I had to reread my essay to see if I had mentioned clearly that I had seen this car just one block away from the Fremont Street Experience downtown, and I don’t think I did. I suppose that to some not familiar with the area, that my pictures as I composed them could have been many different places. This car is definitely Vegas vibes, regardless of where I had seen it!
Two of my favorite memories, Vegas & T-Birds. I was six in 1957 and we had just moved to CA and had a new home perched overlooking a canyon. Two doors down was the neighbor lady, Penny, with red hair and a pink 1957 T-Bird. Penny would sometimes drive me to school when my parents were a little slow moving after a previous nights cocktail party. I felt so special in that Bird. Dad must have felt special with Penny as well, as my parents divorced late 58 or early 59. Dad went to Germany, Mom took us to San Francisco and bought a new 1960 T-Bird convertible, white w/turquoise interior. Mom landed a really good looking Italian boyfriend, Tony, who had a new 1960 white Impala and his own plane. Tony would fly us to Vegas a few times a month. I mostly remember staying at Caesars Palace, swimming in the pool by day and brother & I exploring the casinos by ourselves. I fell in love with the bright lights of Vegas. At night it was family dinners and I ate lobster most nights. Mom must have been good at Blackjack as for the longest time I received my weekly allowance in silver dollars. Fast foreword to 1962, Dad & Mom reconciled, remarried. Dad bought a new 1963 T-Bird, Heritage Burgundy w/pearl beige interior & that Bird was my 16th birthday present early 1967. But in 1964, our next door neighbor bought a new 1964 T-Bird, Rose Beige w/white interior. That color was truly beautiful. Then it was 1966, me age 15, Dad took me car shopping thinking he wanted a Mustang. We left the dealer with a new 1966 T-Bird Town Landau, blue w/white top & dark blue interior. About the opposite of a Mustang. A few years later that became my second teenage car.
Funny how sometimes our past links up with our present. It was the late 1970s, I was an Interior Designer based in Houston designing upscale fashion stores. A few times a year I was sent to Vegas to check out stores. At that time I had a German roommate who was a high-roller and we frequently went to Vegas, paid for by the MGM Grand. He disappeared when the MGA burnt, but that is another story. Time marched on, the early 1980s I moved to NYC, became an Interior Designer of casino hotels in Atlantic City and the Bahamas. All the glitz and glamour to my hearts content.
Now at age 73, my life is a little more sedate. I still like a little glitz & sparkle and my soft yellow 1966 T-Bird convertible makes me smile every time I drive it. Not Vegas flashy but neither am I in my old age.
Alfred, thank you for taking the time to write this thoughtful and fascinating account, which is interwoven with your history with various Thunderbirds throughout the years. You’re a good writer – I was envisioning each scene in my head. So glad you have that yellow ’66. To your point, it seems like things and Thunderbirds have come full circle for you.
Every year of the Flair-bird was another one of those Maxwell Smart cars where Ford always ‘missed it by that much’.
I’d pretty much pass on the 1964 car, entirely; it’s between the 1965 and 1966 cars where things get muddled. Style-wise, I like the 1965 ‘Bird better, but the technical improvements of the 1966 are a huge draw, with the optional 428 engine being the biggie. The full-width taillights and standard front disc brakes are very compelling, too.
I’m less enthusiastic about the 1966 front end and hood changes, as well as the Town Sedan model that eliminated the quarter windows and added the huge blind spot C-pillars. It’s a tough call between the two years.
I wonder if anyone has built their favorite Flair-Bird using parts from each of those three model years.
I wouldn’t do it to any cherry, original Flair-bird, but if someone has an otherwise good ’66 that had front-end and hood damage, and access to good 1965 parts, I could see replacing the with those pieces.
I really enjoyed my 65 Thunderbird. It was a fun car, and a definite head turner.
I’ve never been to Vegas, so I cannot compare.
However, a friend had a 65 Rivera and we raced. He won handily!
Great article
Thanks, Chip. The ’65 Thunderbird and ’65 Riviera – both worthy cars from iconic generations.
I’m going to be callous and use this article solely as an excuse to publish my sister’s 1966 T-bird, in Vancouver 20 years ago
Nothing callous about doing so! She had a beautiful example.
If one had the space and money, you could have the T-bird and the Buick Rivera. Both great looking cars.
Mike, maybe I was just one pull of the slot machine handle away! Hahaha
My Dad bought a like new, two-year old 65 Thunderbird when I was in high school. In color it was subdued compared to the subject car: beige on beige. But “Vegas glamorous” it was, especially the interior with all that chrome, interior lighting throughout, the huge Thunderbird script where a glove compartment ordinarily would reside, and the wraparound, “cocktail lounge” rear seat. As Motor Trend said in their test of a Rangoon Red 62 Sports Roadster, the Thunderbird was one of the few cars that could make a peon like a road tester feel like a million bucks behind the wheel. To this day our 65 is one of my favorite cars of a lifetime. Thanks for the fun piece, Joseph. PS Re: the whitewalls. Our 65 had narrow-band whitewalls with a thin ring of red around them. Very cool option in those days.
I’m glad you mentioned the interior and especially that “cocktail lounge banquette” rear seat. A perfect description! Although I probably would have taped all the ashtrays shut.
A ’65 in Portland, OR a few weeks ago. Stunning condition.
Beautiful car, great shot.
These Thunderbirds and old Vegas certainly go together! What a great location to find this car.
I thought so too, JP. I sat on these photos for just over a year as I wanted to be inspired when I wrote about this car. That strategy worked.
This T-Bird looks stunning in candy apple red, and those wire wheels appear to be the genuine article — I approve! I’m not a stickler about the wide whites either.
The Flair Bird is my favorite of the 1958-66 4-seaters. Ideally, I’d take the ’64 front end with the ’65’s sequential taillights and optional front disk brakes.