(first posted 10/18/2016) A famous, now-nonagenarian jazz elocutionist lives a block away from me. I won’t drop his name here, but suffice it to say that many of you have probably heard his warm, rich baritone voice on many old commercials, voice-overs, narrations, and perhaps even on one of his own word-jazz recordings. I walk past the beautiful, red brick mansion where he and his wife reside, pretty much every day. It is against this backdrop that I spotted our featured classic personal luxury coupe.
Seeing this Thunderbird there at the curb on an early, Monday morning walk to the health club did more to wake me up than two cups of black coffee. In fact, when I saw it, I thought I might still have been sleeping and dreamed this whole scenario…but it was very real. My exercise “warm up” ended up being a full-rabbit sprint back to my condo to get my camera. I was already late for my morning workout, but it was unquestionably worth it.
Thankfully, these neighborhood streets have a minimum of traffic at this hour, so I was able to get all the shots I wanted with the light that was available. This Thunderbird’s poise, grace and distinctive shape stood in stark contrast to those of many of the newer cars parked by it that, by comparison, looked barely indistinguishable from each other. I will acknowledge that the age of our featured car obviously exaggerated its differences from the surrounding cars, but the artistry that went into the Thunderbird’s myriad details cannot be ignored.
What I started to wonder as I snapped these photos was what it was about a classic Thunderbird of the 1960’s (specifically the third- and fourth-generation cars) that excited me so much. It’s like they give me the same warm, “holiday” feeling as a Charlie Brown TV special. It’s as if I can hear the late, great Betty Carter scat-singing, “Something big is going to happen…♪♫” when I look at this car and see the light from the street lamps glinting off the chrome. This Thunderbird is optimism wrapped in sheetmetal. And has there ever been a fall setting that was not made better by a blanket of colorful, fallen leaves?
Look at this car’s surfaces. Its lines are kinetic, dynamic, and highly sculptured. While the third-generation, 1961 – ’63 “Bullet Bird” was smooth and svelte, the fourth-gen ‘Bird looks decidedly more angular, geometric, and a bit more complex. This is not to say it’s prettier than the preceding design, but it certainly has many visually interesting details for the eye to feast on.
For those familiar with my “CC Jukebox” features, you probably know I’m a fan of jazz in many of its forms. (I’m listening to a recording of the jazz guitar of Wes Montgomery from the early-60’s as I write this.) Part of what I love about jazz is its synthesis of seeming unpredictability, spontaneity, and raw emotion combined with a sense of elegance. Those words describe this ’64 Thunderbird’s visual essence to me, to its core. It wears its vinyl roof like a fedora, ready for a night out at the famous Green Mill jazz club and cocktail lounge, pictured above. (The Green Mill, coincidentally, was reportedly frequented by infamous gangster Al Capone. It has been open for over a century.)
Production figures of the ’64 models had been the high water mark for the Thunderbird up to that point, with over 92,000 units sold that year. Of that number, about 22,700 were Landaus like our featured car. Prices started at about $4,600 without some necessary options (which is about $35,000 in 2016), with Buick’s Riviera of the same year starting at about $200 less ($1,500 / adjusted). Its 300-horse 390 FE (“Ford-Edsel”) V8 purrs some sweet music, which I have heard myself in traffic from a different, but similar Thunderbird that I had spotted and written about earlier this year. From a visual standpoint, this T-Bird wears its 4,500-pound weight very well, and it can undoubtedly get out of its own way.
I’ve seen this car in the neighborhood only a couple of more times, but when I have, the sight of it has elicited the same visceral reaction out of me – a gasp, much awe, and a little extra correctness in my posture and in my speech. This Thunderbird is almost like a mascot, like a favorite jazz holiday record on wheels. Maybe I’ll stop and get some Dolly Madison snack cakes on the way home today.
Chicago, Illinois.
The Thunderbird was photographed on Monday, October 24, 2016.
The Green Mill shot was taken Sunday, December 2, 2012.
Related reading:
- From Laurence Jones: Curbside Classic: 1965 Ford Thunderbird Landau – Fancy Feast; and
- From Aaron65: Car Show Classic: 1965 Ford Thunderbird–Unique in All the World.
Related listening:
I don’t really love these birds. Crisp clean 60’s combined with some really garish details kill it for me. On another note, it’s somewhat odd to see all the leaves around the car, but not underneath at all. No wind that day? Is it possibly a local who had to move it for street sweeping duty, or was it on the 24th that Chicago’s trees decided to drop en masse? We still had leaves here in Roger’s Park up until this past week…
Oh man, Joe, great car. To me, it’s “Great Pumpkin Waltz” that automatically plays in my head whenever there’s a blanket of leaves.
Truly inspired to mention the Flare-Bird with period jazz of the time and even more appropriate to mention The Great Pumpkin Waltz. It was one of the iconic Peanuts compositions by the late jazz great Vince Guaraldi which, along with his big hit, Cast Your Fate to the Wind, might have been played on the radio just about the time the Flare-Birds were new (but maybe only on FM).
I’m particularly fond of the Flare convertible (it’s one of the main reasons to watch Thelma and Louise). My favorite would be a 1966 as it got the 428 engine, front disc brakes, and full-width taillights but with the better looking 1965 hood and front end. OTOH, I never much liked the clunky landau roof of the last Flare-Bird that eliminated the quarter windows (the feature car doesn’t have it), nor the landau bars themselves.
It’s also worth mentioning how much the interior of the Flare-Bird matched the exterior, with its invariably included (it was technically an option) ‘swing away’ steering wheel, ‘thermometer’-type speedometer, full center console, and wrap-around rear seat.
Wow, had forgotten all about Cast Your Fate To The Wind. That record has rushed back into my head with a bang! It might have been a little earlier than this car, being popular 1962-63. There was a remake by another group that had some airplay in the US in 1965, though.
Sounds Orchestral did the 1965 version. It’s okay, but the original is better.
Yes.
Better.
Back seat.
The Thunderbird Lounge… I love it.
Joseph was very correct to point to the optimism needed to build a car like this. Even when high end Euros build a no expense spared car today, there is often a sense of giving the recently rich fool what he wants.. This was not that. This was the future is going to be great, buy the Tbird and get an early taste. I can think of nowhere in the world today where such optimism is reflected in the car designs.
“Even when high end Euros build a no expense spared car today, there is often a sense of giving the recently rich fool what he wants.. This was not that.”
I disagree so much with this. The Thunderbird was a FORD. A Ford, for those with aspirations of the luxury life.
Branding be damned, this was what we would call today a near-luxury vehicle.
“This was the future is going to be great, buy the Tbird and get an early taste.”
How does this not sum up exactly how the MB CLA/GLA, Audi A3/Q3, Lexus IS/NX, Cadillac ATS/XT5, etc. market their product to this day?
You get a taste of the “luxury” life without really stepping up to the real thing (in the case of the T-bird, a Lincoln).
There was a transition from a brighter future for all, to I got mine and you losers can suck it. Those cars you name are more Pontiac Tempest, Buick Special. Maybe Ford Corsair in a Euro context. Lower down the scale.
A MB CLS or BMW X6 give off the vibe I am talking about at a similar class level.
The only upscale car I can think of even trying for optimism is the Tesla. Here you could argue the not rational by the numbers electric drive equates to the over the top big block FE engine. The Tbird would have run perfectly well on a small block Windsor and perhaps even been more sensible package. PN might label such over the top design a DS, as he did with the Toronado for FWD or the 2nd gen Seville. for unorthidox styling. I miss the optimism of we doing something just because we can.
I have to agree with John on this, the German makes with their bombastic narrations on their TV commercials pretty much market themselves as superior and all else not wearing our badge are mere imitators (which is mostly true today). Ford transcended badge snobbiness with a host of products in the 60s-70s that by all measure could have been in the Mercury lineup, and, yes, the Lincoln lineup, and I would include the 58-66 Thunderbird in the latter. The Thunderbird was a Ford, but it really was luxury, not just near it. The equipment, the power, the quality even the platform – shared with, and only with, the unibody Continental – all made the Thunderbird a cut above typical “near” luxury cars. “near luxury” in the mold of the MB CLA/GLA et all would be a loaded Mustang, and the Mercury Cougar, which both aspired to be mini-Thunderbirds, riding on conventional underpinnings.
I might characterize the 58-60 Squarebirds as “near luxury” cars – they came standard with three speed manual transmission, manual steering and brakes, and were closer to the Fairlane 500/Galaxie models in shared styling cues, overall materials and quality (though by 1960 you could get options such as a metal sunroof, not something available on a standard “Ford” and approaching luxury car status).
However, the 61-66 models were much more refined cars (I remember driving a 60 and 61 back to back when I was looking for a used car in 66 and they were dramatically different in terms of materials and feel), with lots of sound deadening (part of that huge weight) and a full array of standard features including automatic transmission, PS, PB, and pretty luxurious interiors (plush carpet and upholstery, lots of chrome, unique instrumentation, and dramatic lighting) for the day. Our 1965 came standard with these features plus flow-through ventilation, front disc brakes, and sequential turn signals.
I wouldn’t consider a Thunderbird of this era to be equivalent to a CLA or an A3 and I just sat in both today at the LA Auto Show. In college in the 60’s my roommate’s Dad had a 65 Cadillac and we had the 65 Thunderbird and they had pretty much equivalent status at the time. Thunderbird went in the opposite direction in later years. I think 61-66 was the best era for the marque, good times nicely captured by Joseph here. As the luxurious LTD entered its heyday in the 60’s and over time the Thunderbird became just another coupe (and a sedan), something special was lost.
Joseph – thanks for bringing back fond memories. Great photos and writing. About to put on some jazz and have a scotch. This Landau is very nice but I always preferred our coupe (unfortunately cannot find a color photo – it was being on beige) without the vinyl top and extra gingerbread. Now a friend had a 64 black convertible – that was something else!
Sorry, you couldn’t be more wrong. The 1961+ Birds were built along side with the Kennedy Continental and shared much of the luxury technology (most evident in the exquisite articulating hard tonneau of the convertible model). It was much more Continental than Ford.
A few years ago, I decided to move from a sideline spectator of classic cars to an active participant/owner. There are 2 ways to go… shotgun or rifle. I chose the rifle approach… pick one vehicle to focus my energy. This required discipline to identify and assess criteria for my magic bullet. Everyone has their own.
My criteria included a body style/market segment that doesn’t exist anymore and a body style that shares nothing more inside or out with other vehicles within the brand. That led me to large personal luxury 2-doors, and specifically convertibles. I love the Riv, Toro, and Avanti, but the Bird trumped them all with its convertible and completely unique interior and exterior starting.
I was fortunate to find a 1964 in Brittany Blue Metallic with a light/medium blue interior and white top. I am honored to be its latest curator. Thunderbird “curators” are a special breed… parts are more challenging to find than ubiquitous vehicle like Vette’s, Stangs, or just about any small block GM. So, the Bird takes a special commitment. Respect it. Please don’t dis it.
From 1961 to 1965, Lincoln didn’t offer a 2 door coupe. The reason was that the Ford Thunderbird was filling the role of the luxury coupe. It gave Ford a luxury halo model that could dare to be a little sporty without spoiling Lincolns understated luxury theme. It was actually a brilliant move, because 60 years later, we can see that this was the beginning of the end for the Sloan Ladder at GM.
+1. This car came out at the end of the JFK days of Camelot. Never had such optimism since, now it’s all cynicism. Except Tesla.
Lovely photography.
I agree about Teslas. A lot of luxury cars sell to new money Chinese and Middle Eastern oil sheiks and are styled with that in mind. Although it’s over with, I still think the Jaguar XJ is the only other one designed to just look cool to the people designing it.
A Bird in its nest of leaves, settled in for a slumber.
Thank you for this literary treat on this chilly morning.
I compare this to the 1964 Riviera and design-wise there is no contest. That’s not to say I dislike this car, because I’ve always had an affinity for T-Birds of certain years and the 1964 model does work for me.
As far as old-school jazz you are referring to is concerned, I prefer jazz in the form of Great American Songbook classics redone by contemporary artists and other contemporary music done in that style, in a big-band format or jazz combo. Old-style jazz has about as much appeal to me as listening to “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” over and over.
That’s not being critical of what you like, but since you mentioned it, I share my musical taste as well.
The first Riviera was a styling coup – flawless from any angle. I think I might also prefer a same-year Avanti to either the Thunderbird or Riviera, but I do absolutely love the style of these Flair-birds.
I also love all sorts of jazz, including vocal. I discovered Capitol Records’ “Ultra Lounge” series (from the 90’s) just last year, which includes vocal jazz from some of the greats. I’ve been playing quite a bit of Hard Bop and Bossa Nova, too.
This car brings back college memories for me. My roommate had a 64 Landau which was a bit of a departure from the standard T bird. In addition to the roof treatment, the Landau had woodgrain in place of the brushed stainless band on the console and dashboard. The vinyl roof material on the subject car does not appear to be factory correct. Instead of the familiar pebble grain material, these cars came with a rubber-like material with a striated texture. The roof on my roommate’s bird was worse for wear in 1975, and I would suspect that the ensuing 40 years have destroyed most of those original roofs.
Mom and Dad were looking for a replacement for the ten year old Chevy Bel Air. I got to go with them car shopping in the spring of ’64. At the Ford dealer, we looked at wagons, but Dad keep a keen eye on a Thunderbird just like above. The smile on his face was a mile wide. But with six kids, Mom squashed that idea in a flash!! Eventually, a ’64 Impala wagon was in the driveway.
Maybe that’s why I have a soft spot for Thunderbirds of this period. The car appears to be in great shape.
Thanks for the flash back!!=;-}
My father’s boss had a ’64 that was dark blue (no vinyl roof) w/a baby blue interior, which I
preferred to my father’s ’73.
As for jazz, although I’m more of a vintage pop/rock fan, I do appreciate the MJQ, Miles, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong & even Rufus Harley, the only Jazz bagpiper
A delightful treatment of one of my favorite cars. One of these sitting next to yesterday’s 1967 Chrysler 300 four door hardtop would have been one of my dream driveways of the ’60s.
And I see that CC is expanding the lexicon at full-rabbit.
Beautiful car, beautiful shots, beautiful writing. ‘Tis the season for jazz, it seems. While not an aficionado, there’s just something about the early sunsets, crisp air, crinkling leaves and twinkling decadence of the holiday season and the dark days of winter that almost demands a jazz soundtrack.
Good on ya for (somewhat) officially adding “Full Rabbit” to the CC lexicon. It’s a term I’m sure to almost mindlessly find myself peppering conversation with. Just a perfectly sensible way to convey heart-fluttering speed, and it requires absolutely no explanation to anyone new to the term. Sometimes language just evolves that way. Awesome!
Joseph, I didn’t know you were a jazz fan – that’s cool! If you’ve never read James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” please do. It’s a gritty ode to individuality, jazz, and the struggle to make it out of the urban blight of Harlem. I know you’re a Chicago guy, but I have a feeling it’s a piece of writing that will inspire you!
+1 re: James Baldwin. Reading Baldwin in itself is akin to the scent of wood smoke, the taste of bourbon and the sound of jazz.
Now I’ve got to snap out of it and get to work. This post has me in an ethereal state. I’m not complaining, but it doesn’t bode well for productivity.
I’m writing my report in hotel before heading to airport. Listened to Vince Guaraldi for an hour but switched to Tony Rice bluegrass guitar so I can work faster.
Amazing how this music does NOT go with this car:
Scott, thanks for the recommendation! I will have to check this out.
In the dawn’s early light, like a dream of the past come to life. A pox on Ralph Nader, the NHTSA, and OPEC.
Lovely photos, Joseph, thank you. They make me feel like I’m back in the fall of ’64, walking to school just as the day breaks. Thunderbirds and jazz just go together, don’t they? Even at my age then – twelve years old – I preferred the classics of the Great American Songbook to the Beatles. Blame my father’s record collection, with plenty of Ella, Leith Stevens and Gisele Mackenzie. I know I’m wearing rose tinted glasses here, but it seems to me that, in those days, good taste was simply there for the taking. Today any form of elegance is on perpetual backorder. Oh well, I’ll shut up now.
Ford was very successful in the sixties at building cars that had an aura about them. This Tbird was one of them. It might have been a Ford but it was an exclusive Ford, built on the same assembly line as the Lincoln Continental, which also had that aura. The fact that the Tbird was tipping over the Sloan Ladder added to its mystique. I think that some of that aura even helped the early Mustangs until they became clapped out used cars in every high school parking lot. The name still has too much value to be sitting in mothballs. They should build the Taurus for the cops and do an aggressive restyle Tbird civilian version.
What a sweetie .
I’d never buy one nor want to drive it but I’d surely love it if a friend had one I could ride shotgun in & tinker on .
Smooth and powerful, all you needed to do was uncork Ford’s wretchedly restrictive exhaust to hear that mighty FE burbling down the Highway .
-Nate
A brilliant exposition on the essence of this car, which you have captured perfectly. I don’t think we will ever settle on whether the 3rd or 4th generation was “peak Thunderbird”, but I think it’s a draw, because I could make a case for either.
A jazz fan myself, I hear Stan Getz on his cool saxophone when I look at this. One foot in the 50s but the other planted in 1964 and facing forward. Or maybe Basie and Ella, musicians who brought the best of the past into the 60s and kept it fresh.
These may be your best photos ever, mixing nighttime, colorful fallen leaves and a beautiful car. And I am happy to see “full rabbit” getting the entire CC community behind it. 🙂
Like its looks or not, that is one beautifully preserved vehicle. Always happy to meet another jazz fan…I’ve seen the Ken Burns series multiple times. Make mine Bill Evans or Dianne Reeves.
Every time I see a T-Bird of this vintage, I always think back to one of my favorite movies. Thelma and Louise. I was invited to watch the movie by some friends, and I only went to see the T-Bird (ha) and ended up really liking the movie.
A few years later, I was working an internship in Albuquerque the summer after my freshman year in college. One of the guys who worked in my building had one, a white on white coupe. After a few days, i finally walked over to give it a good once over. I could not believe how many features it had on it, stuff that was still only found on luxury cars in the 90s. I was definitely impressed. I’ve never gotten to drive one, but would love to some day.
Flair Birds always remind me of one of my favorite films – Wild At Heart.
“Stab it and steer, Lula.”
And Palm Beach Weekend, with the Tbird in period with the roadster cover on the back seat. With Connie Stevens in the only movie she did with Troy Donahue where she managed not to get knocked up.
Pretty sure I know who you’re talking about in the first paragraph– didn’t know he was still around. That’s pretty awesome.
A fair amount of my early-to-mid 20s was spent after hours at the Green Mill. Haven’t been up there in a while. I really need to go back.
Beautiful writing and a beautiful car. I am a huge jazz fan too, and I agree that jazz just fits this Tbird. Thanks for this lunchtime treat.
Fantastic car, fantastic setting, fantastic photos and fantastic writing. A treat as usual. While I’d have to give a slight edge to the bullet ‘Birds on exterior styling, the interior of these flair ‘Birds is one of my favorites in all automobile-dom. This one is just about perfect, even the landau bars (which I normally hate, but they work on this application). Make mine a convertible though!
+1 on the convertible. A high school buddy was a big fan of flair birds which in the mid seventies were readily available and cheap used cars. He had a barn full of beaters/parts cars. He was a pretty fair body and paint guy, and I was more of a mechanical and electrical guy. I helped him out with his T bird projects regularly. The automatic top system was fascinating and kind of fun to troubleshoot and repair. The dashboard and interior were works of art. The flair birds were great drivers, decent handling and ride, that 390 four barrel had plenty of power on tap but never felt like a race car.
One of my uncles had a 65 “Limited Edition” which was the Landau style restricted to a bronze/tan color scheme and a plaque engraved with the owner’s name affixed to the glove box door (I think). It was a beautiful automobile and was as so many observers have previously pointed out “more than the sum of its parts”. Very smooth and quiet but not designed to be a performance car. It was an escape machine and did indeed evoke a sense of optimism from the owner/driver.
Splendid stuff coming from a guy who told me he wasn’t sure that he was ready to add any writing to his fab pictures. 🙂 The artistry that came through your photography is now coming through two channels; something like stereophonic jazz.
Jazz lover here too; Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Coltrane, Charlie Parker…
Agreed, Paul–Joseph is every bit as skilled a writer as he is a photographer. CC is fortunate to have him as a contributor.
Thirded!
I have some cousins who immigrated to Canada from Scotland in the late 1960s and shortly after their arrival they bought a used ’64 T-Bird. I remember one of them saying how it looked like a space ship inside. I don’t know what they were thinking but they loved that car and kept for many years, into the late 70s, before it was traded for Chevy Impala.
There are still a fair number of these early to mid-60s T-Birds around and you can buy one in good condition for very fair prices.
They had so much metal inside…you couldn’t dream of doing that today
Well, spaceship inside in a Buck Rogers sort of way.
Like this.
That’s a _LOT_ of Red Michael .
It looks good to me .
-Nate
Hi, everyone… I’ve been absent today (crazy day – I’m just now sitting down), but I just wanted to duck in to reciprocate the Curbside-love, with more to follow. (So many great comments.) Thanks so much – it’s such an honor to be a contributor to this site.
I’m listening to Lightnin’ Hopkins “Goin’ Down Slow” (on account of my being more blues than jazz, ) This post has fantastic photography and writing (two things seriously lacking elsewhere today). I,even as a GM guy, I love this generation of the T-BIRD, (in fact, It’s my favorite version) My “beef” is it (and every 58+) should have been a Mercury, If the Edsel was not a “thing” and the 4 place Thunderbird WAS a Mercury, what would have developed at Mercury? A “Ford” at “Buick” cost killed Mercury. Even as a Buick guy, That makes me sad…..
These are fantastic photos and great writing. These Thunderbirds embodied the optimism of the period. Instead of Jazz, I think of music by the swinging Rat Pack. Cars like the T Bird, Riviera,Coupe De Ville and their contemporaries were for getting dressed up, grabbing a steak and some drinks, and catching the late show at the club. Maybe that actually happened and maybe it didn’t, but when I was a kid I wanted to get in on that action. Watching the Dean Martin show on the tube is where I got my idea of how it would be cool to be an adult and be able to take part in that good life. A few years back there was a TV commercial for the Chrysler 300 (Night Life) that featured some young couples heading out to the club for some spirited Ball Room dancing. The musical score was “Sway” made famous by Dean Martin and more recently, Michael Buble. This was just a classy way to showcase a car that is probably the only survivor of that Swinging Era. This commercial is very similar to Jaguar commercials of the early 2000s. This is not a link but you can see the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_mq0drdaKo
Great photos and spot-on writing Joseph! Count me in as another long-time Jazz fan. I could see blasting some Coltrane while tooling around in this bad boy…
I worked for a woman in the late seventies through early eighties that drove a ragtop version of this body style. She would leave it in the parking lot of our office every day w/ the top up or down depending on the weather w/ the keys left in the ignition always!
The Flairbirds were among the most beautiful cars of their respective years! Designed by people not computers and the beauty is timeless. To find one parked on the street is interesting because most of us who one one or more don’t allow them out at night to play unless we are with them! LOL
When I was four years old, my grandmother got a new ’65 Thunderbird hardtop– red, red leather, loaded. That car was endlessly fascinating to me then — the sequential turn signals, the Convenience Control Panel, the buttons, levers, controls, the (standard beginning in ’62) Swing-Away wheel…and a reclining seat with a pop up headrest! As mentioned above, it really was a taste of the future, a real space age machine. I’ve continued to admire these cars.
It was replaced by a Cameo Green/Parchment Leather/Dark Ivy Vinyl Top ’68 Continental Sedan, which had it’s own sense of style and luxury, and it’s own bag of special tricks. A story for another day.
Do you suppose that that car is owned by one of Ken’s (it is Ken, right?) old musical compatriots, over for a visit and a drink? Maybe a quiet jam session?
Well, it is in my head canon, anyway.
Nice first article (even if I missed it when it was new).
As others have stated before, jazz lover here as well. Coltrane and Mingus are among my favorites.
Wait. You live down the block from Ken Nordine?
Ken does live in Chicago.
The ’64-’66 Thunderbirds have always been my favorite, after the original two-seaters. The Flair Birds had, for me, a perfect marriage of crisp external styling and a spectacular cabin, unlike anything anyone else offered. I got to ride in one once, too. My brother had a ’66 Bird in the 1970s that he had brought back to like-new condition. It was terrific!
Joseph your pics and words are enough to drive up prices, well done! I think a lot about our hobby and what’s starting to happen to old cars as fewer of us were around when they were new. When I was a kid the classic cars people wanted were the Ford Model T and Model A. Now you have to practically give those away. Same is happening with the 50s stuff like the baby ‘Birds.
But I’ll tell you what. There are a few cars that will be on the bucket lists of generations to come and this Flare Bird is one of them. I agree with everything you said.
I missed this the first time, but am glad to have caught it on the repeat.
Love the car, love the music (glad to see Vince G getting some love outside of Charlie Brown’s Christmas), and an excellent article.
Joseph, I thank you for writing interesting and informative articles. From Wikipedia: The Green Mill is known for its jazz and poetry performances, along with its connections to Chicago mob history…, Al Capone’s favorite booth is still in the establishment located directly west of the short end of the bar. Capone and his men would sit here because it afforded clear views of both the front and back entrances to the establishment. There is still an access hatch to the tunnels located directly behind the long end of the bar that leads underneath the street to an adjacent building; this is how Capone was able to elude the authorities when he visited the Green Mill.
My sister had one of these briefly (photo in 2004 with my sister and niece). I drove it once when I was visiting her in Vancouver – pretty, but had the most lethal brakes I’ve ever experienced – there was some major friction at the top of the brake travel and once you’d pushed past that, it went limp. Probably just badly set up, but I never touched it again.
I can envision Mel Torme driving one of these, humming “Careless Hands” as he cruised down the highway.
I can envision jazz great Mel Torme driving one of these, humming “Careless Hands” as he cruised down the highway.