Ford Thunderbird (fifth generation)

Ford Thunderbird Fifth generation
1968 Ford Thunderbird
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1966−1971
Model years	1967−1971
Assembly	United States: Wixom Assembly Plant, Wixom, Michigan
Body and chassis
Class	Personal luxury car
Body style	2-door hardtop coupe 2-door landau 4-door pillared hardtop landau sedan
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Chassis	body-on-frame
Related	Continental Mark III
Powertrain
Engine	390 cu in (6.4 L) FE V8 428 cu in (7.0 L) FE V8 429 cu in (7.0 L) 385 V8
Transmission	3-speed Cruise-o-Matic automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2-door models: 115 in (2,921 mm) [1] 4-door Landau: 117.2 in (2977 mm)
Length	2-door models: 206.9 in (5,255 mm) 4-door Landau: 209.4 in (5,319 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Thunderbird (fourth generation)
Successor	Ford Thunderbird (sixth generation)

The fifth generation Ford Thunderbird is a large personal luxury car series, produced by Ford for the 1967–1971 model years.

This fifth generation saw the second major change of direction for the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird had fundamentally remained the same in concept through 1966, although the design had been revised twice. The debut of the Ford Mustang in early 1964, and subsequent introduction of the larger, more upmarket Mercury Cougar, to compete with the similarly larger Dodge Charger – Chrysler's more upscale answer to Ford and G.M.'s pony cars^[2] – began to erode the Thunderbird sales and drove it to still get larger, with Ford even introducing four-door Thunderbird Landaus.

In fact, for 1969 the Continental Mark III was launched as a two-door only personal luxury coupé, that was based directly on the four-door, 117 in (2.97 m) wheelbase Thunderbird chassis, and from that point until the end of 1976, Ford Thunderbirds and Continental Marks were related cars. They would share commonality again later from 1984–1998.