 (1967 Ford Thunderbird Tudor Hardtop shown at left)
1967 Thunderbird Trivia:
1967 was the fourth best sales year to date for the Thunderbird. The Tudor
Hardtop and the new Fordor Landau appeared in most of the advertising for
the year, but the most popular model was the Tudor Landau—despite
the fact that virtually all of the advertising ignored it!
While appearances may suggest otherwise, very few parts are interchangeable
between the 1967 Thunderbird and its 1968-1969 counterparts, making this
year one of the most difficult to find parts for since most of them are
one year only parts. For instance, the front fenders do not have the side
marker light openings that the later cars have, the interior door panels
attach to the door inner panels differently, and even the instrument panel,
gauges, radios, and other accessories were exclusive to 1967. Things you'd
never expect to change did, for instance the standard equipment driver's
side remote control rear view mirror. The glass and mirror housing were
enlarged slightly for the 1968 model year, a requirement mandated by the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The change is minor and the mounting
bracket is still the same, but the smaller 1967 mirrors are not correct
(and are actually illegal) on the later models, which could explain why
so few cars during this period have the companion right hand manual rear
view mirror: they were illegal after 1967!
An interesting option available only this year was the "rolling door
lock" feature that was part of the Convenience Check Group. It automatically
locked all doors at approximately 8 mph. Vacuum pressure was applied to
prevent the doors from being unlocked accidentally until the car slowed
below 8 mph, at which point the doors could be unlocked with the door lock
control switch mounted on the center console, or by pulling up on the lock
plunger manually.
This would be the final year for standard Tilt-Away Steering Wheel and
Front Bucket Seats and Console. The competition was selling well with a
front bench seat, which also increased available passenger capacity to
a new level in the T-Bird. |
