General Information

Serial #

160308

Part Number

1

Total Parts

15

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal body and parts/ Glass windows, mirrors / Synthetic dashboard, steering column and wheel, controls, door interiors, seat covering, parts/ Fabric or synthetic fabric carpet and roof interior/ Rubber pedals and tires

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

467.0 cm

Width

167.0 cm

Height

183.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

2028.0

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive vehicles

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Ford

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

British Columbia

Period

1965 +

Canada

This car belonged in its history to two very important Canadian-born celebrities in the music world, first owner being Burton Cummings and the second one, Randy Bachman. Both gained the status of iconic rock stars during their career, notably with the internationally known rock band The Guess Who and the Bachman-Turner Overdrive band. Their achievements include numerous multi platinum and gold recordings and notable industry awards. Both car owners, Cummings and Bachman, wrote and co wrote songs that became hits like "These Eyes", "Laughing", "Undun", "American Woman", "Takin' Care of Business", etc, not only in Canada but also in U.S. They are still active in the music world. Bachman bought the car from Cummings because he loved it since he first saw it in the late 1970's. Bachman once had a 1961 Thunderbird but sold it because it was not practical in the snow. Now living in British Columbia, he bought the car from Cummings when he was ready to sell it. We have this story written by him in supplementary information. This car is also significant because it is featured on the jacket of the Thunderbird Trax CD prepared by Bachman and Cummings when they joined again and released for the "Bachman-Cummings First Time Around" tour in June 2006. Inside the case, the insert tells the story of these tracks and how they came to be. Cummings and Bachman had met at Bachman's tool shed to record songs demo in 1987. They had each one a set of master tapes. One was given to Cummings when he left and he put it in the car and forgot about it. When Bachman bought the car some years later (in 2002) from Cummings, he had it restored. Along with other things found in the trunk, the tape of the songs was given to him. This was the only copy left of all these songs they did together. They were put on digital format and were released on CD. In general, Thunderbird cars had an appeal to Canadians. Today, there are collectors' groups existing throughout Canada like the Southern Ontario Thunderbird Club, the Calgary Thunderbird Club, Vancouver Island Thunderbird Club, Vintage Thunderbird Club International - Club Renaissance Thunderbird du Québec et Okanagan Classic Thunderbird Club, Totem Classic.

Function

An owner driven passenger vehicle for general personal transportation.

Technical

The Ford Thunderbird is one of a small number of iconic, post-W.W.II North American automobiles. It was the first of an entirely new vehicle type within North American market. Its particular combination of qualities and characteristics mark it as what is known as the original "personal luxury car", a classification that subsequently included such well-known names from other major builders as the Studebaker Avanti, the Pontiac Grand Prix, the Buick Riviera, and the Cadillac Eldorado. What sets the Thunderbird apart from earlier luxury vehicles is the fact that it was mass produced and mass marketed (creating therefore a new market segment as well as vehicle type), and over time, had notable cultural influence. The Ford Thunderbird was first introduced to the public at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show and remained on the Ford catalogue until 2005. It went underwent continuous redesign (eleven generations) throughout its long history with the 1960s being arguably notable both for the stylistic and technical features that were introduced during that decade, and also for the fact that, thereafter, the model began to decline, at least in terms of cultural influence and market share within the Ford line-up. Lewis D. Crusoe (retired GM executive), Frank Hershey (designer for Ford) and George Walker (chief stylist for Ford) are considered as the creators of the first Thunderbird. Another reference says the designers are Bill Burnett, William F. Boyer and Franklyn Quick Hershey. This example is from the Fourth Generation called as "Flair Birds" or "Jet Birds". The car is described with aviation terms like cockpit, aircraft instrumentation that places controls fingertip-close. Ford promoted the Thunderbird in its 1965 catalogue as "Is this the year you make the private world of Thunderbird part of your own?" The 1965 Thunderbird had new equipment like front disc brakes as standard equipment which improved considerably the braking distance (fault before), sequential turn signals. 74 972 Thunderbirds were produced in 1965. Thunderbird cars were discontinued in 1997 but then reintroduced in 2002 as a distinctly retro two-seater closely modeled on the original design. Unfortunately, sales proved disappointing after the first year and the Thunderbird was finally removed from the Ford product line in 2005.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Plated metal lettering reading 'Thunderbird' [in script] on dashboard and on exterior sides at back

Missing

Unknown

Finish

Glossy black painted exterior with chrome plated trim, window frames, grilles, bumpers, mirrors, handles, parts/ Colourless, transparent glass/ Black interior including dashboard, door and roof interiors, seat coverings and floor carpet/ Black steering wheel with plated gear shift and parts/ Red and white lamps/ Plated, red and black painted hub caps/ Black tires/ Brown wood? interior door handle insert/ Trunk lined with grey and white checked synthetic/ Black tires with white stripe/ Black pedals

Decoration

Thunderbird logo on front, back and both sides of roof at back/ Plated wing logo on each side near front/ Plated conical ornament on exterior sides at front/ Chrome plated trim on exterior and interior