1970 Ford Thunderbird Base Hardtop 2-Door 7.0L

Unibody construction was abandoned as the all-new 1967 Thunderbird was now built on the ladder frame similar to (and on the same massive scale) as that under the full-size Fords. Some styling cues carried forward from the '66, including the large rear taillights, but many traditional Thunderbird elements like the phony hood scoop were gone. And, for the first time, no convertible was offered…and a four-door sedan was.

Sitting on a 115-inch wheelbase when it was a two-door and a 117-inch span when it was the four-door Landau sedan, the overwhelming styling element of the '67 Thunderbird was its massive blunt and oblong front grille with hidden headlights and a giant Thunderbird spreading its wings from side to side. The chassis was straightforward Ford with double A-arms in front and solid rear axle all suspended on coil springs.

No '67 Thunderbird weighed less than 4,200 pounds with the four-door (with Lincoln-style suicide doors) crushing the planet with 4,348 pounds of Ford fowl. But the selection of 390- and 428-cubic-inch power plants from '66 continued forward unchanged, so acceleration was muted.

The 1968 Thunderbird was a carryover of '67 with minor trim variations and new wheel covers. The 1969 edition featured another slight variation in trim with the front grille now divided by three vertical bars and the taillights redesigned.

A clever redesign disguised the fact that the 1970 Thunderbird was mostly a carryover from '69. A new nose with a pointed prow and exposed headlamps updated the front, while new taillights that seemed to droop at the ends brought up the rear. The hardtop had semifastback styling while the two- and four-door Landaus were more formal and had vinyl on their roofs. Sales totaled 50,364 Thunderbirds.

The 1971 Thunderbird was only barely updated from '70 with a new brighter grille and other slight trim variations. Sales sunk to 36,055 units as Ford was preparing a new — even bigger — car for the next year.