12/10/2023 0 Comments 1979 thunderbird padankyMy brother had a T-Bird of this era and it was a great car, have any of you owned one? As expected, it runs perfectly and this car is a fly-in-and-drive-home deal. The engine is Ford’s 351 cubic-inch V8 which would have had around 150 horsepower. 1979 would be the last year of the midsized LTD II-based Thunderbird before they were resized again. The underside is reportedly as nice as everything else is. This one has perfect ribbed velour both front and back and the seller says that everything works right down to having ice-cold air-conditioning. Surprisingly, but not really, there are no power windows on this Thunderbird and it’s a rare T-Bird of this generation that shows up here on Barn Finds with leather seats. The seventh-generation Thunderbird was made for three years, 1977, 1978, and 1979. Hopefully that’s easy to change as those are most likely $10 exhaust tips from the neighborhood auto parts store and they would come off in the first 0.01 seconds if I owned this otherwise elegant, beautiful, understated luxury car. One thing that’s a big nay for me is the exhaust poking out of the back like that. The “polycast” wheels sure look great and they’re original to the car. I’m trying to decide on these wheels with whitewall tires: yea or nay? As long as the tires are fairly new I’d keep them. It’s not surprising that the headlight doors work given the incredible condition of this car. The headlights work! Those of us who have owned cars with hidden headlights know that sometimes they don’t open, stay open all the time, or they’re winking at you – as in only one side opens or closes. There is no reserve and the current bid price is $4,650. They’re selling it to help the family settle the estate and it can be found listed here on eBay in The Queen City: Cincinnati, Ohio. The "Heritage" option remained available into the next generation of the car.This 1979 Ford Thunderbird appears to be in beautiful condition inside and out and according to the seller, it has been a one-family-owned car since new. It included basically the same optional equipment, still with only two color options available: Heritage Maroon or Heritage Baby Blue. In 1979, a similar option package was available named "Heritage". This option was available on the Lincoln Continental Mark V as well for the much more substantial cost of US$23,000. Later in production, Ford offered Leather as an option, and offered white as an exterior color with blue or white trim and interior. It was originally available in only two colors- Diamond Jubilee exclusive "diamond blue" metallic, or "standard issue" ember metallic both with matching velour cloth seats with a "biscuit" design. Naturally, it included every option available except for a moonroof and an engine block heater. This option package escalated the price of the car to almost US$12,000, virtually doubling the base price. In 1978, Ford offered the "Diamond Jubilee Edition" Thunderbird to commemorate the company's 75th year as an auto manufacturer. The 400 was dropped in 1979 with the introduction of CAFE requirements. Although power was definitely down by 1977, the lighter car did compensate. In California, the 351 was the only engine available. The base engine was the 302 cu in (4.9 L) Windsor V8, while the larger 351 cu in (5.8 L) 351M and 400 cu in (6.6 L) and T-tops were available as options along with the 351W. A substantial part of the weight reduction was in the drivetrain, where a small-block V8 replaced the heavy big-block V8 of previous years. It also inspired Ford to market a smaller version called the Ford Fairmont Futura coupe and the Mercury Zephyr Z-7 variants.Ĭompared to the 1972-1976 T-Birds, the car lost 10 inches (254 mm) of length and 900 lb (408 kg) of weight, while height and width were essentially unchanged. In essence, this generation was really a continuation of the 1974-76 Ford Elite, Ford's successful first attempt at competing in the market created by the Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Helped by a $2,700 drop in price from 1976, this generation was by far the most popular in Thunderbird history, with over 318,000 sold in 1977 and 352,000 in 1978 (the best single sales year in Thunderbird history), followed by 295,000 in 1979. The squarer, sharper styling was popular, and this generation of Thunderbird sold well. For the 1977 through 1979 model years, the Thunderbird nameplate was shifted to the smaller 114" wheelbase chassis that underpinned the 1972-76 Ford Torino and its replacement, the concurrent 1977-79 LTD II, as Ford's first effort at downsizing the car.
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