2028 Ford Thunderbird: Should The Iconic T-Bird Rise From The Ashes As An EV?

[XR7-4.6]

Mine looks just like that.

Mercury did you the Cougar emblem and an actual cougar for some time for advertising.

I want to say they put the Cougar badge on the Lynx steering wheel too, maybe even the original Topaz? Yeah that making a popular model a "brand" worked out well for Mercury in the end. Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

 

[Sniper83rdID]

5500 sounds high but I wouldn't be surprised. What many people don't realize is those 60s Tbirds were unibody cars, not BOF, and since they were luxury models designed to be convertibles from the start they are way way way overengineered with thick steel so they wouldn't be flexible rattle traps like most cheaper unibody cars from the era (Falcon, Mustang et al).

That's part of the reason I like the 58-60s, they're unibody too but for whatever reason they're closer to MN12 weight - 3700-3800lbs, featherweights in comparison. Though probably over 4000 with the 430.

Oh, but that 430 was worth them extra couple hundred pounds....

 

[Grog6]

There was an old guy here in town, that had a shitload of cars. He also owned the harriman oil co, we're apparently on a pipeline. He bought gas for his cars; Leaded premium, Alcohol-free premium and regular and midgrade, On one particular pump. It was the same price as the other gas. I used to tun into his buddy that read the pumps, and kept an eye on them. I'd be headed out at 5:30, and grabbed gas on the way out of town twice a week. He filled me in on the gas; I'd already noticed that those pumps were different, lol. 3-5 mpg more per tank rules. He died in 04; now the pumps are off, and the building is a restaurant.
Some one said his son sent his cars to barrett jackson.

 

[White Lincoln]

I agree we need to go back to an engine, Trans and wheels. But people don't like having to maintain a car or fight with gas prices. I like my electric windows, seats, A/C and all the amenities that go with it. How much are people willing to give for simplicity?

 

[XR7-4.6]

I agree we need to go back to an engine, Trans and wheels. But people don't like having to maintain a car or fight with gas prices. I like my electric windows, seats, A/C and all the amenities that go with it. How much are people willing to give for simplicity?

EVs aren’t the longterm solution to gas prices proponents like to claim they will be. They’re currently something like 5% of new cars sold and the percentage mixed with total cars new and old on the roads is even lower. If the whole fleet switched to electric as many people seem confident will happen in a decade or two you think your local monopoly of a utility company won’t gouge you on your electric bill on peak hours just as BP, chevron et al do at the pumps? If not worse? The last decade has been the EV golden era if you’re patient enough to wait an hour to charge your 6,000lb egg car; with numerous government incentives and effectively “free” charging making them alluring, but those days won’t last forever and already seem like are coming to reality.

As for many of the amenities mentioned, A/C, electric windows etc, those were around since the 50s. I’m not looking to go back to the Model T. Having that stuff not all linked together on a canbus to a body control module is a small ask however, and that is a last 20 years development that is pure stupidity based on the false greedy intention that dealer techs could diagnose literally every fault with a scan tool quicker than not…. Until the BCM is the problem… oops.

Power seats is a soapbox issue for me. You buy a car, you set the seat for your unique body type and comfort level and done. Do you get your clothes tailored for you every day? No. Same goes with seats. You need to haul around 20-40lbs of electric motors and a rupe Goldberg track design for a one time use item? One lever and two knobs could substitute all electric features on a MN12 power seat and you’d never have to worry about the tracks getting gummy from non use or the motor transmission cracking. Want memory seats? Put dials on the lever and knobs and write them down. Simple engineering, electronics aren’t always the answer.

On that note if temps are below 80s the old school flow through ventilation systems as well as vent windows were very effective at keeping cool without running AC all the time. No car from any make however has made a car with a either for 40 years unfortunately but a 60s car designed without AC is a less miserable experience than a modern with AC not working, windows down isn’t enough.

I think we got it drilled into our heads that electronic technology is the only technology and that simple mechanical stuff is archaic. To me good engineering is good engineering a bad engineering is bad engineering, and I find more electric tech falling into the latter category than not as it proliferates our lives.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

My issue with EVs is their use of resources.

To build an EV battery, you need anywhere between 50x and 100x the natural resources needed to build a hybrid battery.

In city traffic, a hybrid (without a plug) can be up to twice as efficient as a conventional ICE. So you save half the emissions, yet you only used 1/50 to 1/100 of the resources needed to produce an EV. Not to mention that the hybrid uses existing infrastructure.

The technology is on the shelf, the infrastructure is in place, there's absolutely no reason why every single new car wouldn't be a hybrid. But a premature move to EVs, mostly fueled by Tesla marketing, has distracted from hybrids.


I agree with the points on the power seats. I count notches to find my position.


Fully integrated electronics can be cool. The VW community loves OBDeleven, a programming devise that allows you to alter all kinds of the car's behaviors. Reconfigure lights, remote control windows, add alarm, change dash layouts...there are endless options.
But I also agree that diagnostics simplicity is an advantage.

 

[97teebs]

Very simple solution here not that Ford would do it.
Thunderbird - v8 as we know them
T-bird - hipster v6 with all the bs electronics or creature features as I call them
E-bird an EV thunderbird. All the same body style different trim packages for the different walks of life, everyone wins. Cheaper to mass produce cause they all use the same body. Win win win in my little book.

 

[97teebs]

Very simple solution here not that Ford would do it.
Thunderbird - v8 as we know them
T-bird - hipster v6 with all the bs electronics or creature features as I call them
E-bird an EV thunderbird. All the same body style different trim packages for the different walks of life, everyone wins. Cheaper to mass produce cause they all use the same body. Win win win in my little book.

Special editions could be the Turbo Coupe and the Super Coupe. But this time turbo and super charged v8.

 

[97 30th]

EVs aren’t the longterm solution to gas prices proponents like to claim they will be. They’re currently something like 5% of new cars sold and the percentage mixed with total cars new and old on the roads is even lower. If the whole fleet switched to electric as many people seem confident will happen in a decade or two you think your local monopoly of a utility company won’t gouge you on your electric bill on peak hours just as BP, chevron et al do at the pumps? If not worse? The last decade has been the EV golden era if you’re patient enough to wait an hour to charge your 6,000lb egg car; with numerous government incentives and effectively “free” charging making them alluring, but those days won’t last forever and already seem like are coming to reality.

As for many of the amenities mentioned, A/C, electric windows etc, those were around since the 50s. I’m not looking to go back to the Model T. Having that stuff not all linked together on a canbus to a body control module is a small ask however, and that is a last 20 years development that is pure stupidity based on the false greedy intention that dealer techs could diagnose literally every fault with a scan tool quicker than not…. Until the BCM is the problem… oops.

Power seats is a soapbox issue for me. You buy a car, you set the seat for your unique body type and comfort level and done. Do you get your clothes tailored for you every day? No. Same goes with seats. You need to haul around 20-40lbs of electric motors and a rupe Goldberg track design for a one time use item? One lever and two knobs could substitute all electric features on a MN12 power seat and you’d never have to worry about the tracks getting gummy from non use or the motor transmission cracking. Want memory seats? Put dials on the lever and knobs and write them down. Simple engineering, electronics aren’t always the answer.

On that note if temps are below 80s the old school flow through ventilation systems as well as vent windows were very effective at keeping cool without running AC all the time. No car from any make however has made a car with a either for 40 years unfortunately but a 60s car designed without AC is a less miserable experience than a modern with AC not working, windows down isn’t enough.

I think we got it drilled into our heads that electronic technology is the only technology and that simple mechanical stuff is archaic. To me good engineering is good engineering a bad engineering is bad engineering, and I find more electric tech falling into the latter category than not as it proliferates our lives.

Agree 99% The memory power seats and mirrors on the wife's car are great. Hit a button and it's set for me, hit it when I'm done and it's set for her. We both drive that one but that's it. She doesn't drive my stuff unless it would be an emergency.