Ford Thunderbird "Italy" - uniquely fast rear end
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Summary
As part of a traveling exhibition, a one-off called "Italy" based on the third Ford Thunderbird generation was shown in various countries and cities. In contrast to the production model, this particular Thunderbird had an elegant hatchback. The car should actually have been scrapped after its active period, but fortunately the coupé escaped this fate and has survived to this day. This vehicle report tells the story of the "Italy" and shows it in historical and current images.
This article contains the following chapters
- Design trends
- Presentation in 1963 and 1964
- A "custom car"
- Plastic roof
- Almost destroyed
Estimated reading time: 4min
Preview (beginning of the article)
There are remarkable cars that have remained more or less a marginal note in automotive history despite their good facilities. One of these is probably the Ford Thunderbird "Italy", which was created to bring new fashions closer to the Americans. The so-called "fastback", or hatchback as it is known in Germany, was "invented" early on in the design history of the automobile. It was hoped that it would improve aerodynamics. Even before the Second World War, it was used for cars that were mostly produced in small numbers (and usually expensive). Examples include the Auburn Cabin Speedster and the Cadillac V16 Aerodynamic Coupé by Fleetwood. The Americans were among the pioneers in this respect, but the Europeans also came up with the idea of a sloping rear end early on, as demonstrated by the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic or the teardrop coupés based on Talbot-Lago and other brands. In principle, the VW Beetle and the Porsche 356 also had a hatchback.
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