{"id":1137,"date":"2013-02-09T16:44:35","date_gmt":"2013-02-09T16:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml"},"modified":"2021-05-29T02:44:37","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T02:44:37","slug":"sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml","title":{"rendered":"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nIn response to Hooniverse’s 4 part series of Thunderbird brochures (1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>) in their R.A-S.H. series. R.A-S.H. stands for “Rusty’s Archive of Showroom Hyperbole”, so I’ve called this, creatively<\/strike>, S.A-S.H. or Salguod’s Archive of Showroom Hyperbole. Archive is likely incorrect as I’m unlikely to do this again, but i digress.
\nSince the R.A-S.H. posts were mostly taken on the ‘bonnet’ of his ’98 Audi A4, I decided it only fitting to photograph this on the hood of my 1960 Thunderbird Convertible. Let’s have a look at ‘The World’s Most Wanted Car<\/em>‘.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\n“Thunderbird – one of the great all-time automotive classics!<\/em>”
\nThis is year 3 of the first of the 4 seat Thunderbirds. The Squarebirds, as they’ve come to be known, were a resounding sales success. The ’60 alone was the best selling T’bird until the ’77 models came out, out selling all 3 years of the 2 seaters combined. However, until recently, the 4 seat T’birds, and the Squarebirds in particular, were the red headed step children of the Thunderbird universe. Even though the 4 seaters are gaining popularity and respect now, there’s still a 2 seat vs. 4 seat divide in the T’bird world, even among parts suppliers. It was certainly one of the most desirable cars at the time, but to call it an all-time classic when new was certainly a stretch.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\n“Just say “Thunderbird”!
\nThe very name evokes an image of glamour and spirit and distinction. This beautiful car comes by its beauty naturally. You won’t find another car with lines so clean. So unaffected. So smart.<\/em>”
\nYou want hyberbole? This is 1960, we’ve got hyperbole.
\n“Sports car roadability and luxury car comfort.<\/em>”
\nYeah, if 0-60 in 10+ seconds, body roll and a floaty ride are “sports car roadability” and a tight-for-4 interior is ‘comfort’.
\n“Fully automatic, the top disappears completely!<\/em>”
\nAlong with 75% of the already meager trunk space. Actually, and I’m biased here, but this is pretty cool. The predecessor to the system on the 4 door Continental Convertible, the 1960 T’bird’s top goes down from the driver’s seat, with a flip of the two windsheild latches (conveniently left out of the brochure) and engaging the switch. The deck-lid rises, the top goes down and the deck-lid closes, leaving a clean, finsihed appearance. No boot to fuss with. It’s not a simple system with a hydraulic pump, 4 cylinders, 12 relays and numerous limit switches and solenoids. Should the system fail and you need to access the trunk, you jack the car, remove the wheels, drop the fuel tank and disconnect the hydraulic cylinders in back and the deck-lid latches through small access holes under the car. Thankfully, the system is actually pretty reliable if used regularly.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nDecades before Photoshop, that top image is a retouched lie. They’ve used the split created by the lady’s arm to stretch the rear seat leg room to about 3 times actual. Compare to the green interior below.
\nThe bellman on the left is thinking “Lady, I’m not sure this is gonna close.” Yes, the trunk is 5′ 5″ wide, but it’s not deep enough for a full paper grocery sack to stand upright. This page talks about Thunderbird’s ‘compact’ dimensions, but that only applies to the interior, it’s nearly as long and wide as my 8 passenger Saturn Outlook.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nAccessories “To add an extra measure of comfort and pleasure.<\/em>” Luxurious things like backup lights and a window washer. Check out the sliding steel sunroof, on an American car in 1960.
\n\"Thunderbird<\/a><\/span>
\n300 or 350 HP, but that’s gross, not the now standard SAE net. As I said before, the base engine isn’t particularly quick. It does feel quick, especially if you pay attention and put it in D1 so you don’t start in second gear. Note, however, that you could get your ‘luxury’ car with a 3 speed stick – on the column. Note that there’s nothing hiding those beautiful V8s and that the top image is actually a painting<\/em> of the engine, not a photograph.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nWhat strikes be the most on this page is how bad that top image is. Look at how blurry the people are. The image is so bad, that all the detail on the car – the grille, headlights, door cut line, quarter panel trim – is airbrushed in.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nOh, for the days of “15 Luxury Lounge<\/em>” interiors, 56 different two tone exteriors and honest to goodness colors. Modern cars have maybe 10 colors and 6 of them are grey.
\nI hope the fellow Hoons at Hooniverse will forgive my plagiarism<\/strike> borrowing of their format. I’ve always been a fan of auto literature (I have boxes of the stuff from all the shows I’ve been to) and enjoy the R.A-S.H. posts. With their 4 T’bird themed entries this week, it seemed fitting.
\n\"1960<\/a><\/span>
\nDisclaimer:- All photos were taken by the author and are of genuine original manufacturer publicity material, resting on the hood of a 1960 Thunderbird, currently in hibernation awaiting warmer days. All copyright rights remain in the possession of the manufacturer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to Hooniverse’s 4 part series of Thunderbird brochures (1, 2, 3, 4) in their R.A-S.H. series. R.A-S.H. stands for “Rusty’s Archive of Showroom Hyperbole”, so I’ve called this,Read More S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nS.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In response to Hooniverse’s 4 part series of Thunderbird brochures (1, 2, 3, 4) in their R.A-S.H. series. R.A-S.H. stands for “Rusty’s Archive of Showroom Hyperbole”, so I’ve called this,Read More S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"salguod.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-02-09T16:44:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-29T02:44:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.salguod.net\/weblog\/assets_c\/2013\/02\/P1090802-thumb-500x375-1929.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Doug Schaefer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@salguod\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Doug Schaefer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml\",\"name\":\"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-02-09T16:44:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-29T02:44:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2237e297e41300051087d8791343043f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"salguod.net\",\"description\":\"Stuff I Think Up\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2237e297e41300051087d8791343043f\",\"name\":\"Doug Schaefer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8dde291ac4514740353f4bb9cbd9418?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8dde291ac4514740353f4bb9cbd9418?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Doug Schaefer\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/salguod.net\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/salguod\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/author\/salguod\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net","og_description":"In response to Hooniverse’s 4 part series of Thunderbird brochures (1, 2, 3, 4) in their R.A-S.H. series. R.A-S.H. stands for “Rusty’s Archive of Showroom Hyperbole”, so I’ve called this,Read More S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird","og_url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml","og_site_name":"salguod.net","article_published_time":"2013-02-09T16:44:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-29T02:44:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.salguod.net\/weblog\/assets_c\/2013\/02\/P1090802-thumb-500x375-1929.jpg"}],"author":"Doug Schaefer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@salguod","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Doug Schaefer","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml","url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml","name":"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird - salguod.net","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-02-09T16:44:35+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-29T02:44:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2237e297e41300051087d8791343043f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2013\/02\/sa-sh_the_1960_thunderbird.shtml#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"S.A-S.H.: The 1960 Thunderbird"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/","name":"salguod.net","description":"Stuff I Think Up","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2237e297e41300051087d8791343043f","name":"Doug Schaefer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8dde291ac4514740353f4bb9cbd9418?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8dde291ac4514740353f4bb9cbd9418?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Doug Schaefer"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/salguod.net","https:\/\/twitter.com\/salguod"],"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/author\/salguod"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":683,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2007\/05\/goodbye_wixom.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":0},"title":"Goodbye Wixom","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"May 31, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Today marks the final day of the factory in which my T'bird was born. Ford's Wixom MI assembly plant will close today after more than 50 years of assembling some of Ford's finest cars including Thunderbirds, Lincoln Continentals, Lincoln Mark IV's and Lincoln Town Cars. Some facts: Groundbreaking in 1955.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Driving"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Driving","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/cars-and-driving"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":667,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2007\/04\/squarebird_ranc.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":1},"title":"Squarebird Ranchero","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"April 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"What happens when one mixes a 1958 Thunderbird and a 1977 Chevy Blazer 4x4? This goofiness. What this crazy world really needs is a 450 horsepower, Chevy powered, four wheel drive, Ford Thunderbird pickup truck, right? According to the auction, \"If you want to stand out among the crowd in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Driving"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Driving","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/cars-and-driving"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.salguod.net\/weblog\/images\/squarebird_ranchero_7_sm_salguod_net_image_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":370,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2005\/08\/tbird_links.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":2},"title":"T’bird Links","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"August 16, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I've begun posting stuff about my Thunderbird, I decided to add a category of links to Thunderbird sites to my blogroll. These are sites with info or message boards, not parts vendors. The Thunderbird Cybernest is the host of several Yahoo Groups dedicated to the various iterations of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Salguod.net stuff"","block_context":{"text":"Salguod.net stuff","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/salguod-net-stuff"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":304,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2005\/04\/time_to_get_the_1.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":3},"title":"Time to Get The Old ‘Bird Out","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"April 9, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"This weekend is supposed to be 70+ degrees and sunny both days. What a change from last weekend's driving snow. Being the first real spring weekend, it was time to get the old T'bird out again. That's my 1960 Thunderbird convertible at the right, ready to take on spring. Well,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Driving"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Driving","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/cars-and-driving"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":232,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2004\/12\/lenos_toronado.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":4},"title":"Leno’s Toronado","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"December 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Check this car out. It's Jay Leno's Custom 1966 Olds Toronado. I have a soft spot in my heart for 60's American cars and Oldmobiles in general (I learned to drive on Dad's 1977 Cutlass), but I've always loved the early Toronados. Lots of style, room and power. Well, this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Driving"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Driving","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/cars-and-driving"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":332,"url":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/2005\/05\/tbird_help.shtml","url_meta":{"origin":1137,"position":5},"title":"T’bird Help","author":"Doug Schaefer","date":"May 14, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is mostly for folks from the Squarebirds group at Yahoo groups, but I know I have at least one gear head reader that might be able to help. I bought a new Fuel pump for the old 'bird, to try to get it back on the road. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cars and Driving"","block_context":{"text":"Cars and Driving","link":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/cars-and-driving"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1166,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salguod.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}