![]() Legendary designer Larry Shinoda, of Corvette fame and thus a fan of pointed noses in his work, penned the beak. Others refer to this as simply a “long nose”, like the one found on the 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix. At this time, the manager introduced a design quirk to the Ford Thunderbird called the Bunkie Beak by enthusiasts. Upon leaving GM, “Bunkie" became the President of Ford for a very brief stint. Joining the company before the United States had entered the Second World War, he worked his way up the ranks of Pontiac before departing in 1968. Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen had a long and successful history as a General Motors executive. Two legends from GM came together at Ford to create the eagle like beak of the Thunderbird in 1970. In 1970 the Thunderbird not only was the height of luxury but could also had the performance to match, accelerating to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds. By 1970 the Lincoln Continental Mark III shared the four-door Thunderbird chassis, and well into the 70's these were related cars sharing a great deal of engineering DNA. However, with the introduction of the Mustang in the early 60's, Ford's ponycar took on the fight with GM's Corvette and later the Camaro and the Thunderbird was then marketed as a personal luxury car for the executive class in need of a luxurious vehicle that was above the more youthful and economy-based Mustangs. The early two seat Thunderbirds of the 50's were intended to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette. The 1970 Ford Thunderbird and its facelift debut in 1970 is a very interesting automotive history story. Power Steering, Brakes, Windows, and Locks ![]() New Gas Tank, Fuel Lines, Brakes and Brake Lines
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