Veteran Ford designer Gale Halderman, who worked on every generation of Thunderbird from 1958 to 1989, recalled a general feeling that the Thunderbird had to grow larger, too, to maintain its position in the sales race. The General Motors coupes were larger than the Thunderbird and, beginning in 1966, offered more conventional interior layouts. That said, it is nonetheless clear that from 1964 on, the product planners responsible for the Thunderbird were carefully watching the General Motors 'E-bodies' in their rearview mirror - and perhaps paying a little less attention to the road ahead.

Even as late as 1971, neither the fabulous boattail Riviera nor the new and outlandishly gothic Toronado could out-gun a five-year-old Thunderbird body shell wearing a year-old face lift. The Riviera snuck past the Thunderbird in 1969, only to be slammed back in its place in 1970. In 1967, the Thunderbird beat the Riviera and Toronado combined it even finished ahead of the lower-priced Pontiac Grand Prix every year from 1964 to 1968.

In the 1960s, the Ford Thunderbird ruled the full-size, personal-luxury segment, consistently outselling the Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Cadillac Eldorado. The 1967 Ford Thunderbird was dominant in theįull-size luxury market. If GM's cars were big, the 1967-1971 Ford Thunderbird would be, too. Anxious to preserve the Thunderbird's popularity, Ford planners warily eyed General Motors's moves in the personal-luxury market.

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