9/27/2023 0 Comments 1962 ford thunderbird specsThe Thunderbird Sports Roadster production was just 1,427. Thunderbird production totaled just over 78,000 vehicles. Total Ford Motor Company production for the 1962 model year was just short of 1.5 million vehicles. 205.0 inch overall length.76.0 inch width. Rear suspension included a live axle and leaf springs.ĭimensions included a 113.0 inch wheelbase. Transmission was a three speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic.īrakes were four wheel drums with power assist.įront suspension included upper and lower A-arms and coil springs. Also offered in North America was a sports V-8 which was a 390 with 340 HP. The standard engine of 390 cubic inch V8 with 300 HP. You could say however that the 62 Thunderbird could reach a formidable speed that the buyer was satisfied with. The 1962 Ford Thunderbird could obviously go quite fast although it didn’t go, as they say, Muscle Car fast. The Thunderbird Roadster could reach 0-60 mph in about 8.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 MPH. This was perhaps the biggest change to the Thunderbird’s interior to date.Another innovation was the Thunderbird’s swing away steering wheel. A large console separated the driver seat from the passenger seat. The interior of the car was designed to have each seat as individual compartments. A large lid “tonneau” fiberglass made it a two-seater coupe. The convertible was the basis for the Sports Roadster. When you look at the 62 Thunderbird, you see a styling change that actually has a fin along the side which starts at the front of the car, goes along above the door line and ends in the rear of the car. Lee Iacocca, Ford’s president at the time, knew that there were no limits to what some people could and would pay for prestige and the T-Bird gained a reputation of being above the general Ford line. The Thunderbird hopefully would bring in new buyers who were not really willing to admit they would drive a Ford. The Thunderbird would not cannibalize other Ford offerings. In other words, there were Ford automobile and Thunderbird automobiles. The oil embargo of the early 1970’s was almost a decade away and designers had no reason to think that size and fuel efficiency would become a buyer priority.įord’s plan was to have the Thunderbird stand alone to a large degree. Remember, at this point in time there was not a priority in fuel economy and size. The third generation T-Birds seemed to say bigger was better. The 62 Thunderbirds and others of the third generation picked up the reputation of being well engineered with a steel unibody and beautifully styled. When you look at this automobile you are looking at an aerodynamic form that was easily twenty years ahead of its time. These new Thunderbird models appeared with new and much sleeker styling. This particular model is of the third generation (61-63). Mustang story in as much as the Thunderbird became a luxury sports car with more creature comforts and then turned into a four seater. The Thunderbird however was not a Camaro vs. No question that the Thunderbird was initially Ford’s answer to the Chevy Corvette.
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