![]() ![]() Standard features on the “61 model, such as power steering, bucket seats, reverse lights, and power brakes, were available as extra cost options on most other cars of the day. It was equipped with a powerful 6.4-liter FE Series V-8 engine, which produced 300-horsepower, and a Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission. The floating rearview mirror (standard on most modern vehicles) was first found on this model of the Thunderbird. The swing away steering wheel pivoted eighteen-inches to the driver’s right, when the vehicle was placed in park, allowing for easy entry and exit from the driver’s seat. The “61 model was available with several innovative accessories, including the swing-away steering wheel and floating rearview mirror. The car was nicknamed the “bullet car” because of its pointed design. The 1961 T-Bird featured a redesigned body which was much sharper in the front appearing from the side view to come to a sharp point at the front bumper. The 1961 model of the Thunderbird was the first in the product line’s third generation run. ![]() The president owned a 1961 Ford Thunderbird convertible. The fact that he appointed a Ford executive, Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense shortly after his election in 1963, seems to indicate that he must have found something particularly sound about their construction.ġ961 Ford Thunderbird Convertible JFK’s 1961 Ford Thunderbird ![]() John Fitzgerald Kennedy loved Fords and Lincolns. This is proven in the vehicles that he chose. Like most red-blooded American males, he appreciated big, shiny, powerful automobiles. Whether or not you shared his viewpoint, the fact remains that he was a popular and respected statesman, father, and patriot who rose to the highest office in the land, he was a remarkable man with a desire to serve his country and to further the betterment of mankind. As we remember the fiftieth-anniversary of the death of America’s beloved and controversial thirty-fifth President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I take this opportunity to humbly affirm what a terrible tragedy it was for a man of such brilliance and charm to be cut down in the prime of his life. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |