The 1964-66 Flair Birds were the most luxurious Thunderbirds to date, and they signaled a clear change in direction for Ford’s popular personal-luxury car.

The fourth-generation Ford Thunderbird introduced in 1964 wasn’t exactly an all-new car, but it was totally fresh on the outside. Styled by L. David Ash and Art Querfeld under the direction of Ford design chief Gene Bordinat, the Flair Bird, as it would eventually be labeled by T-Bird enthusiasts, sported new exterior sheet metal over the same unit-construction platform used on the Bullet Bird Thunderbirds of 1961-63.

The crisp and carefully chiseled lines projected luxury and substance, and indeed: this latest Thunderbird weighed more than 4600 lbs at the curb—more than hefty for a four-passenger coupe. Meanwhile, with prices in the $4500 range, this new ‘Bird was by far the most expensive car to wear a Ford badge in ’64-’66. That was a few hundred dollars more than even the Buick Riviera, Ford’s new competitor in the personal-luxury class. The top line in Thunderbird advertising for the Flair Bird years was “The Private World of Thunderbird,” painting a picture of exclusivity and prestige.

Along with their hawk-like styling, the Flair Birds might be remembered best for their compelling gimmicks and gadgets. The gee-whiz features included the Swing-Away Steering Wheel, a T-Bird signature item first seen in 1961, sequential rear turn signals, and the wrap-around rear-seat layout shown above. Reportedly, the sequential lamps were ready for introduction in ’64, but the feature spooked state highway officials so much that it was held back until ’65. In ’66, an overhead display console with warning lamps was introduced. The cocktail-lounge rear seat arrangement may seem like a trivial detail today, but in the ’60s it was a sensation.

There was but one drivetrain available in ’64-’65, a 390 CID V8 coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission with a column shifter, but for ’66, a 428 CID V8 with 345 hp was made optional. There were three body styles: Hardtop Coupe, a Convertible with a top mechanism that folded into the trunk, and the Landau Coupe with faux. landau irons and padded vinyl top.

In ’66 the Town Landau and Town Hardtop models were introduced, featuring a revised  greenhouse that eliminated the rear quarter windows in favor of a more formal roofline. The Town Landau (below) proved to be the best seller of the Flair Bird era with more than 35,000 cars delivered in a single year. The Thunderbird was continuing its steady march from sport-luxury to full-blown luxury car, and in the following year the transformation would be nearly complete. There was no convertible in the ’67 Thunderbird line, but there was a four-door sedan.