Ford continued its winning personal luxury formula with the all-new 1961 Thunderbird, which would eventually become known as the Bullet Bird.

As we detailed in our feature on the 1958-60 Thunderbirds (“Marketing Coup: The 1958-60 Ford Thunderbird,” April 2, 2019) Ford stumbled onto a winning package when it expanded the original ’55-’57 Thunderbird platform from a two-seater into a four-seater. Sales shot straight through the roof. So when it came time to give the T-Bird  new sheet metal for 1961, Ford was careful not to tamper with with the basic formula. While the the styling was completely new, the packaging and proportions remained unchanged.

In fact, there’s a direct reference to this cautious strategy in the original Ford commercial spot below. “Notice, it’s not a hair wider nor a tenth of an inch longer than the Thunderbirds you’ve known before,” the announcer purrs. “It is simply more Thunderbird than ever.” This new T-Bird’s look was considerably cleaner yet more dramatic than the previous generation, with a missile-like profile that inspired the nickname Bullet Bird.

There was but one powertrain choice, an FE-series 390 CID V8 coupled to a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The emphasis here was on style and luxury, with a a rainbow of 19 exterior colors, 16 interior combinations, and an endless list of comfort and convenience options. It was in ’61 that a signature T-Bird feature, the Swing-Away Steering Wheel, first appeared. Video below.