I was eleven when the all-new 1967 Thunderbirds rolled into the local Ford dealership’s showroom. I remember how different they looked from the 1966 model. They appeared bigger and wider and I loved that new jet-age front end styling with the big oval egg crate grille and hidden headlights. I even parted with some birthday money and bought a ’67 Thunderbird model car (and remember painting it a similar shade of turquoise). Described as a “barn find out of an estate,” this super-straight ’67 Thunderbird Landau Coupe is in Phoenix, Arizona and is for sale here on craigslist for $8,999 or best offer. The seller will deliver for free within 50 miles of Phoenix.

1967 was a pivotal year for the future direction of the Thunderbird. With increasing competition from GM, the wild success of the Mustang, and the new Cougar, Camaro, and Firebird making their debuts, Ford decided to use their rear sequential turn signal to move further over into the Luxury Lane. Thunderbird TV ads and sales literature described the new ‘Bird as “The luxury car of now that flies like the future,” and used lush words and phrases such as “elegance…beautiful appointments…personal luxury wherever you look, wherever you touch” to let you know the new Thunderbird was transitioning into Lincoln territory.

Not many details and history of the ‘Bird are shared by the seller and the photos aren’t the best, but it appears to be a solid, rust-free southwest survivor. The T-Bird has had only two owners, was sold new in Los Angeles and came to Arizona in the 70’s. It’s had one repaint to its original Code U Tropical Turquoise Metallic that looks presentable with no visible rust or dents, the black vinyl top with the “gleaming Landau “S” bars also looks good, as well as the chrome, stainless, glass and trim.

The interior of the ’67 Thunderbird continues the “jet pilot” theme from previous years and has one of the coolest cockpits around. The black interior is original and looks near perfect. The seller states there’s an inch-long tear on the side of the driver’s seat, but the dash looks great with no cracks, so it’s obvious this ‘Bird has been kept indoors the past 55 years. With luxury the new direction, the ‘67’s came loaded and this one has air conditioning, power steering, power windows, power seats, the new AMFM Stereo Multiplex Radio, and a Tilt-Away Steering Wheel. And it was the 60’s, so of course the front ash tray is included with the interior courtesy lights.

Under that long Tahoe Turquoise hood rests the ‘Bird’s dusty powerplant, the 390-cubic-inch, 4-bbl Thunderbird Special V8 that generated 315 horsepower when new. It’s mated to Ford’s SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The seller says “the car will run off a bottle and go into gear with no smoke” and believes the 31,000 miles could be original.  The new ’67 Thunderbird was a refined cloud cruiser for sure and Ford’s new direction was accepted by the public with the ’67 outselling the ’66 ‘Bird 77,976 to 69,176. I’m not sure how many of these luxury coupes are left, especially in this kind of condition, but I’m hoping the next owner can get this ‘Bird back on the road and soaring again.