25,550 miles thunderbird

Topic: 25,550 miles thunderbird (Read 3618 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #30 – October 07, 2005, 04:57:40 PM

Shows and trophies are all that, but nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, compares to an eight year boy coming up to you when you're out working on the car and saying "That's some nice car, mister!", which has happened to me a couple of times.

I've also gotten into the car when it was in a parking lot and overheard the teens nearby saying "That's the fast one. It's a Police Interceptor" :rollin:That incident alone made my putting that PI emblem on the back worth it (and to think I originally only put it there to piss off a co-worker that was a cop wannabe, to show off that I had the emblem and he didn't. He almost had a heart attack when he saw the RCMP door emblem stuck to the side of my tool box

I've actually never entered my car into a show because it ain't show ready yet. The tear in the seat was the biggest thing that prevented me before (finally fixed), but now it's the paint. That poor ol' 18 year old paint (October is the car's 18th birthday in fact) is just looking too hazy to enter into a show.

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #31 – October 07, 2005, 05:14:12 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken

Shows and trophies are all that, but nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, compares to an eight year boy coming up to you when you're out working on the car and saying "That's some nice car, mister!", which has happened to me a couple of times.

ive gotten that once, a kid was walking up the street with him mom, saw me working on my red bird, and yells "Nice Tbird!", i said thanks and waved, and sat and thought "this car is probably 10 years older than he is...how does he know what it is", it was very cool

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #32 – October 07, 2005, 05:27:16 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken

I've actually never entered my car into a show because it ain't show ready yet. The tear in the seat was the biggest thing that prevented me before (finally fixed), but now it's the paint. That poor ol' 18 year old paint (October is the car's 18th birthday in fact) is just looking too hazy to enter into a show.

My paint is kind of cruddy in spots, it has minor rust, my drivers seat has a tear, it has cracks in the dash(not for long though). My car isn't considered show quality by even the worst standards but I still enjoy showing it when I have time.

I like to see who sticks their nose up at it or who walks by ignoring its existance. The most memorable was when a kid all but 7 years old walked up to it, peeked inside and yelled "dad, look at this white one!" The father promptly responded by saying "that's a cougar, get over here" as he headed to the orange 350 camaro a couple cars down from me.

It's also great when you see people actually looking at it and admiring what you have done to an "ordinary" car. Who knows, this body cougar could have meant something to someone at a point in time. For instance, I had an old man (late70's) come over and look at my car. After a few minutes of looking the thing over, he smiled at me and said "I used to have one of these. It's very nice".

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #33 – October 07, 2005, 07:24:03 PM

I am along the same lines as TBird232ci and 5.0willgo. Starting when I was seven years old in '84 up until I discovered Eric's site in '99, I thought I was the only one who liked the '83-'88 Cougars. I heard jokes and ridicule starting in '94 with the purchase of my first car, 87 Cougar LS. And guess what, I STILL hear it to this day from the testosterone-filled minds of those who appreciate nothing other than trendy belly-button cars. When I am talking to someone or a group of people about cars and the question comes up about what cars each of us owns, I am the only one who gets the blank stares after I correct them and say, "no, I don't have a '67-73, mine are from the 80s."

Just like what I think Eric said, these Fox cars were marketed in such a way that the general public associated them as mild and uninspiring. I have sometimes thought of it as this:
The Mustang was marketed to the 20's and 30's (sporty, quick, affordable)
The Turbo Coupe was marketed to the 30's and 40's (quick, sporty, stylish)
The Thunderbird and Cougar were marketed to the mid-40's and up (stylish image-conscience on a budget)
The Mark 7 was marketed to the mid-40's and up with money (stylish luxury)
Whether or not that is actually the case, I have no idea but I think the way these cats were originally pitched and the customer base who bought them, led people to their current perceptions.

Now you Turbo Coupe people, from what I have seen, have seemed to be more generally accepted and respected among the masses.

Us '83-'88 Cougar-folk though, ha, a whole 'nother story.
So, what does that mean? At least to me it means that we have to represent these cars that much better to overcome those old impressions.

I enjoy the reactions I get on the road not because it inflates my head, but because after all of these years being the outcast and enjoying an "old person's car," that same "old person's car" today is causing people to turn around and look through their back windows, wave the thumbs up, and even holler out on the road, "kickass car!" "what kind of car is that?!" "WTF IS THAT!" etc, etc.

Eat your heart out, trendies :flip:

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #34 – October 07, 2005, 07:37:42 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats

We changed minds and perceptions that day. That is much more valuable than any trophy.

One of the best compliments I ever got at a car show:

"After seeing this car, you've totally changed my perception of Thunderbirds and their potential.....and I'm a die-hard Ford guy. Your car is nothing short of amazing to me"

:D

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #35 – October 07, 2005, 08:32:20 PM

Glenn...

Quote

"After seeing this car, you've totally changed my perception of Thunderbirds and their potential.....and I'm a die-hard Ford guy. Your car is nothing short of amazing to me"

at the time i had an idea of what could be done to a tbird. i remember the first time i saw yours though. your car is the one that blew me away in amazement, and got me hooked for life. its also how i found coolcats and the old board from what i remember. im very greatfull for it all....

the first car i ever drove when i was looking for my first car was a turbo coupe. i was hooked from then. befor then i never realy noticed the tbird and i certainly didnt know anything about them. the cougars always stood out for me though. i remember driving around with my family and noticing the rear windows and how cool they were. i remember telling my dad about the turbo coupe i drove and the..."you like that...realy?" look and comment i got was priceless. hes not a car guy at all and was supprised id be interested in a pepea car. sadly, it was out of my price range at the time. loving the body style i found my first car, an 87 base model with the mighty 3.8. i honestly thought to myself that, the 4 cyl was fast the V6 has got to be better. thats what started it all for me. ive had my nose in car stuff ever since.

my sport looks like any other tbird. i was flirting with an old gf with her bf there. she asked what i drove and showed her. he went on about how they had no sack and there was no way it had a V8. i remember the look on his face, sitting in the passenger seat of hey dodge shadow when i fired it up with the flow masters and put in gear. i just winked an him. she laughed and i left. not so quietly too....people never expect anything from these cars...its great. i like being different...

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #36 – October 07, 2005, 09:41:05 PM

Quote from: shame302

she laughed and i left. not so quietly too....people never expect anything from these cars...its great. i like being different...

Yea I can relate to that... My sister was telling a neighbor Kirk(my nephew) had gone to the drag strip with me in my race car. Neighbor replied.."yea it sure sounds like a race car, but doesn't look like one"...

Re: 25,550 miles thunderbird

Reply #37 – October 07, 2005, 10:46:12 PM

I've never gotten anything but positive comments about my Bird at shows. I always get looks as I rumble into the show. People come over and say "wow I didn't know that any of these still existed in good condition" or "that's a beautiful car" and that was from a guy with a 63 Thunderbird Sports Roadster :D . I've even had a guy ask to buy it when I was pumping gas. He wanted to give me $5,000 for it! Needless to say I said no. But it does help when your car looks like this: