This option package escalated the price of the car to almost US$12,000, virtually doubling the base price. In 1978, Ford offered the "Diamond Jubilee Edition" Thunderbird to commemorate the company's 75th year as an auto manufacturer. The 400 was dropped in 1979 with the introduction of CAFE requirements. Although power was definitely down by 1977, the lighter car did compensate. In California, the 351 was the only engine available. The base engine was the 302 cu in (4.9 L) Windsor V8, while the larger 351 cu in (5.8 L) 351M and 400 cu in (6.6 L) and T-tops were available as options along with the 351W. A substantial part of the weight reduction was in the drivetrain, where a small-block V8 replaced the heavy big-block V8 of previous years. It also inspired Ford to market a smaller version called the Ford Fairmont Futura coupe and the Mercury Zephyr Z-7 variants.Ĭompared to the 1972-1976 T-Birds, the car lost 10 inches (254 mm) of length and 900 lb (408 kg) of weight, while height and width were essentially unchanged. In essence, this generation was really a continuation of the 1974-76 Ford Elite, Ford's successful first attempt at competing in the market created by the Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Helped by a $2,700 drop in price from 1976, this generation was by far the most popular in Thunderbird history, with over 318,000 sold in 1977 and 352,000 in 1978 (the best single sales year in Thunderbird history), followed by 295,000 in 1979. The squarer, sharper styling was popular, and this generation of Thunderbird sold well.
For the 1977 through 1979 model years, the Thunderbird nameplate was shifted to the smaller 114" wheelbase chassis that underpinned the 1972-76 Ford Torino and its replacement, the concurrent 1977-79 LTD II, as Ford's first effort at downsizing the car.
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