Personal Luxury Wars: 1968 Ford Thunderbird versus the competition
All images are from the brochure collection of Hemmings Motor News
The “Glamour Bird” was on the attack in 1968, as this unusual piece of dealer educational literature shows. Not intended for public consumption, the eight-page stapled leaflet was likely meant to go in a Ford salesperson’s three-ring binder, and would educate him or her on the Thunderbird’s unique selling points against its perceived two- and four-door competition from General Motors’ upper-middle divisions. 
The Thunderbird was already in its fifth generation, 13 years after the model’s introduction as a sporty two-seat convertible, and this pioneering personal luxury car no longer offered a convertible variant, now only being available as a two-door Hardtop, two-door Landau, or new four-door Landau.
Ford considered Buick’s Riviera and Electra Custom 225 to be prime competitors, along with Oldsmobile’s Toronado and Ninety-Eight. The sales department focused this selling tool on pointing out how the Thunderbird was a truly unique product, unlike the shared-platform GM cars with their more pedestrian-styled interiors. The comparably-equipped Thunderbird Hardtop and two-door Landau were less expensive than the Riv and Toro, while the four-door Landau cost a bit more than the 225 and Ninety-Eight, but offered more standard luxury features and, arguably, panache.
Between the Thunderbird variants and its competing Buick and Oldsmobile counterparts, which would you prefer?
Click on the brochure images below to enlarge.
