![]() ![]() It was based on the same platform as the Jaguar XF or the Lincoln LS. Thanks, Dave.With its retro-design look and modern features, the 2001 Thunderbird should have been a blast from the past and revive the brand name, but it was a flop.įord launched the eleventh generation of the Thunderbird in 1999 as a 2001 model-year. I'll be with my father later if anyone had questions about the Tascabird or any other Tasca cars. Couldn't estimate the value of that car today. As mentioned already just like the 505 Mustang the 64 Tascabird was customized bye Alexander Bros with a 20-30 coat red lacquer paint job that my father says was one of the nicest paint jobs he'd seen. Another story in the book is how a Canadian Mounty, while they were getting gas, asked the Bopper if he thought he could outrun the Mounties Chrysler and after the Bopper, initially thinking he was being set up, told the Mounty to get his Chrysler wide open and turn on the left blinker and the Tbird would drive bye him and he proceeded to do so. There are a few stories regarding this car in the Tasca book that Bob McClurg wrote "Win on Sunday Sell on Monday" including its ultimate fate which was it was sold to Sammie Davis Jr after he saw the car at Tavern on the Green in NYC and would not be denied, he had to have the car. I'm sure there will be some of you with questions and will get you all as many details and stories about this historic car as my father can recall but let there be no mistake about it the Bopper got it down the assembly line fueled not only bye his desire to see Ford offer better performance options that he could sell to customers but also because he was told it wouldnt fit. The same is true of the 64 Tascabird which the Bopper did get thru the Wixom assembly line masquerading as a 390 but did get a 427 Medium riser powerplant which my father did several modifications to and did eventually have to replace because it developed cracks on the flanges, which my father says was common on the 427. John was was laughing about how the stories get convoluted over time in particular how he occasionally is given credit for the KR8, see the Mecum right up when CJ's come across the block, when that was my fathers project. My father built the KR8 and will be an opening night speaker in August at the Cobra Jet 50th anniversary. He moved his tool station out of the dealership yesterday to home with the aid of a local towing company(Coletta) and was surprised to run into John Healy, who was visiting, and the 2 got a chance to go back in time and reminisce about the old days. My father is Bill Gilbert, just retired and longest tenured employee of Tasca and builder and tuner of all the Bopper's personal and prototype builds. Hi guys I know its an old topic but I thought it appropriate to pick up where it left off. LOL.Ĭool car, amazing how nice those birds look when you iron them before painting. Wouldn't such an obscure car deserve a stock resoration? Finaly, I say cream for the interior. More custom factory work? You can slip one sheet of paper between the cover and the booster on mine and I have about 1/8" clearance on the rockers inside the cover. I had to notch my cover to clear the booster when I went with Ersons and Mooneye covers. Those valve covers will not clear the stock set up. If RPM's are the main advantage of a 427 then a 428 might be a better, but not cooler choice? I'm also wondering what they did on this car to clear the master/booster. ![]() Seems that would be required also on a 427 and I can't see the factory bending up custom exhaust for any car let alone a t-bird. I also had plenty of issues unning 2-1/2" pipe on the car. Can't say about a factory car,but have an old mag article about one that Tasca Ford built,and they were offering to the public,but they were built in house.Now if they ever sold one I'm not sure.I'll try and find the old article,was in one of those many 60's car mags that are long gone.I wonder if you could really benefit from a 427? The stock logs were awful and the FPA's while better, aren't exactly ideal. ![]()
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