1964-66 Ford Thunderbird

📸: Photo courtesy Automobilemag.com

From the most obvious, to the not so easy to choose. When dealing with the older manufacturers, sometimes it's hard to choose between the old classics versus the latest and greatest when picking out the Most Beautiful model. In the case of the Ford Motor Company, the newest version of the incomparable GT is certainly one of the most striking designs of the modern area. But Ford also has a Grand Tourer from the past century that was quite notable for its beautiful design. So we're picking the 4th generation Thunderbird as our selection as the most beautiful Ford ever made.

📸: Photo by Lou Costabile

Now, we realize that in making this selection, we veer dangerously close to ignoring our criteria for "speed." But in our defense, the Thunderbird was available with a powerful, 7 liter V8 making 345 horsepower. Yes, the 0-60 times of 9 seconds meant these were not particularly quick cars, but they were still capable of relatively high speeds, and were certainly among the fastest cars that Ford produced in the late 1960s.

📸: Photo courtesy Hemmings.com

The look says it all: the beltline and fender creases extending all the way to the rear bumper almost give it a rocket shape. The long rear overhang emphasizes the cars long and low look. The absolutely flat deck that slightly turns down at the bumper just looks great. Above is the convertible with the optional tonneau covering the back seats, transforming a true 4 seater into a 2 seat GT.

We concede it's more luxury than sport, but we still think it's the most beautiful Ford ever made. What do you think?