Special Feature

1963 Ford Thunderbird Italien – The Italien

Steve Natale

If you visited a car show in 1963 or 1964, you would have seen concept cars on display from many different manufactures, just as you do today. Concept cars are built to showcase new and futuristic designs and to capture the imagination of the public. The public’s response to these concept cars often influences a car maker’s decision to implement design concepts into production cars at a later date. The Ford Italien, a Thunderbird-based, fastback concept car with an Italian flair, was one of the most popular cars on tour at the time. With its dramatic roofline, sumptuous leather interior, unique trim and eye-catching deep candy apple red paint scheme, the Italien was show stopper.

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