I was watching one of my James Bond movies (Diamonds are Forever) and while it was an interesting display of Ford products - Mach 1, LTDs and others, the car that intrigued me the most was the one the two baddest of the guys was driving. A 1971 Ford Thunderbird.
Did a few look ups on it. Wow, 429 engine. Pretty cool looking vehicle. My brother had a much later T-bird that had a 460. I believe it was around 74-76.
Pretty slick car.
Was kind of cool to watch the security forces chasing Bond, driving a moon lander across the Nevada countryside in about 5 Ford LTDs. They did not live up to the challenge very well.
Probably my next favorite Ford on the early Bond flicks was the Ranchero in Goldfinger.

 

The 71 was still small enough that it could smoke the tires and go down the road. 1973 was when the big 3 made their cars long in front with smaller trunk space. I like the T-Birds lines from 59 - 71. My fav is the 59 because of the body lines, the room for the four seats and how low it sits to the ground in stock form. Also, there are the mid 60s models that have the side to side swivel steering column to allow for easier entry.

 

The two generations that spanned from 1961-1966 are my favs. I absolutely despised these cars from 1974-1983/4.

If someone offered me ANY T-bird or an old Cougar, I'd opt for the Merc every time.