1966 Thunderbird The 1960s dawned with renewed vigor, excitement and hope, and the new Thunderbirds tapped into that positive atmosphere like no other car at the time. They reflected the public's perception of renewal and a look towards the future. BEING THE LAST YEAR OF THE THIRD-GENERATION SERIES MEANT CHANGES were few. Up front, the thick bumper that framed the grille was deleted, giving this model Thunderbird a cleaner, sharper appearance. The grille itself was of a new mesh design featuring little rectangles, and a flat decorative metal panel replaced the individual chrome headlamp bezels. The hood scoop was lower in height and had a sharper point to its shape. The rear taillamp lenses appeared as a single lens, yet still functioned sequentially when the turn signal was activated. The previous small panel in the center was deleted, making the entire rear taillamp assembly look like one large single unit; the Thunderbird insignia in the center was redesigned as well. The 'Thunderbird' script on the rear section of the quarter panel remained the same. Although the seat upholstery pattern was changed, as it had been every year, for the most part nothing was really new. There were modified brake and accelerator pedals, and this was the first year that a stereo tape player was offered as an option. There was an overhead Safety Panel in the ceiling that incorporated warning lights such as 'low fuel,' 'door ajar,' and a seat belt reminder, and six-way power seats were now optional. The big and welcome news was the addition of front disc brakes. Replacing the old-style drums were 11.87-inch-diameter ventilated discs with four-piston calipers. For the first time, there were two different size V-8 engines available. The standard engine was the 390-cu.in. V-8, which now made 315 horsepower, but to compete with the popular muscle cars of the day, a 345hp big-block V-8 displacing 428 cubic inches could be had for only $64.77. The Cruise-O-Matic remained the sole transmission.