The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has released a Hot Wheels Classics report on yet another automotive icon, the Ford Thunderbird. The findings show that, as with other classic cars, the Thunderbird has attracted considerable attention over the years, especially from the criminal element.

When reviewing theft information contained in the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC) database, the NICB found that Thunderbird owners have experienced their share of heartache. In fact, nearly 180,000 Thunderbirds have been reported stolen in the United States and Puerto Rico since 1981.

Although theft records specific to the model date back to 1955—the Thunderbird first went on sale on Oct. 22, 1954—the NICB analyzed only those incidents logged between 1981 and 2011. That's because 1981 marked the year when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standardized vehicle identification numbers (VIN).

During the specified 30-year period, a total of 179,625 Thunderbirds were stolen. The NICB found that 1981 logged the most theft activity, with 9,914 reports. In terms of specific models, the 1978 Thunderbird has been targeted by thieves the most; 14,288 of them have been stolen since 1981.

In keeping with other automotive theft trends, Californians were most likely to have their Thunderbirds stolen, with Texans, New Yorkers, Floridians trailing closely behind.

When compiling the report, the NICB took overall automotive sales into account. From 1955 to 2005, a total of 4.3 million Thunderbirds were sold. The year posting the highest number of U.S. sales was 1977, with 304,430 sold. Conversely, the year with the fewest Thunderbird sales was 1998, when just 2,243 units were driven off U.S. car lots.

To learn more about Thunderbird history, design and production or to view all current theft data for the model, click here.

Special Reports /

NICB Tracks Ford T-Bird Thefts Since 1981

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