There's no real right or wrong answer to your question. It depends on "when" and "where" you were back in the day.
At the time that the then-new Trans-Am Firebirds were the rage I drove a 1969 396 Nova SS w/L78 option. The carguys in my town called the Firebird T/A's "Thunderchickens" - simple as that - and it's always stuck in my mind. I never did see a Thunderbird at a street race back then.
(boy....do I miss those days!! - lol)
I find it strange that any one would even care to talk about the Thunderbird
at ali....much less give it a dignified nick-name. If I were to try to give the average T-Bird a nick name, it would be more like "Dodo Bird" or "Slush Bucket".... or something like that.
The only truly cool T-Birds were built in 1955-57. After that it was all down hill. The "cool meter" was pretty much pegged at zero by the time 1967 rolled around. The T-Bird was a favorite of the over 50 crowd -
not the hotrod crowd. You know..... the guys with yellow pants and turquoise polo shirts - showing off their "new wheels" at the country club.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird
Bill Elliott's record setting 1987 NASCAR Thunderbird was about the
only noteworthy and/or cool T-Bird since 1957.
My 2 cents - for whatever it's worth.
Dale Epp - Protoform