The Pajarito (Little Bird in Spanish) Thunderbird Club of New Mexico got started in the late 1960’s by Rich Donahue, Don Anderson, Syl Young, and Ray Wood. With only a few members we soon joined the Classic Thunderbird Club International (CTCI) and were granted our charter as Chapter 17.

We began leaving notes on all Thunderbirds we came across and soon added new members Jose Archuletta, Tom Windes, Claude Lyons, Karl Edwards, Sid Foil, Terry Leighley, Vern Romesberg, and many others followed. During the 70’s and 80’s we met monthly for brunch and toured the many scenic areas of New Mexico. Some of our members also attended the CTCI regional and national conventions.

The Pajarito Club became more than just a car club as wives and children joined in our club activities. During the 90’s we hosted a CTCI regional convention and welcomed visitors from all over the southwest for a memorable event. We are very proud of our clubs history as well as our unique club logo. Ray Wood and Sid Foil collaborated on the integration of the Ford Thunderbird emblem with the New Mexico Zia Indian sun symbol, which we proudly display as a companion to the well recognized CTCI grille badge.

Now that many of our founding members are aging, we welcome the next generation of Thunderbird enthusiasts to continue the tradition of preserving and enjoying these beautiful landmark automobiles.