Ford Taunus TC as the Opel Rekord, the Taunus TC2/TC3 (like the TC before it) achieved market place success through a combination of good looks and aggressive pricing. The mechanically conservative car was widely regarded as dependable, despite never entirely ridding itself of irritating defects and weaknesses which a more rigorous development process should have prevented. When, in 1979, the Taunus TC3 (also known as the Taunus series "GBFS") replaced the Taunus TC2 the major components remained basically the same. In the UK Ford presented the facelifted car as the "Cortina Model 80", although it quickly became known, if only informally, as the
Thunderbird 2 pod vehicles the Thunderiser/Laser Cutter. No models have been issued of this device. The Electromagnetic grabs, according to the "Thunderbird 2" cross-section, are housed in all six pods of "Thunderbird 2" and are hydraulically lowered from a hatch in the base of the pod. However, in the Haynes "Thunderbirds Manual (Agents' Technical Manual)", the grabs take up the whole of Pod 2. The Grabs are used to grab and lift heavy vehicles out of disaster areas and, as seen in "Brink of Disaster" are strong enough to tear an individual carriage from a monorail out of the whole train. They are also