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Ford Thunderbird returns in a retro design as automotive art
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- A collection of sparkling new cars, each rendered identical in form as a drop-top two-seater but tinted to a different sherbet shade, lines a promontory overlooking Pacific blue waters on the California coast at Santa Cruz.
The scene looks like a gallery of colorful automotive art.
Finely carved fenders with rolled edges and tailored components such as retro-round headlights and chrome-coated grilles in egg-crate scheme, the indented air scoop centered on the hood, chrome air ports on each flank and those round-round red lamps etched into a curvy-cute tail: All disparate forms merge together into a stunning two-seat convertible sculpture on wheels.
And those colors: Torch Red, Inspiration Yellow, Evening Black, Whisper White and, yes, Thunderbird Blue.
Thunderbird, in contemporary homage to Ford's brilliant two-seat sports car from 1955, has been born again.
This new 'Bird, rising on the modular Ford platform that also supports Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type sedans, comes with a powerful V8 engine and automatic five-speed transmission, a fully independent suspension and the latest safety features, such as frontal and side-impact air bags along with anti-lock brakes.
It has a power-operated convertible top and optional hardtop fixed with two round porthole side windows, plus a deluxe cockpit for two people that, like the slick exterior shell, pays tribute to the original T-Bird in the simple style of Fifties-era automotive design.
The original modern expression of Thunderbird appeared as a design concept on the stage of the Detroit International Auto Show in 1999. It embodied the first evidence of innovative design influences from J Mays, lured to Ford as design chief following huge success at Volkswagen in developing the New Beetle.
Public enthusiasm to the Thunderbird concept so overwhelmed Ford that plans for production soon followed.
A production version debuted in August of 2000 on the lawn at California's Pebble Beach Golf Club, site of the famed Concours d'Elegance vintage car show where the world's dearest automobiles are exhibited.
Appearing dramatic in a polished-black body with silver metallic removable hardtop, this first treatment was dubbed the Neiman Marcus Edition Thunderbird and all 200 of the limited special issues -- tagged at $41,995 each -- were consumed in the record time of two hours and 15 minutes.
Regular production versions of new Thunderbird roll out this fall as 2002 models available in the five sherbet colors and four configurations based on Deluxe and Premium equipment options.
The base 'Bird, in Deluxe trim as a convertible with a power-operated ragtop, lists for $35,495, while the Premium convertible comes to $36,495.
Add the removable hardtop to a Deluxe version for $37,995, or to the Premium for $38,995.
Only a few options are offered, beginning with all-speed traction control for $230 on Deluxe models. It's standard with the Premium package.
Interior color treatments comprise the other options.
Glossy black accents may be added to the steering wheel and shifter handle for $295.
Color inserts on the back and seat of both buckets plus the steering wheel and shift stalk match the exterior color for yellow, red or blue 'Birds at $595, or turn to Torch Red for a white or black body.
A full complement of color inserts for seats as well as instrument panel, console and door panels, tallies to $800.
All packaged combinations for the new Thunderbird stand on the cliff-top lot at Santa Cruz, and a Premium convertible in Whisper White is selected for an afternoon cruise down the coast to Carmel-By-The-Sea.
The top's dropped, a warm California sun bathes the retro-style cockpit, and beneath that sculpted hood scoop a husky V8 hums with the potential of heady horsepower.
We turn onto the coastal highway, California 1, and merge into a clot of traffic, but all eyes seem to follow the Thunderbird as the way-cool styling sets it apart from anything else on the road.
It feels solid, riding on a flat-footed foundation rigged with crisp steering from a rack and pinion system and big disc rotors on brakes for reining so many horses.
Yet it's also soft on suspension settings for a smooth ride sensation that's counterpoint to the harshness of typical two-seat sports cars.
The suspension, independent short-and-long arm arrangements front and rear with coil springs and twin-tube shocks, adds a tubular stabilizer bar up front and solid one in back, then isolates the rear suspension for additional smoothness by mounting it on a separate subframe.
Thunderbird rides on 17-inch cast aluminum wheels in 21-spoke design as capped by low-profile all-season black sidewall tires. Optional seven-spoke chrome-coat aluminum wheels are also available.
Pedal power comes quickly on demand from the 3.9-liter aluminum V8 equipped with dual overhead cams and sequential multi-port electronic fuel injection.
The muscle reaches to 252 hp at 6100 rpm, with even more torque -- 267 lb-ft at 4300 rpm -- on tap.
The five-speed automatic transmission shifts cleanly and quietly as directed from a console-mounted stick with jig-to-the-right shifter gate.
Our time behind the wheel in the Whisper White Premium Thunderbird -- plus an Inspiration Yellow version with contrasting white hardtop that we subsequently steer down the coast to Big Sur -- reveals with some surprise that the power of that big engine and the precision of the handling components take a backseat position in importance when measured against design elements like the shapely shell and retro-styled cockpit.
With Thunderbird, you simply want to cruise around, absorbing this sculpture on wheels.
And although the exterior form is a stunning eye-catcher, the interior form exceeds any expectation.
The two buckets feel firm but flat like seats out of the 1950s, and the colorful cabin applies designer touches such as a thin band of smooth plastic that looks like brushed aluminum running across doors and dash. In the cluster of instruments, white-faced analog gauges for a speedometer and tachometer use needles tinged in Thunderbird Blue.
Like we noted at the outset, Thunderbird amounts to a rolling exhibit of automotive art.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2002 FORD THUNDERBIRD Specs |
| Description: |
2-seat convertible
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| Model Options: |
2-seat convertible
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| Wheelbase: |
107.2 inches
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| Overall Length: |
186.3 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.9-L V8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/5
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| Drive: |
Rear
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS opt.
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
17/23 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 35,495 to $ 39,795 |
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