Ford Retires Thunderbird

[ragingfish]

Quote »2005 Thunderbird to Be the Last for FordThursday March 10, 5:40 pm ETBy Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto WriterFord to Retire Current Thunderbird, a Retro-Styled Convertible, After 2005 Model YearDETROIT (AP) -- We had fun, fun, fun 'til Ford took the T-bird away. Ford Motor Co. said Thursday the 2005 model year will be the last for the current-generation Ford Thunderbird, a retro-styled convertible that went on sale in August 2001.Ford had planned to discontinue the Thunderbird after the 2005 or 2006 model year but told employees Thursday production will end in July."We promised all along that this Thunderbird would have a limited production run, and we're being true to our word," Ford Division President Steve Lyons said. "Thunderbird was a terrific image builder for the Ford brand showroom at a time when we needed it."The Wixom Assembly Plant northwest of Detroit, which produces the Thunderbird, will continue to make the Lincoln LS and Town Car and also will be the final assembly point for the Ford GT supercar, which was released last year, the company said.The Thunderbird, one of Ford's most celebrated nameplates, first went on sale in 1954. Its peak sales year was 1977, when 322,517 redesigned Thunderbirds were sold. The Thunderbird went through numerous design changes over the decades before going on hiatus in 1997.The redesigned 2002 Thunderbird got off to a roaring start. Dealers were flooded with pre-orders and got $10,000 premiums on top of the car's sticker price of $30,000. It also won over critics, securing Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year award.But the flurry died down almost as quickly as it emerged. Ford had projected sales of 25,000 per year but fell well short of that mark. Just 11,998 Thunderbirds sold in 2004, 33 percent fewer than 2003.Ford has sold a total of 54,360 new-generation Thunderbirds since 2001. The company said it has sold 4.2 million Thunderbirds since 1954.

[wicked1981]

It was an ugly car in my opinion!! Good choice Ford!

[millster]

It's definitely time.While I like the looks of the T-Bird, I was never impressed enough with the handling/performance to think it worth the price tag. It was just another bloated, spongey cruiser. But it sure was pretty.

[Raven]

Shoulda hadda V8! See my later post.

[Mr. Poopypants]

I like the design but for the options you get, the price tag was friggin crazy! The car did not equal the price.

[kostby]

It DID have a V8--the 4.6, as I recall. IMHO, it was far too much bloated Taurus influence, not nearly enough retro cues.

[joatmon]

Not too awfully long ago I was rebuilding a 66 Ford Falcon, and there was small junkyard near me that had a part I wanted. Right next to the car I took the part off was a 62 t-bird in surprisingly great shape, token rust, pretty good interior, was in better shape than the falcon I was working on and a lot cooler looking too. Junkyard wouldn't sell the tbird to me though. two years later they got flooded and they sold their entire inventory as crushed scrap metal

[JohnC]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Not too awfully long ago I was rebuilding a 66 Ford Falcon, and there was small junkyard near me that had a part I wanted. Right next to the car I took the part off was a 62 t-bird in surprisingly great shape, token rust, pretty good interior, was in better shape than the falcon I was working on and a lot cooler looking too. Junkyard wouldn't sell the tbird to me though. two years later they got flooded and they sold their entire inventory as crushed scrap metal That is a sad story, sure hate to see the classics trashed. When I was 16-19 I raced "circle burners" jalopy stock cars. Our favorite junkyard cars were the 58-60 t-birds. We went thru alot of em...bummer. Hard to beat an old 390 big block on a circle track.

[MJN2]

I'm sure the T-Bird will be back again. The nameplate has been around for 50 years..not something Ford would want to retire, IMO.If I'm wrong, I think I'll start looking for the model T-Bird I used to own to have as a 'fun' car. 1993 T-Bird SC. Car was a blast

[Raven]

Quote, originally posted by kostby »It DID have a V8--the 4.6, as I recall. IMHO, it was far too much bloated Taurus influence, not nearly enough retro cues. I stand corrected. It had a 3.9L 4 cam V8 with 280HP.Thanks MadBill for that information.

[gpk99]

I always thought the new T-Bird looked more like a Chevy than a Ford.