The eleventh generation

Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...

is a front-V8, rear-drive, two passenger

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...

with an optional removable-hardtop, manufactured and marketed for model years 2002-2005 by

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

, having debuted at the 1999 North American International Auto Show. Noted for styling strongly recalling the first generation Thunderbird, developed under the design direction of Jack Telnack, the eleventh generation was manufactured in Wixom, Michigan, with production reaching just over 68,090 before its discontinuation in July 2005. Series production of the Thunderbird commenced in June 2001 using the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration of Ford's "

DEW Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by thermal radiation, radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate grea ...

" platform and a unique variant of

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

's 3.9 L ''AJ35''

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...

producing , rated at a

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

output of — updated for model year 2003 to and . The eleventh generation received the ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year award in 2002.

Background and development

The original Ford Thunderbird debuted in October 1954. Originally designed to compete with British, Italian, and German sports cars and the

Chevrolet Corvette The Chevrolet Corvette is a line of American two-door, two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by General Motors under the Chevrolet marque since 1953. Throughout eight generations, indicated sequentially as C1 to C8, the Corvette is not ...

, it was the first time the Ford division sold two distinct model lines simultaneously. The Thunderbird incorporated various advanced technologies for its era, including power seats and a padded

dashboard A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...

. Ten consecutive generations of the car were produced; the tenth generation was discontinued in 1997. The introduction of the Volkswagen New Beetle in 1997 sparked a renaissance of retro-styling in American automakers. Jack Telnack, the lead design director of the Ford Thunderbird project, initiated a competition among design studios in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and Dearborn; the latter studio ultimately prevailed. Upon Telnack's retirement, his successor, J Mays, then handled the minor design elements, including trims, fabrics, interior, and colors. The Thunderbird had the longest development process of any car Telnack worked on. Ford unveiled the car as a concept vehicle at the 1999 edition of the North American International Auto Show, and revealed the car's final design at the same motor show two years later. Official manufacture of the Thunderbird began in June 2001, at the assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan. It indirectly replaces the tenth generation of the Thunderbird, which the company discontinued in 1997.

Design

The Thunderbird employs Ford's DEW platform, shared with the Jaguar S-Type and the Lincoln LS. It is a

personal luxury car Personal luxury car is a North American car classification describing somewhat sporty, sophisticated mass-market coupés that emphasized comfort over performance. The North American manufacturers most often combined engineering, design, and ma ...

with two doors and two seats, and a convertible top. A removable hardtop was optional. The vehicle's designers aimed for a simple design, returning to classic elements like fluted doors, wing-shaped door panels, a two-tone

, original seat styles, and metal appliques complemented by turquoise accents. Compared to the LS and the S-Type, the Thunderbird features a shorter

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

and overall length. The car has seventeen-inch cast aluminum wheels and tires sized P235/50VR-17. It has a rear-wheel drive layout and a front-engine placement, and a computer-engineered, fully independent suspension system incorporating lightweight materials to reduce weight and improve response. The Thunderbird features

's 3.9-liter ''AJ30''

, which generates a power output of and , providing a 0 to acceleration of 7.25 seconds. Power is transmitted through a five-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

. In 2003, the Thunderbird received minor updates, including an increase in engine output to and . The dashboard was revised, featuring more traditional analog gauges for better visibility during daylight driving. Additionally, a "Select Shift" version of the five-speed transmission was introduced as an option.

Trim Levels

Throughout its production, the eleventh-generation Thunderbird was available in two trim levels: Deluxe and Premium.Standard equipment included perforated leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual power-adjustable bucket seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control system with

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

, keyless entry, security alarm system, 17-inch tires and aluminum-alloy wheels, power-retractable cloth convertible roof (top), an AM/FM stereo radio with an in-dash 6-disc CD changer and a premium Audiophile sound system with dual amplifiers for the rear speakers, a driver message center, the HomeLink garage door opener system, a glass rear window with a defroster, and automatic delay on/off front headlamps. The Premium trim received chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels, and dual heated seats (the base Deluxe trim did not offer heated seats). The Premium trim also offered a 90-lb. removable hardtop roof (either to match the exterior paint color or in a contrasting color) with two porthole windows, reminiscent of the windows fitted to 1950s-era Thunderbirds. The Premium trim level offered several optional appearance package, including a Black Appearance Package which added a high-gloss black accent to the leather-wrapped steering wheel and automatic transmission gear selector. Anoother appearance packages added a Parchment cloth soft top (roof), color-keyed accents on the steering wheel and gear selector lever, and seat centers. These packages depended on the exterior color selected (the Black Appearance Package was available regardless of exterior color). Other options included the color of the removable hardtop roof, as well as a choice of several different 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.

Special editions

2002 Neiman Marcus Edition: In 2000, Ford introduced the

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

edition in the company's Christmas catalog. With a production of 200 and MSRP of US$41,995, the edition featured two-tone black exterior paint color with silver hard top roof; logo etched into the circular hardtop glazing; scooped hood; twenty-one spoke chrome aluminum-alloy wheels; silver-accented steering wheel and transmission gear selector lever; aluminum dash inserts; perforated black leather-trimmed interior with silver wing-embroidered seat inserts; 'Neiman Marcus' embroidered floor mats and an available 1/18-scale die cast model. CoralTBird

2003 James Bond 007 Edition: Ford introduced the ''James Bond Edition'' as a co-branding promotion for the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' Die Another Day'' movie. With a production of 700, the edition featured coral paint with a white hardtop; twenty-one spoke chrome aluminum-alloy wheels, white perforated leather-trimmed interior, engine-turned interior trim panels with "007" emblem, engine horsepower increased from 250 to 280, five-speed automatic transmission with manual gear selection; MSRP of US$43,995, and an available die cast scale model. Starting with '' Goldfinger'' in 1964 through '' Diamonds Are Forever'', Ford had a

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...

arrangement with the film's producer to exclusively use Ford products in the movies, a tradition that was restored with this movie. 2004 Pacific Coast Roadster Edition: The ''Pacific Coast Roadster'' edition, with 1,000 examples produced, featured monterey mist green paint with an ash metallic hard top roof and light ash soft top roof, paired with light ash and dark ash interior and suede trimmed seating, aluminum-alloy wheels, color-keyed interior accents, patterned dash trim, and a numbered dashboard plaque. 2005 50th Anniversary Cashmere Special Edition: In 2005, Ford celebrated the 50th anniversary of the

. All 2005 Thunderbirds received a "50th Anniversary" badge. The Cashmere edition, with a production run of 1,500, featured a commemorative dashboard plaque, cashmere exterior paint and medium gray soft top convertible roof; hard top; ''50th Anniversary'' front fender emblems; teal-accented third rear brake lamp with illuminated "Thunderbird" script; two-tone gray and dark gray interior with Cashmere perforated leather-trimmed seating; color-keyed instrument cluster with turquoise gauge needles and "Ford Thunderbird" door sill plates round.

Safety

NHTSA crash test ratings (2002): * Frontal Crash Test – Driver: * Frontal Crash Test – Passenger: * Side Impact Rating – Driver: * Rollover Rating:

Reception and legacy

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine writer Jerry Flint attributed the Thunderbird's demise to a lack of proper sales and marketing, writing: "Ford dealers have been successful selling $35,000-45,000 trucks, but have little experience selling automobiles in the near-luxury price range. If there was a marketing effort by Ford Motor, I wasn't aware of it. Naturally, sales didn't meet expectations." Noted automotive journalist Doug DeMuro criticized the price of the Thunderbird and the similarity its interior to the Lincoln LS. With respect to the interior, he noted the interior's hard plastic switchgear shared with other models — while admiring the retro styling of the door panels. He also criticized the engine, saying it wasn't sporty. In his opinion, Ford made the 11th generation for people who were nostalgic for the first generations, not for a discerning buyer of a modern sports or luxury car, resulting in its poor sales.

Film and television and media

The 2003 Thunderbird was featured in the

movie '' Die Another Day'', driven by Halle Berry's character. In addition, a similar Thunderbird was featured in

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by American author Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house ...

. The 2004 live-action film '' Thunderbirds'' featured a heavily modified 11th generation Ford Thunderbird, a fully functional full-sized six-wheeled prototype called FAB 1.

Adriana La Cerva Adriana La Cerva is a fictional character on the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos'', portrayed by Drea de Matteo. She is the long-time girlfriend and, later, fiancée of Tony Soprano's protégé, Christopher Moltisanti. For her performance, de Ma ...

, girlfriend and later fiancé to

Christopher Moltisanti Christopher Moltisanti, portrayed by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character of the HBO TV series ''The Sopranos''. He is Tony Soprano's protégé and a member of the DiMeo crime family, rising from associate to captain over the course o ...

in the HBO series

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

, drove a 2002 Ford Thunderbird in seasons 4 and 5. It also appears in Downtown Run, Ford Racing 2, Ford Racing 3, Enthusia Professional Racing, Ford vs. Chevy, and Ford Street Racing

References

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{Ford vehicles 011 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Coupés Convertibles Retro-style automobiles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Cars introduced in 2002 Cars discontinued in 2005 Personal luxury cars