When Ford announced it would abandon the Thunderbird after the 1997 model year, there was an uproar. How dare Ford get rid of one of its most famous, most cherished nameplates–a moniker in the company stable since 1955?
It was as if Chevrolet had decided to drop Corvette.
But the once-famous car had become a bulbous, bulky two-door coupe that shared the same heritage with the original in name only. It didn’t even stand alone, but shared the spotlight with a Mercury called Cougar.
The once slim, trim two-seater had become a monstrosity before being thumbed down and out of the lineup.
Yet, though gone, it wasn’t forgotten, and Ford will bring Thunderbird back in early 2000 as a 2001 model, a modernized tribute that pays homage to the original ‘Bird by mimicking its design and philosophy as a two-seat personal luxury car.
Word of warning: First time you see this car at the auto show this year–in Detroit this month and in Chicago next month, bring Handiwipes to clean off your eyeballs because they surely will spring from their sockets and roll to the floor.
The brilliant yellow concept Thunderbird Ford unveiled to a handful of media at Nellis Air Force Base here is a traffic-stopper. Yet Ford President Jac Nasser told us, “The real one will look even
better.”
Don’t know how.
Ford chose to unveil at Nellis because it’s home to the Thunderbird precision flying team. Cute.
The new Thunderbird will be built off a shortened version of the same platform as the entry-level Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-type sedans due out in spring.
Thunderbird will be powered by a 3.9-liter, 240-horsepower V-8, same as the Lincoln LS, teamed with a 4- or 5-speed automatic transmission. Nasser wouldn’t say which, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a 5-speed.
It sports large oval headlamps and Thunderbird chrome wings spread open along the nose.
The 2001 ‘Bird, as Nasser tipped us at least a year ago, is a two-seater. It features a removable aluminum hardtop roof with a fixed glass rear window and an opera window or porthole on each side as Thunderbird did in its second model year, 1956. A convertible top hides under the hardtop.
Plans for a power retractable hardtop similar to Mercedes’ were scrapped because the hardware would have taken up too much trunk space and you must have 1) a bevy of cupholders and 2) room in the trunk for a set of golf clubs.
Thunderbird features flush body-colored door handles and mirrors and an aluminum egg-crate grille like the original, though some may say it has a hint of the Chrysler 300M to it. There’s also a hood scoop, modestly scooped door panels and fog lamps. The ‘Bird sits on 18-inch wheels, though we aren’t sure the production model will.
What makes this vehicle even more appealing is that it is one more example of niche marketing at Ford and in the industry.
Thunderbird will be built off the Lincoln LS platform, which also will be the platform for the next-generation Mustang, though Nasser refuses to discuss the next Mustang due in the 2001-2002 time frame, saying only that, “We’re looking at ways to expand off this platform, and this isn’t the last product on this platform.”
Lincoln LS, Thunderbird, Mustang. Three vehicles off the same platform with many of the same parts and components but different styling. And thanks to engine, suspension and steering tweaks, three vehicles that act and perform differently from one another.
Tremendous cost savings from commonality, yet tremendous appeal because you’ll have three unique flavors from one recipe.
“Thunderbird is an American icon and our corporate icon or symbol of confidence. The new Thunderbird is a look back to the ’50s, a time of unbridled optimism. The new Thunderbird validates our product development strategy for the future–to utilize common platforms and common powertrains to produce many different derivative vehicles off the same platform,” Nasser said.
“But in doing so we’ll give consumers a wide choice of vehicles with subtle but discernible differences for different lifestyles and life stages as well as start making money on low-volume, shorter life-cycle (before restyling) vehicles. The days of 500,000 vehicles of one flavor are behind us,” Nasser said.
“We’ve tried doing vehicles off unique platforms before–the Lincoln Mark VIII is the best example–and found it too expensive. When you build only one vehicle off a platform like we did with the Mark VIII, you need to sell in great volume to make the program pay for itself. You end up with too-long life cycles and that’s not our intention for the future when we want frequent product updates,” Nasser said.
While Thunderbird is built off the same platform as the Lincoln LS sedan, “It has a unique shape and silhouette. It won’t be mistaken with any other product or any other brand,” Nasser said.
Just don’t mention the word “retro” around Nasser.
“This isn’t a Beetle retro, and it isn’t a T’Bird retro as it is a modern interpretation with some styling cues or language from the original model of what we believe our future customers want. The appeal won’t be restricted to those who bought the original ‘Bird,” Nasser said.
“We’ll sell every one we can build,” Nasser said, without saying how many. The expectation is about 20,000 annually, few enough so demand exceeds supply to justify an estimated $32,000 to $35,000 price tag and a hefty profit.
Of course, with limited supplies and expected high demand, some dealers initially will charge full sticker plus a premium to let a Thunderbird out the door.
“We can’t protect against gouging,” Nasser said, though you can’t help but feel dealers who do gouge on initial supplies probably will grow old waiting for the next truckload of Thunderbirds.
Our fear while admiring this lean machine is that Ford will screw it up just like it did the original two-seater.
“Sure, two-door, two-seat personal car becomes four-door, four-seater for the family,” we said.
“Yeah, we’re still working on a couple of rear-access doors,” Nasser said, smiling, before pausing to survey his surroundings in the Nellis hangar and then pointing to one of the Thunderbird planes resting nearby.
“Thunderbird is a two-passenger car. I feel it here,” he said, pointing to his heart. “There will be no four-door, no four-seater. If there is, you can put me on the tip of the wing of that F-16 and take the plane to 9 g’s.”
Nasser said Thunderbird will be a one-price car with minimal options to reduce ordering complexity at the dealership and production complexity at the plant.
But why show the car off now, at least a year from production? Perhaps Ford didn’t want Cadillac to steal the thunder (pardon the pun) with its Evoq concept.
“We aren’t using Cadillac as our beacon,” Nasser snapped. “We feel we’re on the leading edge of innovation in craftsmanship and design with the new car and wanted to communicate to the public where we’re headed for the 21st Century. And by showing this car now, we won’t steal sales from any other Ford product.
“We announced about a year ago that we’d bring Thunderbird back, and we’ve gotten so many inquiries about the car we felt it was time to tell our story. Besides, we felt it also was time to put a bunch of amateur sketch artists (who’ve been guessing in print what the car would look like, none of which have come close) out of their misery,” he said.
“With the new Thunderbird, we’ll have a car with heritage worth revisiting. And there will be no two-seater version at Lincoln or Mercury,” said Ford division general manager Jim O’Connor.
As for revisiting the past, what about actress Suzanne Somers who drove the ’55 Thunderbird in “American Graffiti?” Will she be called upon as an ad spokeswoman for new ‘Bird arrives?
“Haven’t thought about that,” O’Connor said, reaching for a notepad.
Thunderbird will be built at Ford’s Wixom, Mich., plant with the Lincoln LS and next-generation Mustang. The plant has capacity for 200,000 vehicles.
You may want to slip down to your Ford dealer and put your name on one of them now.
