"We’ve built upon Thunderbird’s rich heritage in creating a vehicle with modern flair. While Thunderbird pays homage to its past, it is not ‘retro’. It’s a car that knows its bloodline well but lives completely in the future. We believe this will be a new American motoring icon." Jim O’Connor – President of Ford Division
It’s interesting to note from the above quote that Ford didn’t consider the most recent Thunderbird to be a retro design. In reality, it is one of the few retro-modern cars that stayed true to the original in both style and mission – in this case the original 1955-57 Thunderbird roadsters. Heck, the new car even had an optional hardtop with a porthole window. Though the new Thunderbird’s styling was modernized, the body forms and detailing instantly recalled the original car – at least on the outside. Inside, the resurrected T-Bird was a Lincoln LS dressed in aluminum trim and gauges with turquoise pointers.
After just four years on the market, the Thunderbird was cancelled. A high sticker price that could reach $50,000 with options and gouging on the part of dealers contributed to the T-Bird’s untimely demise.
