New VW Bug...New TBird?

[lmartun]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

What are the odds Ford will follow suit by reviving the Thunderbird, and maybe add a supercharger?

I'm among those that hope it is never revived, but if it is, NOT like our retro Birds.


LM

[Ray]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I sent an email to Ford's Corporate Headquarters and asked if there were plans to add the Thunderbird to the Ford product line. This is the reply I received:

Thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company on 4/18/2011 02:53:19 PM. We appreciate the time you have taken to write us.

Thank you, for your Ford loyalty we appreciate you here at Ford.

At this time we do not have plans for the Thunderbird to be back in the Ford product line. Please log onto www.media.ford.com and if there is a change you would find information on that site.

Thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company.

Sincerely,
Janette
Ford Motor Company
Ford Marketing Program Headquarters

[HKS]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

My feelings excactly.

HKS

I like the new beetle.But I am concerned about it's target audience. It may be too macho for the girls and still too feminine for the guys.They may have very carefully, with great precision, missed their target. ...

And unfortunately, Spence is right. Slim and none.
But if it wasn't tooooooo green...I would be a possible buyer.......

[jerrym3]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I don't think Ford would ever give that type of info to an emailer.

That's something they would leak little by little to the big Auto Mags.

But, I agree with her WAG (Wild A** Guess), no TBird on the horizon.

[Rondor]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I still oppose anything over 2 seats being called a thunder bird. V W is a VW period

[jerrym3]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I don't mind 4 seater TBirds, I don't like 4 dr TBirds.

[V8 Cat]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I don't like 4 dr TBirds.

Neither do I!

[Gobird]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

Don't know. I guess all those Thunderbirds Ford made between 1958 to 1998 weren't really Thunderbirds. That would be 40 years of Thunderbirds that weren't real Thunderbirds. That's saying Ford only made the Thunderbird for 7 years.

[Will]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

"A Thunderbird is a Thunderbird is a Thunderbird."
--------Gertrude Stein (Not!)
"What's in a name? That which we call a Thunderbird by any other name would smell as sweet."
---------Wm Shakespeare (Not!)
"Bright is the ring of words / When the right Thunderbird rings them."
---------Robt. Louis Stevenson (Not!)
"We can easily represent Thunderbirds as we wish them to be."
----------Aesop (Not!)
"When I use the word 'Thunderbird,' it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less."
----------Lewis Carroll (Not!)
"It is what it is."
----------Will

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I'd love to see a modern version of the 1961-63 or the 1964-66 Tbird in a 4-seat convertible of course. There are few cars as beautiful as a '63 TBird convertible in that silver/blue paint:).

[MerlotBlue]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

Hey all,


What are the odds Ford will follow suit by reviving the Thunderbird, and maybe add a supercharger?

Lindy

You mean build the car they should have built in '02?

Slim to none for now.

It's all about economy these days.

How-ever it's pretty clear that building a car that only appeals to people who are old enough to remember actually seeing the '55-'57 T-Birds when they were still on the road wasn't nearly enough.

The demographics of owners on this site are probably pretty close to where they were for Ford when selling the car originally in that '02-'05 run.

A successful effort must lure in younger buyers. Probably the same demo as Corvette for Chevrolet. Affluent 45-50 year olds are more inclined to produce a sport car sales winner than affluent 55-60 year olds.

This whole "cruiser" image alone clearly didn't work for enough people. A sportier car with more horse power would have been a lot more appealing to many people.

The most common comments from reviewers was probably spot on. Seems EVERYONE though the styling of the 2002 T-Bird was EXCELLENT......... but most all came away critical of a too soft for combat suspension and a lack of competitive power under the hood.

Goes a long way to explaining how those 2002s FLEW out the door on orders placed before anyone even got to drive one but fell absolutely flat in the years that followed after people did get to drive 'em.

The hardest to accept part of this failure is found in how easily this might have been fixed.

Just the "option" of a super-charged version of the current engine, manual gear box and a sportier suspension to go with it might have been a game changer.

The Retro-Bird's total lack options in the power-train and suspension really was the modern equivalent of the Model T coming in but one color.

I can imagine no small number of potential buyers LOVED the style but if "SOFT" isn't your thing.......... this was a car you took a pass on.

[bottomtime]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

Hey all,

Just heard the annoucement about the new VW bug, still a bit retro styled:

http://www.iol.co.za/motoring/cars/v...aled-1.1058331

What are the odds Ford will follow suit by reviving the Thunderbird, and maybe add a supercharger?

Lindy

THE WEB-SITE PAGE (ABOVE) HAS EXPIRED - WHERE'S ANOTHER PICTURE AT??

[jerrym3]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

IMHO, the Thunderbird was never meant to be a performance or a sports car. Even in the days of the 2 seater supercharged version, the "normal" engined car sales were higher. When the car went four seater, sales skyrocketed.

Same goes for the TurboCoupe and SuperCoupe days. They were great cars, but the "plain Janes" outsold them. (I went for the TurboCoupe in 85, buy opted for the LX 4.6 over the SC in 94.)

Ford's performance car is the Mustang, a car for the younger buyers.

Had a supercharged TBird version been available, I would not have purchased one. In my thinking, one less headache to worry about as the car aged.

Besides, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds (2003 and later model) is quick enough for me, and I used to live my Sundays at the Engistown, NJ, dragstrip.

Lack of features that were already on the shelf, initial dealer mark up, and minimal improvements over the years, except for trim packages, killed the car.

Even the 55/56/57s had differences that were easily noticeable. The retros are very good looking cars, but you can't stand still in the auto industry.

The TBird did.

Ford didn't care. They were selling SUVs hand over fist.

[MerlotBlue]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

IMHO, the Thunderbird was never meant to be a performance or a sports car. Even in the days of the 2 seater supercharged version, the "normal" engined car sales were higher. When the car went four seater, sales skyrocketed.

Same goes for the TurboCoupe and SuperCoupe days. They were great cars, but the "plain Janes" outsold them. (I went for the TurboCoupe in 85, buy opted for the LX 4.6 over the SC in 94.)

Ford's performance car is the Mustang, a car for the younger buyers.

Had a supercharged TBird version been available, I would not have purchased one. In my thinking, one less headache to worry about as the car aged.

Besides, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds (2003 and later model) is quick enough for me, and I used to live my Sundays at the Engistown, NJ, dragstrip.

Lack of features that were already on the shelf, initial dealer mark up, and minimal improvements over the years, except for trim packages, killed the car.

Even the 55/56/57s had differences that were easily noticeable. The retros are very good looking cars, but you can't stand still in the auto industry.

The TBird did.

Ford didn't care. They were selling SUVs hand over fist.

I can't agree that the car comes in with enough "go" .......... it's clearly weak by the standards of others available in the same price range.

Still, I agree with most all you write here.

Too few options meant this car was going to be SERIOUSLY narrow focused......... that probably was DEATH right there for any hope of sustainable sales numbers. The only really noticeable change over the 4 year run was paint color availability.

No manual transmission option carved away anyone who really feels "rowing the gears" is important in a two seater.

No Sport Suspension package available might be my own biggest head scratcher, given how very well balanced this car is. Independent suspension and a damn near 50/50 weight distribution taken so seriously by designers that they were willing to put the battery in the trunk........ well that was just SCREAMING for the suspension that could take advantage.

As for the horse power available.

I just don't get this one. Given this is a Retro-inspired car.

The most sought after and highly valued of the original '55-'57 T-Birds are those original Super-charged versions.

Even if they hadn't gone out the door in large numbers the boost to the image might well have been a game changer for how the public perceived the car.

Not sure I'd have shared your worries over reliability. Today super-charging is just so common and I think Ford easily could have given us something without problems. (Then again.......given the inability to give us a truly reliable ignition coil........maybe I shouldn't be so quick to say that!)

[snowbird]

Re: New VW Bug...New TBird?

I'd love to see a modern version of the 1961-63 or the 1964-66 Tbird in a 4-seat convertible of course. There are few cars as beautiful as a '63 TBird convertible in that silver/blue paint:).

The designers of the retro bird had the '61 to '63 bird in mind when doing the rear end of the retro.