The Last Thunderbird, The History, Special Editions, & Options

We take a deep dive into the Thunderbird M205. We look at all the option and special editions. It was a nice grand touring car that preformed that duty well however, I contend that this modern twist on the 55 Thunderbird was never going to be a success for Ford. The buyers pool was to shallow and they should have seen this coming pre production.

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[TonysFordsandMustangs]

If you are a Thunderbird fan. Check out the Thunderbird Playlist. We have video for every year Thunderbird ever produced.

[markreynolds]

I have an '05 and enjoy driving it. No issues. It's def a cruiser, which was its purpose. Beautiful car.

[justclassicglam]

I have a 2002 T-Bird with 24k miles on it, with a white hard top -- and as a younger generation, first of all I love this car, but secondly you'd be absolutely suprised how many people who are my age look at my car and are like "Wow! What kind of car is that?" since the body style is so adorable and unique. Definitely love my T-bird and am so happy to be an owner of the a retro bird!

[seanthornton]

These like Prowler and Chevy SSR will be sought after future classics.

[louisappel]

As the owner of a torch red 04 premium T Bird I rather like the fact that there’s not too many manufactured my wife want a cool cruising convertible that wasn’t like every other Audi, BMW, Mercedes Etc to be unique. We get so many compliments on this car with many younger people asking “what is it”. It’s a great cruiser and fits nicely into my collection of fun cars! Thanks for the great historic information on this model run. It truly makes me appreciate the car that much more. 😊

[ricksand]

I absolutely loved my red 2002. It didn't look like any other car on the road and made a real statement. I've owned over 40 cars and this is the one that always made me feel special driving it. This automobile was all about style. That porthole top is unique and a signature Thunderbird design cue. It made good power and handled just fine. Granted, I live in an area with warm weather and smooth roads. Just my wife and I, so plenty of room for the two of us. The AJ V8 was designed well after Ford purchased Jaguar by the way, so don't worry about reliability if that's holding you back. The only issues that seem to crop up on well-used ones are rubber suspension bushings needing replacement and minor electrical problems. In a time when most people want an SUV or a giant pickup truck as a daily driver, the revived 2 seater T-Bird made and makes little economic sense from a business case perspective for Ford. Thank God there were enough enthusiasts still around in the company to make this very special car happen. A modern classic in my opinion.

[jaywatson]

Thank you for this video. I loved this generation of T-birds when introduced; loved the retro 50's look. Could never afford one but hope to one day.

[plap.]

I love all the retro stuff, including the hated ones. love these they look great. Also the prowler and SSR. I dont even understand the hate for any of these

[JamesThomas-dnee]

My 02 Whisper white turns heads I get so many comments on it. These cars are not for everyone but they are not as bad as alot of people say they are.

[jimlubinski]

Can't say I agree with you. You said this would be controversial and it is. I own a 2004 that I bought new. With the first year sales exceeding expectations, it was off to a good start. I think it hit its market perfectly. If it had been more powerful and not a grand tourer, it would have robbed sales from the Mustang. Some of the problems can be traced to Ford management. When leadership changed, the Thunderbird (in fact the entire Premier Automotive Group) became a victim to a common Ford practice known as "launch and forget." Yes, the Miata was cheaper, but it was not a V-8 and didn't have the luxury features. The Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky (also no V-8) were priced as high as the Thunderbird. In addition, the dealer markups on these were unconscionable. Cars that had a sticker price of 41K were being retailed for up to 70k. That certainly drove many potential customers away. Ford also cut corners. Considering the fact that this was a "halo" model, it didn't have features offered on even the cheapest Fords, such as an auto dimming rear view mirror, keyless entry, etc. Add to that the fact that Ford was incredibly inflexible with customers. I wanted a bronze one with a tan interior, but I didn't want a tan canvas top. I tried to special order with a black canvas top (not like they had a shortage of those) and they absolutely refused. I' m in South Florida, so maybe that's why the dealer premiums never went away. I finally found a new one in Valley Stream, NY that was actually a bit under sticker price. It wasn't the color combination I wanted (this one is Platinum with a black interior - I find black interiors common and boring), but it saved me over 20k compared with anything in my part of the country, so I bought it. I enjoy the car very much, but I do wish they had kept it all Ford. With the 4.6L V-8, it would be a far more reliable car. What pretty much doomed it to failure was that there was very little marketing effort (hardly ever saw an ad) and that outrageous dealer premium, not the concept of the car. Not all of us wanted an asphalt burning monster then or now. Would have been nice if they had followed this edition with a 4-seater, like they did back in the 50s.

[mrjuvy]

Bought my 04 in Merlot last year, and has been a good ride, like the idea it may not depreciate for the future.

[Homeinmygardenwithmydog]

I have an ‘04 in Merlot. Absolutely gorgeous color. I get a lot of attention from people wanting to know what it is. Like, “that’s a Thunderbird, right”?😅
I love the power, the convertible top, the handling, the transmission, and overall “cool” factor. Hope to keep it forever.

[DayleLembach]

I have a 2003 with 32, 000 miles. It is Blue and I love it! Bought it new.

[maryrafuse]

In my opinion this was and remains a car for the ages. Not an economic success but rather a car that did have considerable soul. Contrasted with today's styling the last T-Bird is a lovely car.

[Wooley]

I still like the look of these, wanted one when they first came out.

[danawheeler]

I bought a 2004 with 30k miles on it and put a Borla exhaust and K&N intake on her so it's probably got a bit over 300 hp now. I have out run many things/stayed with I thought would have run away from me and had it cruising at 130 (could have gone faster) and smooth as glass. I own a CTSV coupe and enjoy this bird with top down more than any other car I have owned and that is a large number. I replaced all the ignition coils and put in iridium plugs, new belts and replaced the bad suspension bushings so 10k invested there.

[dannyg]

This gen T Bird is my favorite of all retro cars (other than the '05-'06 Ford GT). I agree with Tony 100% on why it was not as commercially successful as Ford hoped - only two seats. I wanted to buy one when they were new, but I was raising kids and a two seater did not work for me. When I've met owners of this gen, they all love their T Birds.

[bradbradley]

My late ex-Sister in law had one. It was a very nice and fun car to drive…

when it ran. The 3.9 v8 had cooling system problems and EGR problems. Check engine lights were almost always on.
I did enjoy driving it. Handled well, chassis felt solid…just not a reliable car…

[cedarledgepublishing]

Thanks for posting. Great video! As someone who loves my Retro-Bird and wouldn't give it up for the world I will grudgingly admit you are right about many of the reasons why it failed...it really should have had a small backseat. My only quibble with your video despire showing the concept cars on screen you made no mention of the retractable hardtop. I consider that the BIGGEST missed opportunity of the 11th generation. ANyone who ownes one and has wrangled with the 80 pound hardtop will tell you that. I don't know what they were thinking forgoing retracable roof when it appeared to work beautifully.

[blackenedheart]

I've always liked the way they looked. I've never owned one but I would definitely buy one if I had the money