2002 Powersport ‘California Custom’
Chip Foose 2002 Thunderbird ‘Speedbird’
Bonspeed-Saleen Thunderbird
Barris Industries 2002 Thunderbird
2002 ‘SHS’ Thunderbird
2002 Custom Thunderbirds.
The first of the 2002 Ford Thunderbird custom show cars made their official debut at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in November of 2002. The 2002 SEMA show, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, featured a number of customized 2002 Thunderbirds including the Chip Foose ‘SpeedBird,’ and the ‘Bonspeed-Saleen’ concept Thunderbird, and custom Thunderbirds by Barris Industries and Canada’s SHS. Also making its debut at the 2002 SEMA show was the Powersport ‘California Custom,’ designed by noted retired Ford designer, James R. Powers. Unlike Foose’s ‘Speedbird’ and the Bonspeed-Saleen Thunderbird, which were ‘one-off’ custom designs. the Powersport ‘California Custom’ was conceived and created as a bolt-on body kit which allowed Thunderbird owners to transform the stock 2002-2005 Thunderbird into an ‘attention-grabbing’ custom show car, without body work! Jim Powers’ innovative and unique design made it possible for virtually any Thunderbird owner to create a ‘one-of-a-kind’ custom show car by using easy-to-install body kit components. Unlike other one-off custom cars, which typically require hundreds of hours of painstaking modeling, shaping and contouring, the Powersport ‘California Custom’ body kit requires no cutting or custom body work. All the components can be bolted onto the stock 2002-2005 Thunderbird, which also allows the custom body kit parts to be removed and returned to ‘stock’ if so desired, with no permanent alteration to the original vehicle.
The Chip Foose ‘SpeedBird’ was strictly a one-off custom creation, never to be duplicated, as was the Barris Industries Thunderbird. The Bonspeed-Saleen 2002 custom Thunderbird was intended to be put into limited production, but lack of demand curtailed that plan, and the car built for the 2002 SEMA show was the only one ever built. The Canadian ‘SHS’ Thunderbird featured Powersport’s ‘Roadster Style’ Tonneau Cover, but without the signature covered headrest caps.
The cost of a one-off custom car can reach into the hundreds of thousands … far too expensive for the average auto enthusiast or collector. The Powersport ‘California Custom,’ however, makes owning a head-turning custom show car affordable for almost every 2002-2005 Thunderbird owner. For those who don’t want a complete transformation, Powersport ‘California Custom’ components can be purchased and installed separately or in any combination. This allows Thunderbird owners to create their own unique ‘custom’ car by choosing components to suit their individual tastes and preferences. The 2002-2005 Thunderbird can be further personalized using dozens of other Powersport/Thunderbird Specialties custom accessories and trim, allowing for a virtually unlimited number of custom design possibilities. Among the Powersport ‘California Custom’ body kit components are the custom Front Fascia, Fender Skirts and Ground Effects, Sport Hood Scoop, and patented ‘Roadster Style’ Tonneau Cover, the only hard tonneau cover approved by Ford as a dealer option. Powersport/Thunerbird Specialties also offers a wide variety of other custom trim accessories including stainless steel side accent trim, rocker panel trim, lower body trim, grille surround trim, hardtop protection trim, hood scoop trim, Wheel Well/Fender trim, Retro Headlight Shades, and chrome-plated tail light bezels and door handle trim.
