The End of Thunderbird Accessories? (image courtesy of NSF)
T-Bird Accessories … Riding into the Sunset?
’02-’05 Thunderbird Accessories – Soon to Become Extinct? – The last of the new 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbirds rolled off the assembly line ten years ago to the month … June 2005. And the first of the 2002 production Thunderbirds are now over 13 years old. Many Thunderbird owners have customized and personalized their cars with a wide array of aftermarket accessories including body kits, tonneau covers, stainless steel and chrome trim and performance upgrades. Most of these aftermarket products have been available for many years, but something is changing … Thunderbird aftermarket accessories are beginning to disappear. What exactly is going on?
Automotive aftermarket companies were excited about the introduction of the new 2002 Thunderbird, the first two-seat convertible Thunderbird to be produced since 1957. Powersport/Thunderbird Specialties was the first to produce and market custom aftermarket accessories in 2002 with the introduction of the Powersport ‘California Custom’ body kit and ‘Roadster Style’ Tonneau Cover.
Other companies soon followed, producing a number of stainless steel and chrome-plated trim accessories. New aftermarket grilles soon appeared, including the billet-style grille and wire-mesh grille. Another company introduced half skirts and Retro-Style tail fins to recapture the appearance of the classic 1957 Thunderbird. After the introduction of the Powersport ‘Roadster Style’ tonneau cover, other styles of hard tonneau cover were created, including two-piece tonneau covers with and without raised headrest ‘nacelles.’
Performance upgrades were also developed, including the Borla stainless steel performance exhaust and the K&N cold air intake system.
Now, nearly 13 years after the first of the 2002 Thunderbirds hit dealer showrooms, aftermarket accessories for the 2002-2005 Thunderbird are starting to disappear. Among the aftermarket accessories no longer available are both the billet-style grille and the wire mesh grille. Both fell victim to low demand. The Dayton wire wheel, produced for over ten years, also ended production last year.
Aftermarket Thunderbird logo floor mats and trunk mats, both featuring the famous Thunderbird emblem, are also gone, along with the front end cover or ‘bra.’ The Thunderbird floor mats were discontinued due to a moratorium on licensing by Ford as a result of auto accidents involving certain Toyota vehicles caused by mats becoming stuck under the gas pedal.
What’s the future for aftermarket products for the new Thunderbird? It’s really a matter of supply and demand. With only 68,095 Thunderbirds produced for the 2002-2005 model years, the market for custom accessories has always been a rather small ‘niche’ market. Add to that the fact that most original owners who wanted to customize their Thunderbird have already purchased most of the items they wanted. As the market demand shrinks, it becomes less profitable for aftermarket manufacturers to produce accessories. Even the very popular Borla performance exhaust is at risk of being discontinued due to weak demand.
The good news for owners of the 2002-2005 Thunderbird is that Powersport/Thunderbird Specialties, still offers the largest selection of aftermarket accessories and Thunderbird collectibles available anywhere, with over 100 products in its current product line. No one offers a wider variety of custom trim, performance upgrades and officially Ford-Licensed collectibles and apparel items.
