The Only Ford-Approved Aftermarket Tonneau for the 2002 Thunderbird!
The 1999 Thunderbird Show Car featured a hard tonneau cover with molded-in headrests, inspired by the 1962-63 Thunderbird Sports Roadsters. That Thunderbird, the predecessor to the 2002 production model, was a big hit at auto shows worldwide. And it was the first two-seat Thunderbird convertible offered by Ford since the classic 1957 model. Anxious buyers placed advance deposits and eagerly awaited delivery of this new ‘Retro’ Thunderbird.
But a hard tonneau cover or ‘boot,’ was never offered as an option on the 2002 Thunderbird, or on any of the three subsequent model years. Somehow, however, this new Thunderbird just begged for a true ‘Roadster Style Tonneau cover, and even a Motor Trend writer commented that while driving the Thunderbird test car, an admirer asked, “When does it get the hard tonneau?” To which he replied in his article, “Soon, we hope.”
As the first of the 2002 Thunderbird started arriving in dealer showrooms for delivery to the earliest buyers, one particular new owner of the limited edition ‘Neiman-Marcus’ edition Thunderbird decided to undertake the project. The idea was born, but it needed a designer, and not just any designer would do. Through an introduction by a mutual friend, the Neiman-Marcus owner met with James R. Powers. Powers, a retired Ford designer, and youngest designer ever appointed to Ford’s Advanced Design Studio, was intrigued with the idea, but had even grander plans for the new Thunderbird.
While at Ford in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Jim Powers designs and renderings led to what would become the iconic 1961 Thunderbird, sometimes referred to as the ‘Bullet Bird.’ This is was only of many of Powers’ creations … a life with cars that began when he won the Fisher Body Styling competition out of thousands of entrants.
During late 2001 and early 2002, Powers designed a stunning one-piece tonneau cover for the new Thunderbird. His design featured raised headrest nacelles, and signature ‘Waterfall’ drop between the bucket seats. Development of the prototype took months and in the Spring of 2002 a product version was produced by Steel Horse Automotive in Los Angeles, California.
Fast forward to November 2002 and the SEMA Automotive aftermarket show in Las Vegas, the largest of its kind in the world. Jim Powers’ ‘California Custom’ made its debut as a completely transformed, attention-grabbing custom show car, but built without expensive body work using bolt-on components. The Roadster Style tonneau cover was the centerpiece of Powers’ creation.
The Powersport ‘California Custom’ drew acclaim from thousands of attendees including both Doug Gaffka, chief of the ‘Living Legends’ design team, and J Mays, Head of Design for Ford at the time. Ford executives liked the idea of offering a hard tonneau cover for the new Thunderbird, but the one featured on the original concept show car was impractical for a number of reasons including the configuration of the seats the the headrests integrated into the tonneau cover itself. It would never meet federal requirements as it was originally designed.
The Powersport ‘California Custom’s’ Roadster-Style tonneau cover, however, was designed around the production seats and headrests and was a ‘stand alone’ hard tonneau. Ford decided to move forward, but the approval process was a slow one. By the time Ford approved the design as a dealer added optional accessory in mid 2005, production of the 2005 ’50th Anniversary’ Thunderbird had ended, and plans for the 2006 Thunderbird had already been cancelled.
In the years from its SEMA debut in 2002 through 2005 however, Powersport offered its patented Roadster Style tonneau cover to Thunderbird owners. And the ‘California Custom’ show car traveled the U.S. where it was displayed on the showroom floors of Ford dealers across the country.
Today, Powersport/Thunderbird Specialties still sells its patented Roadster Style tonneau cover, which is custom made to order, to enthusiastic Thunderbird owners throughout the U.S. and Canada, and even in the UK and Europe. It remains the first and finest hard tonneau cover ever created for the 2002-2005 Thunderbird, and the only one ever approved by Ford Motor Company.
You can add this stunning Tonneau Cover to your Thunderbird and own an accessory like no other, featuring the design heritage and inspiration of one of Ford’s most innovative and talented automotive designers.
Order yours today!
