Thunderbird Production – Feature Cars, Colors & Numbers

Ever wonder just how many of the new, 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird were produced?  Total production for all four model years was 68,095, not including the early prototypes and concept ‘Show Cars.’  As production goes for American cars, that’s a fairly low number.  Compare that for instance, to the production of the 2005 Mustang.  There were roughly 199,000 Mustangs built for the 2005 model year, nearly three times the total number of Thunderbirds produced for all four model years of the new T-Bird.

The first of the new Thunderbirds built and delivered were the special edition ‘Neiman-Marcus’ models. Limited to just 200 units, the Neiman-Marcus T-Birds were offered for sale by phone only as part of a special joint-venture with the famous luxury retailer, Neiman-Marcus.  They sold out in just two hours, with a waiting list reported to be thousands of others who missed the chance to get one.  Of all the Thunderbird ‘Feature Cars’ for 2002-2005, The Neiman-Marcus was the smallest production.

Ford produced a special ‘Feature Car’ for each year of the new Thunderbird production, beginning with the 2002 Neiman-Marcus edition.  It featured a ‘Satin Silver’ hardtop, black and silver accented seats, lower dash and center console, and shifter knob and steering wheel insert.  It also featured the Neiman-Marcus logo on the dash and custom Neiman-Marcus logo floor mats. The finishing touch was the unique 21-spoke chrome wheels.

For 2003, the feature car was the ‘007 James Bond’ edition, limited to 700 vehicles.  It was inspired by the James Bond film, ‘Die Another Die,’ starring Pierce Brosnan.  Painted in a unique ‘Coral’ and featuring white seats and a special ‘engine turned’ aluminum dash, this Thunderbird was driven by Halle Berry’s character in the film, ‘Jinx.’  The 007 Special Edition is considered one of the most desirable of all the new Thunderbirds.

The 2004 model year introduced the Thunderbird ‘Pacific Coast Roadster,’ a special edition limited to just 1,000 cars.  This feature car was painted in ‘Monterey Mist’ metallic with a Light Ash hardtop, and combination Light Ash and Dark Ash interior with special cloth seat inserts.  It also sported a special machined aluminum wheel and included a numbered plaque inside the glove box.

2005, the final production model year for the new Thunderbird, was also the Thunderbird’s 50th Anniversary.  While all 2005 T-Birds were badged with the ’50th Anniversary’ fender emblem, the feature car was limited to 1,500 units and was painted in a striking ‘Cashmere Metallic Tri-Coat’ color with color-matched grille.  The 50th Anniversary Cashmere also featured cashmere seats made of a softer, more luxurious material including leather inserts, than the standard interior.

Ford had originally planned to continue Thunderbird production into the 2006 model year, but the ’06 T-Bird was cancelled.  Various reasons were given for the cancellation of the 2006, including weak sales in 2004 and 2005, and other internal issues at Ford at the time.

In addition to the ‘Feature Cars,’ each model year showcased two new exterior colors, along with a couple of previously unannounced late year color introductions.  These fashion colors included:

2002 – ‘Inspiration Yellow’ and ‘Thunderbird Blue’

2003 – ‘Mountain Shadow Grey’ and ‘Desert Sky Blue’

2004 – ‘Merlot’ and ‘Vintage Mint Green’ plus the late introduction – ‘Light Ice Blue Metallic’

2005 – ‘Medium Steel Blue’ and ‘Bronze’ plus the late introduction ‘Inca Gold’ (only 82 in this color)

New colors planned for the 2006, but never offered, included ‘Dark Blue Pearl’ and ‘Lime Sorbet.’

For  more detailed information on all exterior and interior color combinations, visit Dot Lang’s excellent website, ‘Porthole Authority’ – www.portholeauthority.com