Most everyone is familiar with the 2002-2005 Thunderbird, but did you know that a 2006 Thunderbird was not only planned, but very close to production? What happened?
Ford had high hopes for the 11th generation Thunderbird. The concept for the new Thunderbird model, which debuted in 1999, was a big hit with both the public and the automotive press. The 1999 Concept Thunderbirds drew huge crowds at auto shows worldwide and anxious buyers scrambled to try to place orders. The first of the new Thunderbirds was the ‘Neiman-Marcus’ special edition which was sold through phone orders only. The 200 Neiman-Marcus T-Birds sold out in a record TWO HOURS, the fastest of any car ever offered through the speciality retailer.
Buyers of the Neiman-Marcus Thunderbird and other new Thunderbirds were in for a very long wait. In an effort to hold buyer’s interest and make the long wait more bearable, Ford commissioned a unique series of ‘teaser’ packages known as the ‘Manage the Wait’ set. Each special box, there was a total of five, contained special messages and announcements from Ford about the new Thunderbird, along with special ‘gifts.’ The special gifts included items like die-cast model Thunderbird cars, painted to match the particular color ordered by each customer, picture frames, brushed aluminum bookends, and colorful ‘books’ with photos of the new Thunderbird.
Once the new 2002 Thunderbirds began arriving at Ford dealer showrooms, excitement and demand reached new levels. So much so that Ford dealers began adding markups to the MSRP of $ 5,000, $ 10,000 and more. Anxious buyers, determined to be among the first to own and drive the new T-Bird, paid the mark-ups, which could bring the price of the new car to over $ 50,000! Other prospective buyers were insulted by the huge dealer mark-ups and opted for other vehicles. A few Ford dealers offered their best, long-time customers the opportunity to buy a new T-Bird at sticker price, without any dealer mark-up. Others refused even loyal customers who had purchased new Fords from local dealers for decades.
Ford was ‘riding high’ on the euphoria of the excitement and media accolades for their ‘Retro’ Thunderbird, the first two-seat convertible Thunderbird since the famous 1957 model. Due to demand and the number of advance orders, the 2002 model year production was extended and saw the manufacture of over 32,000 vehicles … nearly half of all the 2002-2005 Thunderbirds built. Ford invested in a massive advertising and marketing campaign introducing the new Thunderbird from 1999-2001. But as more cars were delivered to anxious customers, ads for the new T-Bird seemed to diminish. Some dealers blamed Ford for not advertising and marketing the new Thunderbird more aggressively. Ford on the other hand, was unhappy that dealers were adding mark-ups to the new Thunderbirds, but could not legally prevent the practice. Thrilled to have a product that was in high demand, profit-oriented dealers were more than happy to squeeze every potential dollar from the new Thunderbird. This was especially true of low-volume dealers that were allotted only a handful of Thunderbirds each year.
By mid 2003 interest and excitement in the new T-Bird had fallen. The novelty of Ford’s new creation had diminished, and many would-be buyers still had a very bad taste in their mouths due to the high dealer mark-ups and scarcity of the the cars. Many dealers were now faced with serious over supplies of Thunderbirds, and in an effort to move them, were now selling brand-new T-Birds for as much as $ 10,000 BELOW MSRP! A Thunderbird that would have cost $ 50,000 or more in early 2002, could be purchased for around $ 29,000 in mid to late 2003.
In 2005, Ford approved production of the Thunderbird for the 2006 model year. As had been done for previous model years, they had even added unique new colors for the 2006 including ‘Dark Pearl Metallic’ and ‘Lime Sorbet.’ Ford had also commissioned and produced a unique design for the interior metal trim, which was slightly different for each model year from 2002-2005. For 2006, a repeating ‘Ford Oval’ pattern was chosen. Powersport was able to acquire a few sets of the new 2006 interior trim and has offered them for sale to Thunderbird enthusiasts and collectors.
The combination of low customer demand, deep discounts by dealers, and internal financial problems at Ford, led to cancellation of the 2006 Thunderbird before production even began. Production and sales of the 2005 model were barely one-third of the 2002 model. The public and the automotive media had lost their excitement in the two-seat ‘Retrobird,’ but not before two new exterior colors were introduced. ‘Medium Steel Blue’ and the rare ‘Inca Gold’ (limited to just 82 cars), were added to the other Thunderbird colors.
Some owners of the 2002-2005 Thunderbird were happy that Ford cancelled plans to build a 2006 model, believing that it made their cars all the more rare and potentially valuable. Others were looking forward to another year of Thunderbird production and the new ‘fashion’ colors. For better or worse, the 2006 Thunderbird was never built.
Since the last of the 2005 Thunderbirds rolled off the Wixom assembly line in June 2005, nearly ten years ago, rumors have persisted that a new Thunderbird model is coming. Automotive designers and artists have created numerous ‘concept’ renderings of what a new 2015-2016 Thunderbird might look like, ranging from a rather tame looking two-door version of a current Ford sedan, to a much more racy and aggressive-looking retractable hardtop with Corvette-like styling. Some of those renderings are featured here on the Powersport ‘California Custom’ website blog.
The Thunderbird name and trademark as a ‘legacy’ or ‘halo’ car, is very valuable to Ford, and it seems inevitable that a new Thunderbird will be produced sometime in the future. As of the date of this article however, Ford has not publicly announced any plans for production of a 12th generation Thunderbird model.
