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Ford Thunderbird
What happened to it?
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Interesting question. The new small bird was a very good car but many feel it was overpriced so sales did not meet expectations. I have often wondered why Ford did not just use the 4.6L engine from the Mustang thereby greatly reducing costs. There is lots of demand for the 2 seater, high end car but Ford decided to abandon this market. Demand for these T-birds seems to be strong and if you look at the used car ads, you will see that the sellers are asking big bucks for these cars.
Wayne |
it needed some hp to go with the sporty style like the old days.
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There used to be three or four of the last ones around here but I haven't seen them for a year or so. I know one person that I talked to was unhappy about the lack of performance. I don't even know what motor he had in his.
Ron |
Ed, Ron the Mustang 4.6L would have reduced costs and increased performance at the same time. I think the new bird had a 4.0 or 4.2L V8 which was basically developed just for that car if I remember correctly. High cost and poor performance were the 2 main complaints about those birds.
Wayne |
What a checkered history Ford made for the T Bird. 2 place, 4 place, scrap. Reborn as a 5,6 pax coupe sharing with L&M. Then supercharged to try to bring back the sports car idea, then scrapped again. Then a 2 place again, non-sporty, but 2 place and sporty looking, then scrapped again. Look up 'corporate indecision' in the dictionary and there should be a picture of a T Bird there.
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Actually the MRSP price of the car was not that bad. It was the price gouging dealers that killed the car.
People paid $10,000 to $15,000 over sticker for the car and then watched the demand fall like a rock when the dealers did not lower the prices. The value of the cars already owned then in turn dropped as the demand fell. At least that is what I observed in Washington state. |
By coincidence I saw two new T-birds on the road at the same time this past weekend. My friend asked if they still sold them and I said no. It's my opinion that it was marketed as a personal luxury car than didn't have the performance of either a Miata or a Corvette. Without including the performance enthusiasts, the market for the car must have been too small.
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It was a 3.9 with 250 HP. How stupid. And yes, I think that engine was developed for the bird. Shoulda just stuck in the 4.6 300hp engine. They would have saved a fortune in development, and people would have liked it and bought it. Kinda makes u wonder why the top brass from Ford failed common sense 101 ??? :confused:
A nice sporty car like that needed a little torque to make it fun and complete the package. . |
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It was ugly! |
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My wife is finally going to let go of her beloved '97 T-Bird. With a 4.6 it really goes and the IRS helps it corner well. It's been a very comfortable ride for 200,000 miles, but I guess we're moving on. Tomorrow we're going to the dealer. This 'bird has been a peach of a car though, very durable and still looks and runs great.
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I kind of like the concept of the 'Modern Retro' that a lot of companies are doing with some of their models. I think I would have put a harder line along the top of the rear fenders, more like the '57 than the '56. I don't think the T-Bird was as much of a styling disaster as things like that Chevy sedan delivery thing But it sure does not look as good as the Mustang.
There is a club that shows up every so often at a cruise night I go to - about 15 cars, all colours, and it is quite a sight! One of the owners told me that it was a Cougar (also extinct now I think) with a different body. I was hoping that Ford would have done a new E-Type - oh well... Steve |
I saw one in the wild this weekend. Yep, ugly. Sure didn't bring memories of a T-bird.
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Not what I view as an American Man Car!
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Nobody, who was somebody, drove one; finally nobody, who was anybody, wanted one... I think they should have put a flathead V8 in them. Like they shoulda NASCAR. Wes ... |
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