well, it aint mainstream, it aint a muscle car, so i didn't know where to put this, feel free to move it.................................................................... ...............
2005 Thunderbird to Be the Last for Ford Thursday March 10, 5:40 pm ET By Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer Ford to Retire Current Thunderbird, a Retro-Styled Convertible, After 2005 Model Year
DETROIT (AP) -- We had fun, fun, fun 'til Ford took the T-bird away. Ford Motor Co. said Thursday the 2005 model year will be the last for the current-generation Ford Thunderbird, a retro-styled convertible that went on sale in August 2001.
Ford had planned to discontinue the Thunderbird after the 2005 or 2006 model year but told employees Thursday production will end in July.
"We promised all along that this Thunderbird would have a limited production run, and we're being true to our word," Ford Division President Steve Lyons said. "Thunderbird was a terrific image builder for the Ford brand showroom at a time when we needed it."
The Wixom Assembly Plant northwest of Detroit, which produces the Thunderbird, will continue to make the Lincoln LS and Town Car and also will be the final assembly point for the Ford GT supercar, which was released last year, the company said.
The Thunderbird, one of Ford's most celebrated nameplates, first went on sale in 1954. Its peak sales year was 1977, when 322,517 redesigned Thunderbirds were sold. The Thunderbird went through numerous design changes over the decades before going on hiatus in 1997.
The redesigned 2002 Thunderbird got off to a roaring start. Dealers were flooded with pre-orders and got $10,000 premiums on top of the car's sticker price of $30,000. It also won over critics, securing Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year award.
But the flurry died down almost as quickly as it emerged. Ford had projected sales of 25,000 per year but fell well short of that mark. Just 11,998 Thunderbirds sold in 2004, 33 percent fewer than 2003.
Ford has sold a total of 54,360 new-generation Thunderbirds since 2001. The company said it has sold 4.2 million Thunderbirds since 1954.
-- Edited by Kevin at 22:02, 2005-03-10
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Otacon: The door leading to Metal Gear is locked with a card key.
Snake:Oh well, let all go home and have pie.
Otacon: No Snake! No pie!
Snake: Then the terrorists have already won...
"We promised all along that this Thunderbird would have a limited production run, and we're being true to our word," Ford Division President Steve Lyons said. "Thunderbird was a terrific image builder for the Ford brand showroom at a time when we needed it."
In other words, 'we weren't confident at the start, and since it's basically and overpriced pos, we're gonna quit making it.'
No offense, but as the Thunderbird might actually be a nice car, it's underpowered, overpriced, and has controversial styling. I guess it started good, but I wouldn't have expected to sell 25,000 of them a year. It's like DeLorean's estimate of selling 30,000 of the underpowered $50,000 DMC~12s a year (about $50k now, not then).
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DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND MY CONTROL, MY BRAIN IS CURRENTLY NOT FUNCTIONAL. MY EMPLOYER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. AT THIS TIME, I HAVE NO WAY OF PREDICTING HOW LONG THIS ISSUE WILL TAKE TO CORRECT.
Good. If they intend to bring it back in the future like they did this time, I hope it never comes back. The T-Bird has it's fans, but among most people I've talked to, it's thought of as one of the ugliest vehicles on the road.
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DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND MY CONTROL, MY BRAIN IS CURRENTLY NOT FUNCTIONAL. MY EMPLOYER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. AT THIS TIME, I HAVE NO WAY OF PREDICTING HOW LONG THIS ISSUE WILL TAKE TO CORRECT.
