Overview & Reviews

Unlike today, vehicle choices were pretty limited 50 years ago when the Ford Thunderbird first took flight. There were sedans, coupes, station wagons and convertibles, but essentially a Ford was a Ford -- straightforward variations on a common design. With the 1955 T-bird, however, Ford introduced the notion of a sporty "personal luxury car" -- a close-coupled two-seater with V8 power, a cushy ride and elegant styling. It also had the simple construction and reasonable price of a Ford.

What that first cozy Thunderbird convertible didn't have was much extra room for more people and things -- but when this was addressed in 1958, Ford's Thunderbird really took off. That year it became a bigger, heavier car, a four-seater available as a coupe or convertible with a blocky body that gave rise to the nickname "Square Bird." A much cleaner fighter jet-inspired body design debuted in the early 1960s and the sleek, missile-like profile earned these cars the moniker "Bullet Bird." The mid-'60s saw sharper-edged lines for the body, though the basic platform remained mostly unchanged.

Things really started to get weird in the later '60s, '70s and early '80s. Within this span of time, the Thunderbird convertible was dropped, a four-door version with suicide doors and landau irons was offered briefly, the car grew to the size and shape of a Lincoln Mark IV and was then downsized twice, first in 1977 and again to a Fairmont-based platform in 1980. Yep, the Ford Thunderbird "celebrated" its 25th anniversary in fine style, riding atop an economy car's chassis and sporting less than 130 horsepower from its V8 engine. But it did have a heavily padded landau top complete with opera lights as well as a digital dashboard, so things weren't that bad, right?

Interesting things happened during the mid- and late 1980s, when style and performance returned in the form of the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and its successor, the Super Coupe. The former had a turbocharged inline-4 while the latter sported a supercharged V6. The Thunderbird stayed with this format (standard coupe with V6 or V8 power and the hyper Super Coupe) through the late 1990s, at which point the Thunderbird died a quiet death due to slow sales and general disinterest in the personal luxury coupe market.

For the new millennium, Ford resurrected the Thunderbird. As a full-circle, retro-inspired return of the original two-seat roadster, the new Thunderbird garnered plenty of attention and initial hype. Still more about motoring with a little extra flair and panache than driving fast and hard, the Thunderbird seemed poised for success. It never met with much critical acclaim, however. Sales were brisk at first but slowed considerably afterwards. Ford ended production after four years.

Those shopping for a used Ford Thunderbird built in the last 20 years have lots of choices in terms of configurations, powertrains and styling. The best T-birds from the 1990s are the ones with V8 power. Driving enthusiasts may want to look for the performance-oriented but much rarer Super Coupe from the same era. Finally, the more recent two-seat roadster will no doubt satisfy those with retro "cruising" fantasies and could quite possibly become a future classic.

Most Recent Ford Thunderbird

In 1999 Ford displayed a concept car that brought the Thunderbird back full-circle to its roots as an open two-seat roadster. The response was overwhelming, and three years later it had a production version ready for 2002. The designers did such a great job that this "modern" Thunderbird managed to preserve the sleek styling cues of the original without looking like a four-wheel caricature.

As a basis, Ford used the same platform as it did for the Lincoln LS sedan. As such, some criticism was leveled at the Thunderbird's interior, as it was perceived as being too similar to the LS's and lacking in design flair. At the time, we suspected that buyers would have accepted a higher sticker price in exchange for unique, Thunderbird-specific pieces for the dash and center console. The pleated leather seats and door panels, however, recalled the days when auto upholstery resembled the seating in a diner's booth.

On the road, the new 'Bird performed quite well with its independent suspension and 3.9-liter V8 with a five-speed automatic transmission. But it didn't make the claims of a sports car; its mission in life was that of a comfortable boulevard cruiser. The Thunderbird gained 28 hp in 2003 for a total of 280. Detail changes marked its final couple years, with trim and paint changes and a Light Sand Appearance Package in 2004, and 50th-anniversary badging and more trim changes inside and out for 2005. Though flawed, it was still fun to drive and fun to be seen driving, and it largely succeeded at straddling the fine line between luxury and performance.

Past Ford Thunderbird models

The previous-generation Ford Thunderbird coupe was produced from 1989-'97. At its debut, a new fully independent suspension helped ride and handling, but acceleration was disappointing due to the combination of a hefty curb weight and 140-hp base V6. A more inspiring alternative was the new Thunderbird Super Coupe, (SC) which used a supercharged version of the V6 to produce 210 hp. It transferred its power to the rear wheels through either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. A special-edition 35th-anniversary model of the Thunderbird SC arrived in 1990, and a 200-hp 5.0-liter V8 returned to the Thunderbird lineup in 1991 -- the preferred choice for most Thunderbird buyers.

The base Ford Thunderbird was dropped from the 1993 lineup, and the car was now available either as an LX (with either the V6 or V8), or as a Super Coupe with the supercharged V6. Dual airbags were made standard in 1994, and this car also featured revised front-end styling and Ford's new, more refined SOHC 4.6-liter V8. The Super Coupe flew the coop after '95, leaving just the LX model to soldier on. There was a new instrument cluster in 1997 plus some new colors and a new rear spoiler, but the car itself was doomed as Ford shifted its focus to increasingly popular -- and profitable -- SUVs and trucks.

In reviews of this Thunderbird, our editors wrote that they liked the car's sporty coupe body style, V8 power and reasonable price. With its decent-size backseat, we claimed that it was "a car for closet enthusiasts who need a car that is more mature than the Mustang."

User Reviews:

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  Love my Bird - 2005 Ford Thunderbird
  By Bernie - March 25 - 2:53 pm

  What a fun car. Its an eye catcher. Its my eighth Thunderbird and I think its the best of all.

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  007 Special Edition - 2003 Ford Thunderbird
  By perrydog - March 23 - 5:48 pm

  Compared to my previous Mercedes SLK, this has much more power and style, though the handling is no match for the SLK. It is more a mixture of luxury and performance. The engine is as strong as any muscle car I drove in the 60s, yet gets 17 - 26 mpg. This is a real head turner, and a hit with the ladies. The car looks much better with the porthole hardtop than the soft top, unless it is down! The build quality is excellent, with just 1 minor problem in two years.

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  My Beautiful T-Bird - 2005 Ford Thunderbird
  By Kimberley - March 22 - 7:34 pm

  Hello! I purchased my dream car last June. It is beautiful! My T-Bird is Torch Red with the black soft top and a matching Torch Red hard top. The interior is black with leather seats accented with the red. This car is awesome to drive and gets tons of attention no matter where I drive it. Best of all it offers the performance of a sports car and tons of fun. This is the best driving experience of my life. I love to drive it, day or night. And for the brisk spring and fall nights, those heated seats deliver the warmth to keep driving topless. I LOVE my Thunderbird! I highly recommend it!

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  Thunderbird Ride - 2004 Ford Thunderbird
  By David F. Candelaria - March 20 - 9:36 pm

  My wife and I, who are in our early 50s were looking for a convertible for Sunday and getaway drives to the coast. We test drove several cars, all convertibles, a Crossfire SRT (330 h.p.), a Nissan 350 & a Vette. The Crossfire was simply too small. The Vette actually body swayed at high speeds. The Nissan was nice but too many on the road. The T-Bird was perfect! We got the premium package and its a great ride with good road feel and more than enough power with 280 horses. Its a very comfortable ride and the Select Shift is good on curved roads. The stereo is great with three settings for top down, up and driver alone in car. Further, theres not too many on the road.

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  The best car Ive ever owned - 2005 Ford Thunderbird
  By JACK MELVIN - March 15 - 12:04 am

  If you like the ride of a larger car and the fun of a convertible, this is the car for you. Every detail of fit and finish has exceeded my expectations. I have driven this car approximately 3,000 miles and with every mile I like it more. I cannot think of anything else that I have purchased recently that I can say that about. The engine performance is more than adequate. The handling is unbelieveable the car is so flat in the curves, no diving. The braking is superb. The acceleration is surprising. To put this car in perspective, I drove several other cars in the weeks leading up to this decision. The difference was so night and day against any other car that I drove, including an S-2000, MX-5, Z-4,

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  1995 Thunderbird - 4.6 V8 - 1995 Ford Thunderbird
  By John Credico - March 14 - 11:46 am

  I am the second owner. This is the most reliable car I have ever owned. Well built, good balance (easy on tires) and does not burn a drop of oil nor evaporate any engine coolant. A/C still blows cold air at 82,000 miles. The style still looks good too. GM owners that say they would never own a Ford have told me this T-Bird model would be one they wouldnt mind owning.

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  Red Bird - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
  By Red Bird - March 12 - 12:31 am

  Its the mix of a Crown Vic and a Mustang. Great car for highway use and road trips. However its not so good around town in the city due to its size and rather poor city mileage. Its stuck in that not so great niche between sports car and luxury car. Having bought it used with 82k, it has been a great bargain of a car! Its far better than I had expected from a 9 year old Ford!

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  One Fast Bird! - 1992 Ford Thunderbird
  By Damien - March 11 - 2:18 am

  The Thunderbird SuperCoupe was the coolest car Ford ever built. Its a shame that they did not keep making them. The most fun car Ive ever driven!

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  Tbird - 2003 Ford Thunderbird
  By lambertdds - February 27 - 1:15 pm

  Great design and comfortable ride. I wished it was a bit more of a sports car ride, but it is still exciting. Ford did a great job!

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  Most Fun Ive Driven in Years - 2002 Ford Thunderbird
  By JonG - February 21 - 4:01 am

  Got rid of an XJ8VDP for this car. I own a 96 Red XJS that is supposed to be my summer fun car - BUT - This car gets more looks, comments and thumbs up than the Jaguar (mine is Yellow with the two-tone yellow black interior). SHARP. Best surprise was power and performance - way better than I expected and cheap to maintain. Plus now that they are going bye-bye itll be even a rarer sight. Not a practical car as far as 2 seater, shallow trunk.