2002 Ford Thunderbird

I remember it like it was yesterday, the day my father pulled up in the driveway with a shiny 1957 T-bird. I wasn’t anywhere near old enough to drive, but I was old enough to understand that this creamy white two-seater with the removable hardtop, porthole quarter windows and leather-and-chrome interior was something very special.

It wasn’t ours, of course. My father periodically showed up with things like this on loan from friends who owned dealerships. He thought it was great fun to see the looks on our faces. His children thought it was torture of the worst sort.

But things changed rapidly for the Thunderbird after those early years. Soon it evolved into a much larger luxury coupe and thereafter did a short stint as a four-door with doors that opened into each other like a cabinet. Always, it held on to its title as one of America’s style setters.

The Thunderbird eventually returned to the two-door model, but never as a compact. It went on to various incarnations, each seemingly less inspired than the previous one. Finally, it disappeared altogether a few years ago, bearing little resemblance to its formidable beginnings either in presence or performance.

From those ashes rises a Phoenix, however, in the form of this long-awaited 2002 Thunderbird roadster. In a fit of nostalgia and uncommon good sense, Ford returns the T-bird to its roots, recapturing the look and feel of those early years without apology.

In doing so, they have delivered a convertible brimming with personality and romance that works as well today as it did that summer afternoon when the ’57 came to visit.

The Good News
I love this new T-bird for what it is and what isn’t.

It is an elegant, responsive roadster that rides and handles comfortably, looks fabulous and capitalizes on its heritage.

Outside, its simple, streamlined design borrows liberally from those first classic Thunderbirds, from its wide chrome grille down to the creamy shade of white adorning my test car. Ford has even used the original Thunderbird turquoise in subtle accents throughout and added to the standards list a removable hardtop with porthole windows. At 186 inches stem to stern, it’s long and low, with seven cubic feet of trunk and a small storage shelf behind the seats.

Inside, round gauges, brushed chrome accents, ignition on the dash and an obvious attempt to keep things simple, yet modern, all work towards retaining the retro feel. Seats are leather; luxuries abound. It’s a definite head-turner.

The Thunderbird shares a front-engine, rear-drive platform with the capable Lincoln LS, although wheelbase is shorter. It also shares the LS independent suspension and 3.9-liter DOHC V-8, producing 252 horses at 6100 rpm via a five-speed automatic, the only transmission available. Starting acceleration steps out readily (0-60 in 7.0 seconds) and continues to roll smoothly, if without a lot of authority thereafter. In other words, it prefers to cruising to racing.

That brings me to the “what it isn’t.” This Thunderbird is clearly not competition for the quick and the crazy. Despite certain appearances, it’s not a sports car. Like its earliest ancestors, it’s a luxury car.

Normally, I would be disappointed. This time, I’m not. Ford has so richly endowed this T-bird with the best of American yesteryear, from the throaty sound of the V-8 to how heavy it feels, I can’t help but be seduced. However…

The Bad News
…those who define everything with two seats and a ragtop by its stats will dismiss this Thunderbird as sluggish and overly padded. That’s their problem.

My complaints are few. With today’s variety of cool convertible tops that completely disappear into trunks and boots, it’s a bit of a pain to actually have to manually cover this T-bird’s folded top with a tonneau. But the top itself is fully powered, except for one initial release, and you can ride around without the tonneau. Besides, Ford saved us many thousands of dollars by eliminating the extra electronics.

The only aspect I found truly objectionable is headroom, especially getting in and out. A friend suggested that instead of inscribing “Ford Thunderbird” along the interior door strip, they should have written “DUCK!” to warn the unwary. It definitely takes some getting used to. That, and good knees.

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 17 mpg city/23 highway.

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $38,465;
Price as tested, $39,290

Is it worth it?
I am delighted with this Thunderbird, and I didn’t expect to be. That’s saying a lot. And when you look at the going rate for luxury two-seaters these days, the price seems tame.

I like to think of this new Thunderbird as the perfect grown-up’s car. It’s for those who aren’t out to prove anything other than they know a pretty convertible when they see one and appreciate the opportunity to get from point A to point B in such a pleasurable fashion. This car is pure joy, not because it’s fast and frisky, but because it’s so easy on the eyes and the senses, and because it reminds some of us of those days when it was among the most dazzling rides on the road.

Or, in my case, temporarily in the driveway.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville?s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.