2008 Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe

[tbirdfan1993]

Is Ford going to bring these beasts back to life? I mean they remade the old school TBird, so why not an obviously popular ride like the SC?

[joker12552]

I seriously doubt they will make another supercoupe. The retro tbird sales have been dismal, and it is my understanding that they either stopped or plan to stop making them. Sorry but tbirds are far from being "popular" in the eyes of the general public, and most auto performance enthusiast. It is a nitch market at best, and auto makers dont typically play to nitch markets. Given thier limited production, if supercoupes were popular you wouldnt be able to buy them so cheap.

[tbirdfan1993]

I understand the general lack of support, but if they weren't going to continue, why continue to release the regulat TBird? (ex 2006 that's out). They should make one. What do you guys think?

[fast Ed]

They stopped selling the MN-12 Birds after 1997 mainly due to lack of sales. So why would they bring them back now??


cheers
Ed N.

[joker12552]

This was pulled from the webNEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Ford plans to again stop production of its Thunderbird sports car after the current model year ends production in July.

The company has sold more than 55,000 of the roadsters since it brought the storied car back into production with the 2002 model following a three-year gap in production. But sales have been slipping since its reintroduction resulted in sales of 19,085 in 2002.

Sales for the last six months, roughly in line with the roll out of the 2005 models, were 4,522, according to sales tracker Autodata, a drop of 33.7 percent from the same six-month period a year earlier.

The two-seater model brought back in 2002 was always seen as somewhat of a niche vehicle. But despite some good reviews for the reintroduction, even the best sales of the new model were seen as somewhat of a disappointment for Ford.

Ford said this is not the end of the line for its famous nameplate. Instead, its release referred to the decision as putting the name back in its "future-product vault."

"We promised all along that this Thunderbird would have a limited production run, and we're being true to our word," said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president. "Thunderbird was a terrific image builder for the Ford brand showroom at a time when we needed it."

Ford will now concentrate on its new Mustang sports car, which had its convertible version unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January.

The first Thunderbird went on sale Oct. 22, 1954, and during the last five decades it has gone through several design changes with coupes, sedans, convertibles, hardtops and even large-size configurations. The first four-seat version of the Thunderbird came out in 1958.

[68COUGAR]

[QUOTE=joker12552]The retro tbird sales have been dismalQUOTE]
That is probably due to the fact that Ford put a $45K price tag on a $15K car!!!

Compare the Mustang to the retro-Tbird. The Mustang accelerates & brakes better. It handles better. It has a bigger engine with many aftermarket parts avail. It has an avail 5-spd.

So Ford wants to sell a lesser car than the Mustang, for double+ the price. Americans may be gullable, but we can usually spot a Rip Off when we see it.

68COUGAR

[tbirdfan1993]

You guys sound as if you hate the new Thunderbirds! Well, me too. But if they were to redesign and really, REALLY market the SC, I believe it would sell. What is so impossible about that!

[quick35th]

I honestly am glad that Ford killed off the new hidious retro Tbird. It was just so much of an eye sore to me to even really look at. I hope that if and when Ford does bring the Tbird back into production it needs to have the things that made our beloved MN12s so great but it needs to do so while being different not retro at the same time. Sure it could resemble an MN12 but it can be soully like on either. Oh and the aftermarket has to accept this bird so there will be plenty of mods for it.

Shane

[sizemoremk]

Ditto, I think they are ugly myself, but at only 55,000ish made, do ya'll reckon if one made it another 25 years in real good shape, it would be worth a fortune?

Or will they all be in good shape cuz they'll be in old women's garages???

[Parker Dean]

IMO, the characteristics of the next Thunderbird may well be SuperCoupe-like.

The 89-97 'Birds, and the SC by extension, suffered from a couple of issues. The biggest being the increasing popularity of the SUV, and also being overweight which resulted in some disciplinary action against the design team. This in turn seems to have made the MN12 unpopular within Ford itself and they let the car wither away.

The next go around for the 'Bird will have to be special in some way. Retro has been done so that's probably out. Sports car is probably out since the Mustang is pretty close to that concept. The Five Hundred is to cover the Sport Sedan niche. To me, that leaves luxury-sport which was the SC's mission (standard 'Bird was personal-luxury).

This leaves the question of what the charactistics of such a model is to be. Forced induction is almost certain based on the models mission, what with the need for big power and good economy. Manufacturers tend to shy away from turbos mainly due to cat light-off times, and to a lesser extent warranty issues, so a supercharger is a good bet.

Given the modern market, the car will have to handle well considering the price range it'll be in. This will also mean upscale interior appointments.

Now, what Ford car do we know of that sounds like that? :)

Just need a chassis to put it on, and therein lies the rub.

[seawalkersee]

You have to understand other things too. Ford does not like to compete with its self. Those dumb bastages didnt release any of the new mustangs before this model year. That was why there were not very many parts to go with their beloved crappy car. If they were to introduce a car that was a tad larger and with the same power as the crustang again (for less money), only the knuckleheads that buy those little cars and are loyal to them would go back. Seriously...How many of you can/could kick the crap out of mustangs when you were stock? Think about it. They were going to produce a SVT bird but it got nixxed...What I would not GIVE to own that car.

Chris