Trivia Information for the 2003
Job 1 for the 2003 was November 18, 2002 due to delays caused by upgrading
engine. The 2003 model year ended June 27, 2003. Dealers last
day to order was May 30, 2003. The last day for scheduled production
of the 2003 was June 27, 2003. Job 1 for the 2004
started week of July 14, 2003 though some were in the production line before
that time.
Exterior Colors:
-
Torch red, Evening black & Whisper white are carry over from 2002 -
same colors/names as 2002
-
007 limited edition Thunderbird - (James
Bond edition) limited to 700 vehicles - Coral (red-orange)
-
new colors replacing the yellow and Thunderbird blue
are: Mountain Shadow Gray - metallic (Gunmetal Gray) & Desert
Sky Blue ( Robin's Egg Blue or pale blue). The
show car from 2001 Pebble Beach show had the dark grey on a Thunderbird.
Interiors:
-
BW = Black Ink standard interior with black accent optional - available
with all exterior colors - Caution - be careful
when buying a touch up paint for the interior. Test the color first to
see if it matches your interior.
-
BR = Torch Red interior - available as full accent or partial accent
- only available with the black, white, and red exterior
-
BC = Whisper White seat inserts - only available as a partial interior
option for all - includes top of steering wheel and shift knob and only
available with the white, red, black and blue exterior colors. Grey
is excluded.
-
BS = Saddle color accent interior - saddle color applied to
full seat, leather covered shift knob and leather covered insert at top
of steering wheel - only available with black or grey exteriors
-
Heated seats - standard on Premium and not available on Deluxe
-
cloth covered visor - only change to visor from last year
-
instrument cluster redesigned, same features
-
see interior page for photos
Engine/Transmission, etc...:
-
280 hp - 3.9L engine
-
two automatic transmissions are available - Select Shift is optional for
all models
-
traction control is standard on all
Other:
-
2-speed variable interval wipers with heated wiper park.
-
Wheels are the same as last year for both
the Deluxe and Premium models.
-
Supplemental parking lamps are a no-cost option. These are
not available in Canada except as "Ford aftermarket."
See 2002 Options page
for pictures with and without lights.
-
V8 badge on lower rear of front fenders.
-
6 CD changer is still standard.
Hardtop Colors*:
-
Evening Black (RA) - available for all body colors
-
Performance White (R2) - available only on the red, black, desert
sky blue t-birds
-
Whisper White (R1) - available ONLY on the whisper white t-birds
-
Torch Red (RR) - available only on the red t-birds
-
Mountain Shadow Grey (RT)- available only on the Grey t-birds
-
Desert Sky Blue (RC)- available only on the blue t-birds
Found something really odd about hardtop colors and interior colors - If
you order a black, red, or blue with the Whisper White interior, there
is NO option to order a white top with the car. Guess Ford thinks
the whisper white interior won't look good with the performance white top.
Haven't they heard people saying the colored cars with white hardtops should
have white interiors available?
* - codes listed were ordering codes for the hardtops - they do not
correspond with the actual color code for the paint.
Differences between the Premium and Deluxe are again minimal:
The Premium has heated seats and the 7 blade chrome wheels. The
Deluxe does not have heated seats and has the 21 spoke painted wheels.
Both could be ordered with or without hardtop
Here's a summary of the above color information:
Interior Colors
Body Color
|
Standard Black Ink |
Black Accent |
Partial Red* |
Full Red* |
Partial Whisper
White* |
Saddle* |
. |
Black Hardtop |
Body Color hardtop |
Performance White Hardtop |
. |
Soft Top
Color
Black |
. |
s |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
. |
o |
o |
o** |
. |
S |
. |
s |
o |
o |
o |
o |
no |
. |
o |
o |
o** |
. |
S |
|
s |
o |
o |
o |
o |
no |
. |
o |
o |
no |
. |
S |
|
s |
o |
no |
no |
no |
o |
. |
o |
o |
no |
. |
S |
|
s |
o |
no |
no |
o |
no |
. |
o |
o |
o** |
. |
S |
Coral |
Special Interior Color |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
. |
no |
no |
S |
. |
S |
s=standard
o=optional
no=no!
* these interiors are only available on the Deluxe ordered with hardtop
& all premium models
** Performance white hardtop not available with whisper white accent
interior
Interior Colors are as follows:
Black Ink (BW)
Black Ink Accent - 68B
Torch Red (BR) Requires Interior Color Accent Packages 68C or 68D
Whisper White - 68D
Saddle - 68E
Facts:
-
Other than the changes noted above and on the new
comparison page, the 2003 is essentially just like the 2002 - visit
the 2002 pages for photos and other
information about options, etc...
-
The 2003 Brochure was at the dealers.
-
Ford of Canada - only the Premium edition was available for 2003. .
See link page
-
Ford of Canada - the 007 Edition is available
for Canadians to buy and possibly for some European countries.
More Photos are on the Owner's pages
If you've reached this page thru a search engine, be aware that this
is a personal site, not affiliated with Ford M.C. The information
included here is to help you understand the ins and outs of the 2002 thru
2005 Thunderbird. To visit with other owners, check the Clubs
page |
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