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| CARE | Concept | Memorabilia | Photos | Facts | | Links | Events | Guestbook | Homepage | Site Map | |
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Facts
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| Events | Celebrities | Movies | Commercials | Awards |
| Contests | Misc. | T-bird MusicTitles | Cruisin' Music Titles | .Music Videos |
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Living Legends Media Tours 2001:
Mystery Drives 2001:
special test drives set up for future owners. 40 minutes of
driving with change of drivers half way thru drive.
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Timeline of Events05/22/00 - go ahead for production 05/27/00 - Dream Tour started 08/00 - Dream Tour ends 08/18/00 - Neiman Marcus edition introduced 09/25/00 - Neiman Marcus orders taken and closed 01/08/01 - Sport Roadster concept introduced 01/08/01 - Order bank opened up for 2002 05/29/01 - Living Legends Tours start 06/05/01 - Job1 at Wixom Assembly Plant 07/20/01 - Ford Employee Launch Party 07/26/01 - First delivery reported in Ohio* 07/00/01 - Mystery Drives started 08/10/01 - Living Legends Tours end 08/17/01 - 1st shipment of Thunderbird Collection started arriving 09/11/01 - WTC & Pentagon disasters Mystery Drive in Washington DC cancelled, Miami Drive shortened 09/18/01 - Shipping of cars resumed 09/19-23 - last Mystery Drive in Miami 09/27/01 - NM cars started being delivered to owners 11/21/01 - 2002 Thunderbird named Motor Trend's Car of the Year 12/07/01 - 2nd shipment of Thunderbird Collection (#2) started arriving 01/02 - Thunderbird Collection #5 started being delivered to owners with cars 01/29/02 - 10,000 T-birds have been built so far. 02/02/02 - Rolex 24 at Daytona pace car 02/13/02 - Fashion Show of Thunderbird inspired clothing & accessories in New York - to be auctioned off later 02/02 - Thunderbird Collection #3 shipped 03/02 - Motor Weeks "Best Convertible for 2002" award 03/21/02 - Fashion auction on ebay.com going into April and into May 05/24/02 - Launch event for 2002 Living Legends summer Tour 06/04/02 - Thunderbird Collection #4 started being delivered 06/16/02 - Christies auction of Ford Concepts including T-bird 08/12/02 - Specs for the 2003 available to dealers 09/02 - Living Legends Tour completed in USA - moves on to Canada 09/02 - production of the 02 still continues 10/02 - production of the 02 still continues 10/26/02 - William Boyer, key figure in development of the '55 passed away. 11/14/02 - production of the 02 finally stops on Nov.14, 2002 - 31,121 were built. 11/18/02 - Production of the 03 started; cars being held 12/09/02 - 03s started shipping 12/16/02 - 03s started arriving 01/20/03 - 007 Bond editon started arriving at dealers 04/21/03 - Ford says that the current style will end after 2005 or 2006 model year and there are no styles being considered for later years though it is a future possibility. 05/12/03 - Specs for the 2004 available to dealers 05/30/03 - Last day for dealer orders of the 2003 06/12-16/03 - Ford's 100th Anniversary Celebration at Dearborn 06/27/03 - end of 2003 production 07/14/03 - start of 2004 production 01/17/04 - Pacific Coast Roadster arriving at dealers 02/01/04 - Thunderbird lost it's exclusive line at Wixom and is now being built in line with the Lincoln LS models. 02/15/04 - 50th anniversary of the Naming of the Thunderbird 02/20/04 - 50th anniversary of the 1955 Concept Thunderbird debut at Detroit Auto show 02/20/04 - 53,454 2002 through 2004 Birds produced compared to 53,166 1955 through 1957 Birds produced thru Dec 1957. 07/02/04 - end of 2004 production 07/19/04 - start of 2005 production 07/30/04 - debut of "Thunderbirds" - a sci-fi movie with a custom T-bird 10/22/04 - 50th anniversary of the first sales of the Thunderbird in 1954 11/05/04 - 50th Anniversary Special Edition unveiled at Wixom plant and the Miami Auto show 01/03/05 - Job 1 for 50th Anniversary Special Edition 03/10/05 = Ford announced the end of the Thunderbird - July 2005 06/17/05 - Ford 50th anniversary celebration at Ford's World Headquarters 07/01/05 - Last Thunderbird rolls off the line 09/03/05 - photo of last Thunderbird |
Dream Tour: Three 1955 White Thunderbirds, fitted with
porthole tops, were driven around the country. Anyone spotting one of these
Thunderbirds could enter a drawing to win one by sending in time
& location of spotting the 'bird. After the end of the tour.
a drawing was held & 3 winners chosen..
Living Legends 2002 Summer Tour,
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| * 2001 Shipping news: 100 cars shipped during week of July 23,
2001 - 1 has been spotted in Iowa, that leaves 99 others roaming out there
somewhere!? See B.O.N for delivery news from owners - BON archives
gone - sorry.
A few (unknown quantity) were shipped out week of July 29. Many more shipped out week of August 5 Shipping stopped for a few weeks - cars that had been shipped were returned to Wixom - resumed shipping in mid-September 'Birds are being spotted on the road now.- October 2001 |
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(pictures anyone?? - spotted a celeb driving one lately??) |
| 01- John Travolta - as reported In Style Magazine 07/01 |
| 02- Katie Couric - from the Today show - has received her red Thunderbird |
| 03- Rosie O'Donnell |
| 04- Alan Jackson gave one to country.com for promotional sweepstakes |
| 05- Oprah - blue with full blue accent interior in 02; red spotted in driveway in summer 03 |
| 06- Dale Jarrett was given two Thunderbirds by Ford. |
| 07- Halle Berry - black?? |
| 08 - Ralph Lauren owns 2 also: A Nieman Marcus and PCR |
| 09 - Lavar Arrington, LB for the Washington Redskins, '02 yellow. |
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| Movie | Year movie produced or released | Description of car |
| Spiderman | 2002 | 2002 - black |
| James Bond in "Die Another Day" | 2002 - November 22 | 2002 Coral T-bird
driven by Halle Berry "Jinx" |
| Deliver Us from Eva | 2003 - February | red |
| The Cat in the Hat | Thanksgiving 2003 | yellow t-bird used throughout movie |
| The Big Bounce | January 2004 | T-bird blue in trailer and in movie |
| Good Boy | ?2003? | Red 2002 |
| Thunderbirds the Movie | July 2004 | pink custom T-bird & hot pink 04 |
| Cradle to the Grave | 2003 | black 2002 |
| "Come Away Home" featured Martin Mull and Lea Thompson | ? | 2002 red |
| King's Ransom | 2006?
shown on HBO 5/12/2006 |
2005 Steel blue |
| OH in Ohio | 2007 | 2004 Platinum Siver |
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(besides Ford commercials) |
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| Company | Year | Description of car |
| State Farm Insurance | 2002 | 2002 - black |
| Sheer Blond Hair Color | 2002 | 2002 - black |
| Sirius ad | 2002 | unknown |
| Radio Shack | 2002 - fall | 2002 red |
| Meguire's | 2002 - fall | 2002 black 1957 red |
| Revlon | 2002 - fall | 2002 red - sweepstakes car |
| State Farm Insurance | 2003 - summer | red - year unknown |
| Discount Tires | 2003 - late summer | red 02 |
| Jack in the Box | 2004 - early winter | red - contest to lease one |
| Allstate Insurance | 2005 - spring | med steel blue 05?
Thunderbird Blue 02 |
| Astelin Commercial | 2006 - February | Steel Blue 05 |
| Hartford commercial | 2006 - March (March Madness week) | Steel Blue 05 |
| Ford commercial | 2006 | Red -- in the NY area that features Derek Jeter, he walks into a room with probably every car Ford has manufactured over the last 3 years, sitting next to a red GT is a red Bird |
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(not commercials) |
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| Show | Year | Color of Thunderbird |
| Titus | 2002 February | yellow |
| Wheel of Fortune | 2002 February, Sept. | red, black |
| Price is Right | 2002 May | black |
| American Icon | 2002 June | red |
| Motor Trend TV | 2002 | red |
| Oprah Winfrey | 2002 October
repeat Dec 16 |
blue (hers) |
| 24 | 2002 October 29 season premiere | red plus Ford Thunderbird commercials using red and black |
| 24 | 2002 Nov. | interior shots episode 2, 3, 4,... |
| Sopranos | 2002 finale | blue |
| American Muscle | Jan 2003 | ?? |
| American Idol | Jan 2003
August 2002 |
red, etc... Ford furnished T-birds to judges
Promo - black with Simon driving |
| VH1 | Feb 03 | VH1 "Where are they now" video ice skaters, Bobick, drives blue Thunderbird |
| Wheel of Fortune | spring/summer 03 | red, yellow - prize at various times |
| Miss Match | Sept 03 | New series with desert sky blue 03 as Miss Match's transportation. 3 episodes? only and cancelled |
| Fraser | Oct 03 | Mountain Shadow Grey |
| King of the Hill cartoon show | January 25, 04 | Red 02-04 |
| Price is Right | March 1, 04 | Merlot with sand interior - won on 6000 episode |
| Sopranos | March 14, 04 | silver or Thunderbird blue? (night shot apparently hard to tell) |
| Rides | November/December 2003 | Chip Foose's customizing done to a 2002.
also on video & dvd |
| CSI | November 18, 2004 | spotted in trailer for coming show |
| CSI | 11/18/04 | 03 MSG, episode titled "Ch Ch Changes" #508 - marked the 100th episode of CSI. |
| Miami CSI | 11/22/04 | Blue 02 in "Pirated" (production #309) |
| Made In America with John Ratzenberger | Jan 21, 2005 | red, black & yellow concepts in show about thunderbirds |
| Great American Country | October 12, 2005 | Jessica Andrews new video, "More to me than you" |
| BBC America | February 19, 2006 | Red |
| History channel | January 2, 2008 | Red, on the making of the Pacific Coast Hwy. |
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| From | Year | Award |
| Motor Trend Magazine | 2001 | Motor Trend 2002 Car of the Year |
| eMotion.com | 2002 | Car of the Year 2002 |
| A.A.A | 2002 | "Cool Car of the year" |
| Motor Weeks | 2002 | "Best Convertible for 2002" award |
| Auto Interiors | 2002 | Best Car Interior Design |
| Grand American Road Racing Association | 2002 | Official Pace Car of the Grand American Road Racing Series |
| Rolex 24 at Daytona | 2002 | Official Pace Car |
| Women journalists NAIAS | 2002 | favorite Car of the Year |
| J.D.Powers | 2002 | Top Entry Level Luxury Car |
| Business Week | 2002 | Gold Award - Best Product Designs 2002 |
| African Americans on Wheels | 2002 | Urban Car of the Year |
| Latinos on Wheels | 2002 | Urban Car of the Year |
| Popular Science's | 2002 | Best of What's New |
| People's Choice | 2002 | Car of the Year |
| New England Motor Press Assn | 2002 | Favorite Convertible Under $40,000 |
| Motor Trend | 2002 | Driver's Choice for 2002 |
| AAA | 2004 | Cool Car of the Year - 2004 |
| JD Powers | 2005 | 2002 Thunderbird received highest honor in JD Powers 3-year dependability study for entry level luxury car! |
| Other Related Awards: | . | . |
| Golden Quill Award - IABC | 2002 | Excellence for Thunderbird Media Kit Design |
| IAAA 2002 Direct
Response -
Consumer - GOLD |
2002 | For Thunderbird Collection Set by J. Walter Thompson for Ford Motor Company |
| . | . | . |
| Contests, Raffles, Lotteries, etc... (ok, I haven't kept good track of these so if you remember any from this past year, plmk. If you have any proof such as a ticket stub with the 'bird listed, even better - scan & I'll probably use here) | |
| Feb 2002 | Wheel of Fortune - 2 cars given away thru mail in contest - |
| May 2002 | The Price is Right - in their Showcase Showdown - black |
| March 2001 | Farmer Jack Grocery Store chain - 1 given away |
| May 2001 | National radio station contest - 4 given away |
| March 2002 | Farmer Jack Grocery Store chain - win 2 year lease |
| January 2002 | Country.com radio station giveaway - 'bird donated by Alan Jackson |
| May 30, 2002 | Price is Right - black on "showcase showdown" (not won) |
| June 2002 | Motor City Casino giving away 7 'birds |
| May to Sept 2002 | Kansas State Lottery - black 02 on tickets |
| Sept. 2002 | Menards Hardware & Schlag - red 02 |
| Oct. 2002-Dec 2002 | Houston based Charity Lottery - red 02 on phone card |
| Summer 2002 | Melrose Hotel Giveaway - blue 02 on diecast box - win 1 year lease on new Thunderbird |
| and on and on | seems to be a popular car to use for lotteries and raffles. |
| June to Sept. 2003 | Kansas State Lottery - 007 on tickets |
| August 2003 | Michigan State Lottery - Red 03 on posters but not on tickets. |
| October 2003 | Washington DC lottery - |
| December 2004 | Parish lottery for 2004 |
... |
Misc |
| 1 | First Ford vehicle designed using Computer aided design, engineering & product information |
| 2 | Neiman Marcus edition made record for any car sold thru the NM Christmas catalog by selling out in 2.25 hours |
| 3. | Only 200 Neiman Marcus editions made |
| 4. | Total 2002 Production limited to 25,000 - HA! looks more like around 30,000 as production was extended due to late start scheduled for 2003 |
| 5. | Serial #001 is in the Henry Ford Museum - black with black and red accent interior |
| 6. | 1st car off the assembly line - Job1 - was red with red accent interior (VIN# unknown at this time) as reported & photographed in Ford World June 2001 issue |
| 7. | Body code for regular Production Thunderbirds is 60
Body code for Neiman Marcus edition is 64 |
| 8. | Count the number of Thunderbird emblems on your 2002 - 12 |
| 9. | Birds are said to be delivered to dealers with yellow valve stem caps which dealershps must replace with gray valve stem caps to show they have checked tire pressure - don't know if this really occurs - valve stem caps may be other colors, too- whatever they have on hand, such as lavendar or black. Ours came in with black and we switched to the lavendar caps found on another car on the transport. Some NMs have come in with the lavendar caps |
| 10. | Ford Thunderbird Sales Figures |
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| .Music Videos | |
| 1- | Toby Keith's |
| 2- | Jessica Andrews (country music) video "There's
more to me than you - new Tbird used in background
and another video version of the same song |
And
Let there be Music! Thunderbird Songs
Lyrics
| . | Artist | Title |
| 1 | The Beach Boys | Fun! Fun! Fun! |
| 2. | Mark Cohn | Silver Thunderbird |
| 3. | The Delicates | Black & White Thunderbird |
| 4. | Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps | Pink Thunderbird |
| 5. | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Thunderbird? |
| 6. | Chuck Berry | Jaguar and the Thunderbird |
| 7. | Danny O'Keefe | Along For The Ride |
| 8. | Bob Seger | Makin' Thunderbirds |
| 9. | Walter Egan | The Blonde in the Blue T-bird |
| 10. | Red Prysock | What's the Word? Thunderbird |
| 11. | 03 | Thunderbird? |
| 12. | Old Man Dub (2001) | Brazzaville (2002 Tbird commercial song |
| 13. | Alan Jackson | First Love (2002) - about his '55 |
| 14. | Thunder Rocks | What's The Word? Thunderbird |
| 15 | John Hiatt | Thunderbird (2005) |
| 16 | Lynn Howard & the Accents | Red Thunderbird |
| 17 | Steve Azar | Thunderbird |
| 18 | Astronauts | '55 Bird |
| 19 | Paul Gabriel | Thunderbird Sally |
| 20 | Rebel Rockers | Red T-bird |
| 21 | Thunderbirds | In My Thunderbird |
| 22 | Burt Sisters | Rock & Roll THunderbird |
| 23 | Diana Krall | Peel Me A Grape |
| 24 | James\Dean | Fire Red Thunderbird (2001) |
© 2001-2003 Dot Lang
Webpage Design/Photos/graphics by Dot
unless otherwise noted
NOT affiliated with FoMoCo
Back ground by David H.