Thunderbird Luxury and prestige
A lot has been written on the new Thunderbird. So, when time came for me to drive the car, I felt I knew already a lot about the car. Still, there were some surprises to come.
The new Thunderbird has nothing to do with the previous heavy coupes of the seventies, eighties or nineties. As a matter of fact, the new Thunderbird is not a four-seater anymore but a two-seat roadster that is heavily influenced by the original design of the mid-fifties. Definitely, Ford people do not want us to say it's a reproduction of the first T-Bird. Its design was merely inspired from the 1955 car.
Ford kept most of the concept vehicle cues in building its new T-Bird. The pictures will show that the car is a big roadster based on the same platform as the Lincoln LS and the S-Type Jaguar. The long hood closes in on an egg-crate grille reminiscing the old car. The inversed wedge shape ends on round tail lamps but nowhere can we find the fins of the fifties. But all that can be clearly seen on the pictures. You don?t need me to describe the car.
Lincoln power train
Under the Thunderbird's body is not only the Lincoln LS platform but also its power train. The only engine available is a DOHC 3.9-litre V8 that pumps out 252 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission included is the five-speed automatic box also found in the Lincoln and the Jaguar. The new T-Bird remains a rear-wheel driven car with independant suspension all around. Braking is with four discs and ABS while the steering is a power assisted rack and pinion. Tires are P235/50R17 mounted on twenty-one-spoke wheels. Optional seven-spoke chrome wheels are available. The twin exhaust system was tailored to reproduce the actual sound of the original T-Bird and it does it pretty well.
A lot has been written on the new Thunderbird. So, when time came for me to drive the car, I felt I knew already a lot about the car. Still, there were some surprises to come.
The new Thunderbird has nothing to do with the previous heavy coupes of the seventies, eighties or nineties. As a matter of fact, the new Thunderbird is not a four-seater anymore but a two-seat roadster that is heavily influenced by the original design of the mid-fifties. Definitely, Ford people do not want us to say it's a reproduction of the first T-Bird. Its design was merely inspired from the 1955 car.
Ford kept most of the concept vehicle cues in building its new T-Bird. The pictures will show that the car is a big roadster based on the same platform as the Lincoln LS and the S-Type Jaguar. The long hood closes in on an egg-crate grille reminiscing the old car. The inversed wedge shape ends on round tail lamps but nowhere can we find the fins of the fifties. But all that can be clearly seen on the pictures. You don?t need me to describe the car.
Lincoln power train
Under the Thunderbird's body is not only the Lincoln LS platform but also its power train. The only engine available is a DOHC 3.9-litre V8 that pumps out 252 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission included is the five-speed automatic box also found in the Lincoln and the Jaguar. The new T-Bird remains a rear-wheel driven car with independant suspension all around. Braking is with four discs and ABS while the steering is a power assisted rack and pinion. Tires are P235/50R17 mounted on twenty-one-spoke wheels. Optional seven-spoke chrome wheels are available. The twin exhaust system was tailored to reproduce the actual sound of the original T-Bird and it does it pretty well.