The Best of an Era: 2004 Thunderbird
The 2000 - 2005-era Thunderbirds were Ford’s last of its two-passenger sports car era: its “personal car”. While the 1955 Thunderbird was originally Ford’s response to the Corvette, the T-bird (as it quickly became known) was designed to be a comfortable driving vehicle rather than a competition car. Our 2004 is a tribute to the vision encompassed in the ’55-’57 models but updated with the modern conveniences and reliability that we have come to appreciate in our cars.
A Beautiful Car
This T-bird looks and runs like it did when it left the showroom back in 2004:
The car is refinished in its original Platinum Silver, and the quality of the paint rivals show car standards. Silver is a color that shows a car’s every flaw, but there are no flaws to see on this Thunderbird.
The underside of the Thunderbird is free of rust and corrosion other than normal surface rust.
The black vinyl interior is in like new condition from the padded dash to its seat bolsters—and everything in between.
The black factory canvas convertible top is in excellent condition and the heated rear window is clear and free of any discoloration. A black canvas cloth cover snaps over the top when it is in its lowered position to add a tonneau-look to the car.
The factory hardtop—with porthole windows and defroster—is finished in Platinum Silver and is in excellent condition. It comes with a rolling stand and cloth cover for storing on your garage floor or, if you prefer, you can mount the included hoist to your garage rafters for one-person installation or removal.
The car is powered by the Jaguar-designed dual overhead cam 3.9 V-8 that provides spirited power. The car starts right up and runs the way you would expect. If you opened the hood to the engine bay on a new T-bird in 2004, it wouldn’t have looked much different than it does today: bright and clean.
This T-bird is equipped with Ford’s automatic transmission which shifts properly, allowing the driver to enjoy the trip, particularly when confronted with the increasing amount of traffic in most urban/suburban areas.
All of the safety equipment works properly (lights, signals, horn, wipers), as do the gauges, warning lights, tachometer and speedometer. The car’s 4 tires look to have little wear.
The luxury equipment includes power windows, power seats, air conditioning, power top etc. The car’s steering wheel automatically retracts and tilts to make entering or exiting easier.
Back to the ‘50s in Retro Style
Ford Motor Company called the Thunderbird a “personal vehicle”, and made the car into a luxurious way to go to the country club, Saturday night dinner or even to the grocery store. This “tribute” series introduced by Ford in 2000 was aptly dubbed the “Retro-bird” because it harkened back to the ’55-’57 T-birds but came equipped with all of the safety and modern conveniences that we have come to demand in our vehicles.
Whether on the local show fields or re-dedicated to its original purpose: an absolutely wonderful personal driving experience, this Thunderbird is for you!
For more information call 540-370-4474
