2001 Ford Thunderbird Custom Concept

NEW THUNDERBIRD CUSTOM SHOWS OFF DESIGN IMAGINATION, HINTS OF FUTURE

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Aug. 17, 2001 - What's next for the popular new Ford Thunderbird? The "Thunderbird Custom" offers some hints, as it makes its debut at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The Thunderbird Custom is a one-of-a-kind project car that brings a new look to the roadster through subtle design changes to its distinctive style. The Custom is designed to be a contemporary interpretation of the customizing and hot-rod movement that started in the 1950s.

"When most people look at a car, especially a great design like Thunderbird, they appreciate it for what it is," says J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice president of Design. "When a customizer looks at a car, he sees it for what it can be. With the Custom, we wanted to show how a little creativity could enhance a great design."

The Thunderbird Custom started as a 2002 Ford Thunderbird. Ford designers then applied their imagination to achieve a unique appearance and customized flair. But rather than build a high performance "hot rod," the team decided to create a "classic custom" true to the new Thunderbird's relaxed sporty personality.

Design Vision

To create the new Thunderbird Custom, Ford designers were asked to develop design renderings of the new interior and exterior colors and new option possibilities for future years. One sketch featured several unique elements, including a blackened-out grille, more pronounced belt line and big chrome wheels with the "knock-off hubs" once popular on sports and racing cars.

"The sketch looked so good, we decided to build it," explains Doug Gaffka, Ford's Living Legends design director.

After disassembling and stripping the production car to bare metal, the designers went to work to translate the unique design queues of the sketch into the new Custom car. Changes included doubling the size of the recesses for the characteristic chevrons on the Thunderbird's front fender and adding a black mesh insert behind them to accentuate their presence. The car was painted with several coats of Dark Shadow Gray metallic lacquer for a deep glossy finish.

The iconic egg-crate grille was recessed slightly - an old customizer's trick - and painted in the same Dark Shadow Gray metallic as the body. It further is accentuated with a chrome bezel surrounding the grille.

To achieve a longer, more relaxed exterior appearance for the car, the design team lowered the coil-spring suspension one inch in both the front and the rear. The change amplifies the car's reverse wedge stance, which appears higher in the front and lower in the rear.

The exhaust system was retuned to give the car a low baritone "burble" at idle and a more aggressive performance tone during acceleration. Chrome tailpipe extensions - two and one-half inches in diameter at the tip - are prominent from the side or rear view.

The designers knew that a final essential ingredient would be wheels and tires to complement other exterior alterations. They turned to Halibrand Engineering, long considered the standard for the American customizer and hot-rodder. During its 54-year history, Halibrand became best known for racing wheels. Today, Halibrand specializes in period-correct aluminum hot-rod wheels for custom car builders.

Rather than provide a wheel off the shelf, Halibrand created a unique interpretation of one of its own classics for the Thunderbird Custom - and will offer the wheels for aftermarket sale. The new version of Halibrand's "Kidney Bean 5" polished chrome wheels feature five spokes with kidney bean-shaped "windows" that create a strobing effect through the wheel when the car is in motion.

The wheel hubs are set off by three-arm knock-offs, a classic custom touch. Aggressively treaded Michelin Pilot Sport Z-rated 18-inch tires finish the look, virtually filling the wheel wells.

The Thunderbird Custom has a black convertible top that stores below a removable two-piece, ebony leather-wrapped, tonneau cover.

Inside

"We wanted to give the driver and passenger the feel of almost wearing the car - like a new leather jacket," explains Gaffka. "The leather surrounds the cabin everywhere you look."

The interior features a two-tone theme with sienna and ebony leather, set off by engine-turned aluminum accent panels. Gaffka chose Dräxlmaier Automotive of America to craft the custom interior parts. From the moment the door is opened, virtually every place the driver or passenger looks and touches in the car has been customized. The doorsill plate is wrapped in a thin layer of sienna leather with an opening in the middle exposing the Thunderbird logo etched in aluminum. The door panels feature sienna leather armrests and upper sills with engine-turned aluminum accents.

The bucket seats are covered in sienna leather and feature plush side bolsters and adjustable head restraints. The seating surfaces are covered with perforated sienna leather with the familiar Thunderbird tuck-and-roll sew style.

The steering wheel and shift knob are tightly wrapped and stitched in sienna leather. The shifter bezel features an engine-turned aluminum background. The center stack is finished in Dark Shadow Gray matching the exterior and flows into the one-of-a-kind white-on-black Thunderbird instrument cluster. The instrument panel is finished in precision-stitched, ebony leather.

What Next?

Although the new Thunderbird Custom is a project car not intended for production, it does signal some of the potential updates planned by Ford to ensure Thunderbird remains America's dream car.

"Everywhere it goes, Thunderbird stops traffic and draws a crowd. With fresh new ideas, new colors and new touches such as those found on the Custom, we will keep the magic alive year after year," Mays says.

SOURCE: Ford