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Friday, March 22, 2002

Don Hammonds, Post-Gazette Auto Reviewer

Want to see a grown man cry?

They just took my T-Bird away.

No, Daddy didn't do it. He's in St. Louis and has no idea what mischief his oldest kid is up to right now.

Ford did.

Snatched the keys right out of my sweaty, grabby hands. I want them back. Now!

Seriously, the arrival of spring means it's time for fun and frivolity, and I can think of no better companion for such goings-on than Ford's fabulous new 2002 Thunderbird.

In case you've been hibernating this past winter, the T-Bird is the car to have this automotive fashion season.

Don't bother shopping for wearable accessories to go along with your four-wheeled spring apparel. Do you seriously think anybody's going to look at you with a car like this? I don't think so!

The 2002 Thunderbird is the revival of an American classic. We've been enamored of Thunderbirds since the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1954.

The one I drove recently was a snappy "Thunderbird blue," with a white top and a two-tone interior that has to be seen to be believed.

It was done in turquoise and black to match the exterior, and just like the first Thunderbird, there were brushed aluminum- chrome accents on the doors, instrument panel and elsewhere to evoke the feeling of the 1950s. Even the steering wheel was two-tone turquoise and black.

Yes, it's retro looking with its huge round taillights -- a Ford trademark from the '50s and early to mid-'60s -- and a hood scoop and grille that's a dead ringer for the classic '55 through '57 'Bird. But its profile, clean design and other elements suggest a more contemporary theme.

It has full-wheel cutouts similar to those early 'Birds whose owners didn't order fender skirts to cover the back tires, and you can get the new T-Bird in deluxe and premium versions and in several shades that almost any Thunderbird aficionado will recognize.

By the way, Ford will be retiring some colors and introducing new ones as the years go on, thus enhancing the prospects of the new Thunderbird as a future collectible. But no matter how you look at it or what shade you select, this car is pure romance on wheels. There's nothing like it -- except for the dash, which looks straight from the Lincoln LS.

If Ford is wise, it will give this car a dash of its own and move away from using parts that look even remotely like those of other cars in its lineup. At this price level --$35,495 to $38,995 base prices -- and with the totally different ambience from the LS, the T-Bird deserves its own stuff. That said, I did like the turquoise dial needles on the gauges -- at night, they're sort of romantic under moonlight.

Let's take it for a spin. Turn the key and listen to that sound. Ah -- sounds like a Ford V-8 from the '50s. That's what you will think as you listen to it idle. I'm told that the engineers tuned the exhaust system to sound precisely like the T-Birds of old. Its 252-horsepower, 3.9-liter V-8 engine does 0 to 60 in 7 seconds, according to Motor Trend, but still gets decent mileage --17 city, 23 highway.

Mashing your foot on the accelerator pedal, you'll notice instantly that the car has really good pickup. Cornering? Just about the same as you would experience in the Lincoln, which is to say, pretty darn good. The ride seems a bit softer than the Lincoln, though, and bumps and ridges unsettle this car a little bit.

Whoa? Do I hear a rattle? I'm afraid so. I had a T-Bird that came equipped with the removable hardtop, and I heard a few rattles at times and an ominous thump or two behind my ear. When it was damp outside, I heard squeaks instead of rattles.

But as I drove and stopped at lights the rattles and squeaks fell from my mind as admirers sung the T-Bird's praises whenever I drove by, stopped at the lights or gave them a ride. Almost everybody pronounced it "magnificent," "gorgeous" or "outta sight."

The big issue for me is whether Ford will be able to -- or want to -- keep up with what is likely to be extremely heavy demand for what is, in almost anybody's book, a highly desirable and unique car.

Ford is already telling dealers not to gouge customers, but there are reports of people already buying them and selling them at a handy profit.

And it's not just the car itself that is moving. So are scale models of them, sales catalogs, even press kits.

The introductory press kit at the Detroit Auto Show in 2001 had a miniature T-Bird attached to it along with a gorgeous book outlining the history and design of the T-Bird. Free to journalists, it now goes for $300 to $500 on eBay -- if you can find it.

The lesson in all of this for automakers is that style and personality sell. Yes, we want safety. Yes, we want economy. Yes, we want quality.

But what we want more than that is a car that reaches out and speaks to us in the very depths of our car-loving, driving-crazy American souls.

And all this, the new Thunderbird does to a "T."