irishcar.com

30 May 2002: The 2002 Ford Thunderbird, Ford’s "Living Legend" recreation of the 1950s T-Bird roadster – will be on show at the Design Museum in London this summer, together with a classic 1950s model in "Ford Thunderbirds", on exhibit from 5 July to 8 September in the Contemporary Design Gallery.

Regarded not only as one of the all-time classic cars but also a cultural icon of the 1950s, the original 1955 Thunderbird was conceived as an affordable dream car – a sporty, stylish two-seater soft-top with a top speed of 100 mph and a price tag within the means of the ordinary consumer. Hep Cat, Runabout, El Tigre and Detroiter were considered as names, until a young Ford stylist suggested Thunderbird, after the Native American god.

The Thunderbird was unveiled on 20 February, 1954 at Detroit’s first post-war motor show and went on sale – from $2,695 – on 22 October of the same year. "Seventh heaven on wheels" was the advertising slogan and Ford received orders for 3,500 T-Birds in ten days. The last two-seater Thunderbird rolled off the production line in December, 1957 to be replaced by a new four-seat model.

In January 1999, Ford unveiled the concept car for a brand new two-seater Thunderbird and announced a year later that it was going into production. By the time the 2002 T-Bird went on sale in the US last autumn, Ford had received orders for all 25,000 cars scheduled to be made in the first year.

Ford designers combined the latest automotive technology with vintage allusions in the egg-crate grille, round headlamps, porthole windows and chevron insignia. The design has triggered a debate about retro styling in car design