T-bird returns as a sedan?

[2b2]

Yes, it needs to be a 4-door "coupe" like the M-B CLS or Volkswagen CC. The two door market, aside from sports cars and 2 door compacts, is mostly DOA. And it's not like there hasn't been a 4 door T-Bird in the past.

YUP

 

but the CLS is aging into merely passable

& the CC is cr@p with a totally claustrophobic rear seat

I prefer

now ^that^ looks like it could fly

[joihan777]

 

 

Ford needs to go a 4-door route for the T-bird, here some reasons.

 

1. The retro 2-seat crap didn't work in 04'

 

2. Other then a Mustard, Ford is not making a 4-seat coupe....ever, were lucky to get a 'Stang based Cougar back at the most.

 

3. Like or not Ford needs a rwd sport sedan(s). Even if they making money off the D-3/Fusion based vehicales and BOF trucks the other 2 domestic and import competion offers a rwd sport sedan.

 

 

It didnt work because it was a slow semi poorly build cruiser. There isnt a market for that. They needed to define the cars purpose better than they did.

 

It was also ridiculously expensive.

[saintlaz1]

i see plenty of Honda Accord coupes on the road, im sure it doesnt sell as much as the 4 door, but there is market for midsize coupes. i still say make a coupe out of the fusion and milan badge them as T-bird and Cougar and call it a day.

[Blue II]

2- Doors would work, Thunderbird was a 2-door coupe until its first death in '97. Take the Taurus' aggressiveness, kick it up a notch, go along the route of the E-Class: Sedan and 2-Door Coupe. 4-Door is Taurus, more aggressive 2-Door is Thunderbird.

 

What do you prefer on a Lincoln, coupe or sedan?

[ibinubu12]

What do you prefer on a Lincoln, coupe or sedan?

 

Personally? Neither, I'd never buy a luxury brand, Ford is just fine with me. But I would like to see Ford offer Taurus/Thunderbird, MKS/Mark VIII successor twins on D3, in addition to a Fusion Coupe and Wagon when the Taurus/MKS and Fusion/Milan/MKZ go for their next redesigns. Oh, and for good measure, the Focus wagon as well (that I'd buy!).

[atvman]

Ford simply doesn't have room in for another RWD coupe. Any new RWD Ford has to have 4-doors, especially if the Falcon is included in the development of the platform. I don't see the T-Bird name ever coming back unless it is attached to a "4-door coupe" body. Since the T-Bird name is too good to let go, I imagine it will be brought back if the right product gets the green light.

[2b2]

What do you prefer on a Lincoln, coupe or sedan?

imho ( tho I wasn't asked ).

- in addition to a Continental (just a skosh larger than the MKR)

- AND a Lincstang (that doesn't look much like a Lincolnized Mustang)

- would love to see a more upright version of a Mustang-sized sedan which (imho) could run with-or-in-front-of the 3 series

[Mad Hatter]

I had a '97 Thunderbird I bought new. I really liked that car; ended up giving it to a niece.

 

I would wait for the chance to get a Thunderbird if it delivered on the presumed RWD/Coyote content at price close to an equivalent Mustang. A four-door would be fine if it could have something unique, like suicide door configuration and looked sleek like the A-M & MB pictured above/VW CC.

[Ovaltine]

For me, WHEN the T-Bird makes like a Phoenix and rises from the ashes, it needs to be a 2 door, 4 passenger, hardtop, V8, RWD, mid-sized coupe that can *comfortably* seat 4 adults. It has to have full width iconic taillamps too.

 

Here are three examples of real "game changers" in the Thunderbird lineage (beyond the classic original 2-seater) that I think proved home runs for Ford. The Thunderbird has always seemed to do well for Ford when it's a four seater, and the design was dramatically different than the outgoing model. If the attitude and sleekness of the '64 could be combined with the taillights of the '72 or '77, with a little of the '83's radical change magic mixed in, you could possibly be reading reviews of my new T-Bird on here someday!

 

1963 sales: 63,313

1964 sales: 92,465

 

1976 sales: 52,935

1977 sales: 318,140

 

1982 sales: 45,152

1983 sales: 121,999

 

 

 

A good example of a stylish and not-too-big Thunderbird that fit four comfortably.

 

 

 

Yes... I know that this was essentially a Torino under the sheetmetal. My parents still own their copy, and it's in pretty good shape to boot! Still, by making an attractive car, and pricing it within the grasp of the masses, Ford sold a BOATLOAD of these! See above stats.

 

 

Dittos here. Essentially a Fox (Fairmont) chassis underneath. But this was one of the most masterful uses of taking low end underpinnings and making a very attractive and driveable vehicle.

 

 

-Ovaltine

Edited March 16, 2010 by Ovaltine

[one2gamble]

What do you prefer on a Lincoln, coupe or sedan?

 

I wanted them to build the MKR, you could even add some length for a full on 4 door

Edited March 17, 2010 by one2gamble

[2b2]

since you happened to post that particular MKR pic, one2gamble

I can't resist adding my old toned-down chop

[Noah Harbinger]

I think he's referring to the recent Eastwood movie of the same name.

 

 

 

Oh! Huh, I never heard of that... Looks interesting...

[Fgts]

Why on earth some of you guy want a FWD Bird? what's the point?. It might as well be a just called Taurus coupe. Its not like turning a RWD car FWD will save it from being killed again (Monte Carlo, Cougar...).

 

 

In theory not based on a real rumor like the sedans, Caddy have the CTS coupe, Lincoln always had a coupe competior to any Caddy coupe made ever. Since the CTS coupe is small a Mustang based Lincoln like the old Mark7 could (did) work but like i said we're luckey if see another rwd, 5 seater coupe from Ford again even if it's Stang based.

 

 

 

Unless Blue II is try to tell us somthing...........but i would love to see the Cougar also.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Fgts

[ibinubu12]

Why on earth some of you guy want a FWD Bird? what's the point?. It might as well be a just called Taurus coupe. Its not like turning a RWD car FWD will save it from being killed again (Monte Carlo, Cougar...).

 

 

In theory not based on a real rumor like the sedans, Caddy have the CTS coupe, Lincoln always had a coupe competior to any Caddy coupe made ever. Since the CTS coupe is small a Mustang based Lincoln like the old Mark7 could (did) work but like i said we're luckey if see another rwd, 5 seater coupe from Ford again even if it's Stang based.

 

 

 

Unless Blue II is try to tell us somthing...........but i would love to see the Cougar also.

 

Because I'm not sure why luxury needs to be related to fishtailing around corners in the constant film of snow and slush that never even quite goes away in the winter here. I have an F-150, I have a Thunderbird. I also have an Escort ZX2, and there is no question which I prefer to drive in the Winter (1/2 the year here) or, really any other time - the ZX2. RWD is not a necessity, and truly, it really isn't the requirement some here believe it to be. We are enthusiasts. Not that many others are. I can't tell you how many Lincoln LS V8 drivers I've met that didn't even know which wheels were being driven, let alone one who didn't even know that some vehicles drove the front, and some the rear, and some *gasp* drove both! If it looks good, is built well, and is priced right, it will sell. Drive wheels are just coincidental.

 

And why not? Add a Cougar when Mustang gets redesigned for 2014. 50th Anniversary Mustang in 2014, we can have a 50th Anniversary Cougar in 2017.

[blksn8k2]

Because I'm not sure why luxury needs to be related to fishtailing around corners in the constant film of snow and slush that never even quite goes away in the winter here. I have an F-150, I have a Thunderbird. I also have an Escort ZX2, and there is no question which I prefer to drive in the Winter (1/2 the year here) or, really any other time - the ZX2. RWD is not a necessity, and truly, it really isn't the requirement some here believe it to be. We are enthusiasts. Not that many others are. I can't tell you how many Lincoln LS V8 drivers I've met that didn't even know which wheels were being driven, let alone one who didn't even know that some vehicles drove the front, and some the rear, and some *gasp* drove both! If it looks good, is built well, and is priced right, it will sell. Drive wheels are just coincidental.

 

And why not? Add a Cougar when Mustang gets redesigned for 2014. 50th Anniversary Mustang in 2014, we can have a 50th Anniversary Cougar in 2017.

 

I think its safe to say that during a normal winter more than half of the continental US never even sees a dusting of snow. Is it worth the extra complexity and maintenance costs of FWD or AWD for those areas? If there is no longer a market for RWD coupes and sedans someone better tell the Germans 'cause they are screwing up bigtime.

[ibinubu12]

I think its safe to say that during a normal winter more than half of the continental US never even sees a dusting of snow. Is it worth the extra complexity and maintenance costs of FWD or AWD for those areas? If there is no longer a market for RWD coupes and sedans someone better tell the Germans 'cause they are screwing up bigtime.

 

People buy M3s because they are RWD. People buy normal 3 Series BMWs because they say "BMW" on the badges.

 

And honestly, what complexity are we talking about. Normal oil changes, never had anything FWD related break, nor have I heard any FWD-related horror stories.

[atvman]

Fiesta

Focus

Fusion

Taurus

 

Ford has enough FWD cars, I think they have that market covered. If Ford wants to build another car, it should be RWD.

[ibinubu12]

Fiesta

Focus

Fusion

Taurus

 

Ford has enough FWD cars, I think they have that market covered. If Ford wants to build another car, it should be RWD.

 

Sedan/Hatch

Sedan/Hatch

Sedan

Sedan

 

I see no coupe there. There is more than room for a Fusion Coupe as well as a Taurus-based Thunderbird coupe (sorry, Thunderbird is NOT a sedan nameplate, though neither was Charger, but I still hear complaints about that).

 

A Mustang-based Thunderbird makes really slim sense, and basing a Thunderbird on D3 would further up D3 volumes, maybe even making Chicago and Oakville able to run three shifts, or, in GM Fairfax's case, around-the-clock. Fusion coupe would boost Hermosillo possibly past capacity, could be flexed into Oakville if next-gen Fusion and Edge share a great deal of components.

[Fgts]

Sedan/Hatch

Sedan/Hatch

Sedan

Sedan

 

I see no coupe there. There is more than room for a Fusion Coupe as well as a Taurus-based Thunderbird coupe sorry, Thunderbird is NOT a sedan nameplate, though neither was Charger, but I still hear complaints about that).

 

You're super right, the T-bird was never a sedan ever, nope....

 

http://www.tbirdranch.com/7071specific.html

 

If Ford wanted to do a Fusion / Taurus coupe wouldn't it be on sale already?. Both cars been around since 05'.

 

A Mustang-based Thunderbird makes really slim sense, and basing a Thunderbird on D3 would further up D3 volumes, maybe even making Chicago and Oakville able to run three shifts, or, in GM Fairfax's case, around-the-clock. Fusion coupe would boost Hermosillo possibly past capacity, could be flexed into Oakville if next-gen Fusion and Edge share a great deal of components.

 

Turning one of Ford's vaulable cars into a fwd Accord coupe "fighter" make sense?. More volumes?, you're an ex-GM CEO?. Isn't that what the Flex, Explorer, MKS, MKT,Taurus, PI is for?. Honestly what's really an advantage of another fwd "flagship" car if Ford is making money on the bread n' butter cars while not having a rwd competior against GM, CHyCo and imports with the Mustang and Falcon needing to be replaced soon?. If you're that hard-up for a fwd Luxury Ford coupe get an old Probe and put T-bird badges on it.. :lol:

 

[ibinubu12]

Turning one of Ford's vaulable cars into a fwd Accord coupe "fighter" make sense?. More volumes?, you're an ex-GM CEO?. Isn't that what the Flex, Explorer, MKS, MKT,Taurus, PI is for?. Honestly what's really an advantage of another fwd "flagship" car if Ford is making money on the bread n' butter cars while not having a rwd competior against GM, CHyCo and imports with the Mustang and Falcon needing to be replaced soon?. If you're that hard-up for a fwd Luxury Ford coupe get an old Probe and put T-bird badges on it..

 

Nope. Just that Ford would have nowhere to put a RWD Taurus. Australia? Not in your life, pal. GM made that mistake twice, and is entering into it for the third time. Mustang is not a viable basis for a Thunderbird - it just isn't. Thunderbird is a flagship coupe, that's where the brand is in perception. Can Ford make a RWD Thunderbird Coupe? Sure! How? There just isn't a practical way. D3 or nothing, for the time being. You don't have to like it, but you do need to understand it.

[Fgts]

Nope. Just that Ford would have nowhere to put a RWD Taurus. Australia? Not in your life, pal. GM made that mistake twice, and is entering into it for the third time. Mustang is not a viable basis for a Thunderbird - it just isn't. Thunderbird is a flagship coupe, that's where the brand is in perception. Can Ford make a RWD Thunderbird Coupe? Sure! How? There just isn't a practical way. D3 or nothing, for the time being. You don't have to like it, but you do need to understand it.

 

Man did you read any of the first post?, Where in the world i said rwd Taurus?. The T-bird is not coming off the current Stang's platform anways, it's a combo platform for a next gen-Falcon and Mustang that allows Ford to make rwd sedans in the U.S. . You need to stop deaming about what D3's you want, Ford is doing a 4-door, rwd Bird, go bitch to them about it.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Fgts

[Hoser768]

The days of the personal luxury coupe died in the late 80s and early 90s with the Thunderbird and GM W-body coupes. Gone are the days where mom drives a minivan and dad takes the coupe to work. Now mom drives the CUV and dad drives the 4-door to go pick the kids up on the weekends. The Mustang/Camaro/Challenger is now the coupe market. There's no place for the Thunderbird as a coupe, and the sedan bases are already covered. The volume would never make it worthwhile. The demographic that used to buy Thunderbirds is now buying Fusions and Tauruses.

 

What's the coupe buyer looking for today that the Mustang can't provide that a Thunderbird would? Maybe try to take on the best selling 2-door in the US?

[Edstock]

The days of the personal luxury coupe died in the late 80s and early 90s with the Thunderbird and GM W-body coupes.

That's because they were grotesque cars. The Monte Carlo or whatever mulletmobile GM was foisting on the market was a blechmobile. The T-bird started out fine, but Styling kept hanging really ugly front ends on it. The power trains weren't great, and the sled was too heavy. The fact that Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, Audi, BMW and Mercedes and Volvo make 2-dr personal luxury coupes/convertibles at various price-points and sizes (eg: BMW 335 2-dr, BMW 6-series) shows that the market is there — if done right.

 

IMHO, a 2-dr, shortened Fusion with the SHO powertrain, a new, deluxe top-hat with high-grade doors and side-glass and AWD would make a fine Thunderbird.

[SlvrFrst97Mk8]

What do you prefer on a Lincoln, coupe or sedan?

 

As a current Mark VIII owner... coupe for me, please!!!

[Noah Harbinger]

Gone are the days where mom drives a minivan and dad takes the coupe to work. Now mom drives the CUV and dad drives the 4-door to go pick the kids up on the weekends.

 

What an upbeat view of marriage and family you have...