The One Ford Should have built…

by Wallace Wyss –

Photos by Richard Bartholomew –

There has to be a high point as a car designer, and I think one of them is being able to tool around in a car you designed.

At the Enderle Cars & Coffee in Tustin, CA only last week I saw “Chip” Foose, ace designer at one time for both Ford and Chrysler, and star of the Velocity reality show called “Overhaulin” toodle by in a two seater that was the car that Ford should have built.

Oh, they built a two seater Bird but he didn’t design the mass produced one. But he did design and build this special version, a concept car. (At one time he had his own separate shop for building automaker prototypes, but now concentrates on his own designs).

The revived T-bird had potential for greatness. It had a very interesting chassis shared with a Jaguar, but alas, remained namby-pamby, not developed as a performance car.

The same lightweight aluminum-intensive rear wheel drive platform code-named DEW-98 was under the Jaguar S-Type, Lincoln LS, and Ford Thunderbird. There was talk back then of building the Mustang on it but it would have upped the price of the ‘Stang too much.

Some parts were used in the Mustang but not the SLA front suspension and the independent rear suspension.

Ford had originally brought out the two seater ‘Bird in ’55 as a two years too late rival to the Corvette. Several times thereafter they revived it, the last version re-introduced for 2002.

The eleventh generation Thunderbird was built at Ford’s Wixom Assembly Plant. It didn’t have a sporty dash because the instrument panel, steering wheel and other trim pieces were borrowed from Lincoln LS. There was only one engine, a Jaguar-designed AJ-30 3.9 L DOHC V8, a short-stroke (85mm) variant of the Jaguar AJ-26 4.0 L V8, rated at 252 horsepower (188 kW) and 267 lb⋅ft (362 N⋅m) of torque.

The engine was mated to Ford’s 5R55N 5-speed automatic transmission. The AJ-30 V8 was replaced by the AJ-35 in 2003 and later Thunderbirds, bringing with it variable valve timing (VVT) and electronic throttle control (ETC) as well as 280 horsepower (210 kW) and 286 lb⋅ft (388 N⋅m) of torque. Though it didn’t have a manual shift version, it had a manual shift feature for the 5-speed automatic called SelectShift eventually.

When sales dropped like a rock after the first year, Ford decided to make the 2005 model year the last year. Little known is that the engine was shared with Aston Martin (which had a higher flow intake and unique tuning). Another idea was to go with a V6 but a twin turbo 3.5 liter V-6. And mate that to an OEM-shelf Getrag 8-speed automatic.

Looking back some insiders say that there were hotter T-birds in the plans, well, if not for young driving enthusiasts, then millennials who at least wanted something sporting even if they weren’t going to take it to the track on weekends.

I am talking Brembo brakes, a handling package, a 6-speed manual, a V-6 option for the base model and–dreaming all the way—a supercharged V-8 model.

Jacques Nasser, then heading Ford, wanted this car built and approved several running driving prototypes. It is even hinted some places that he took one home with him.

This tricked out version could have been ready for market year 2006, when it would have received its own more sporty dashboard. But the car was never really completed, there is for example no working convertible top or even a place to stow the convertible top.

All for naught. The two seater Thunderbird died out and “Chip” Foose ended up with this car. Though it looks the same as one auctioned on August 12, 2010 we don’t know if it is the exact same car, we just know we saw him driving it near his Orange County, CA office.

I think it must be fun for such a driver when someone asks “Who designed that?” to be able to say in response, “Well, as a matter of fact…”

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

Wallace Wyss

 
 
AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss co-hosts the Autotalk show on KUCR-FM Riverside.

 
 
 
 
 

THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Richard Bartholomew is an artist and photographer based in Southern California.

UPDATE

Below is a photo of the Buddy Pepp hot rodded 2002 Thunderbird.

Buddy writes,

Mike,

I own one of the other hot rodded 2002 T-birds. (The other one was done by Pete Chapouris). Mine was restyled by Roy Brizio and looks just as cool as the Foose design. Fabulous design. Great cars to drive. Have absolutely no idea why they did not sell.

Buddy

Buddy Pepp is a former chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.