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The new Thunderbird is Ford's entry in the Retro market, and I couldn't imagine a better candidate. Ford chose to abandon the American roadster market in '58, leaving the field to Chevrolet. But the legendary little T'bird was sorely missed. Following the decision to discontinue the Thunderbird in 1997, Ford VP J. Mays and chief designer Doug Gaffka set out to resurrect the roadster with a car that was "American, bold, confident, free and relaxed". The concept car made its first appearance at the 1999 auto show, and was an unqualified success. The car was released to production for 2002, nearly unchanged from the original concept (added turn & brake signals).
Maisto's Concept Thunderbird is a great-looking model. The Inspiration Yellow color with two-tone interior is stunning, and similar to the '55 Goldenrod. The finish is smooth and shiny. The fit on the opening hood, trunk and doors is nice and tight. The body-color side mirrors are a handsome detail, as is the chrome band around the wrap-around windshield and the realistic wipers. The front grille and hood-scoop are nicely done, and they really look sharp! The 3.9-litre V8 engine looks great with the black components against the yellow wheelwells, and the block is done in silver - a detail you can only see from underneath. The undercarriage is also well detailed, with chrome exhaust system and good detail on the struts. This model has working front & rear suspension and, of course, steering linkage.
The interior dash and door panels are decked out in a striking combination of black, silver and yellow - the Ford designers were obviously not willing to settle for ordinary here. Maisto has faithfully reproduced this detail, and it looks great. The upholstery and mats are hard plastic but they look OK and there have vinyl shoulder belts. The mirrors look good. The doors have dogleg hinges but they're recessed into the dash when closed. Maisto skimped on the silver center console - a little paint on the controls would have been nice (I'm tempted to take a marker to mine for some quick customization). That's really my only gripe though. The end effect of all this is one seriously sharp roadster, and I consider this replica a great value!
(11/27/2002)
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