Ford Thunderbird (eleventh generation) Ford Thunderbird (eleventh generation) The eleventh generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car that was produced by Ford for the 2002 to 2005 model years. It was based on the Ford DEW platform. Although it was initially well received by the automotive press, garnering accolades such as the "Motor Trend" Car of the Year and a nomination for the North American Car of the Year in its first year of existence, many publications regarded the Thunderbird's revival rather more frostily after a few years; it garnered a place on "Car and Driver" magazine's 2009 list of "The
Ford Thunderbird Sunset Strip. A vinyl-roofed Landau option with simulated S-bars was added to the Thunderbird for 1962 as was a "Sports Roadster" package for convertible models. The Sports Roadster included 48-spoke Kelsey-Hayes designed wire wheels and a special fiberglass tonneau cover for the rear seats which gave the car the appearance of a two-seat roadster like the original Thunderbird. The Sports Roadster package was slow-selling due the high price of the package and complexity of the tonneau cover, resulting in few Thunderbirds being equipped with it. Newly optional for 1962 was an upgraded version of the V8 called the "M-Code" (a