By By Fredie Carmichael/The Meridian Star
Oct. 26, 2001
The first 2002 Ford Thunderbird arrived in Meridian on Thursday but already had been sold three months ago.
Michael VanVeckhoven, sales manager at New South Ford, said his dealership had no problem selling the "T-bird green" car despite the $40,000 price.
The 2002 Thunderbird is the latest in a line that has one of the richest histories of any automobile sold in America.
The line originally was introduced in 1955 as a two-seat roadster and later evolved into a luxury sports coupe. The Thunderbird had been discontinued in 1997.
When Ford decided to revive the Thunderbird, designers studied the look of vintage 1950s models. They incorporated classic styling cues, such as the hood scoop, round headlights, egg-crate grille and porthole windows.
The 2002 Thunderbirds have a V8 engine that produces 252 horsepower and 261 pounds per foot of torque. It also features leather-trimmed seats with six-way power adjusts, leather-wrapped steering wheel and an AM/FM stereo with a six-disc in-dash compact disc player and an eight-speaker sound system.
VanVeckhoven said he expects to have two more Thunderbirds in stock by the first of the year.
Fredie Carmichael is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3228, or e-mail him at fcarmichael@themeridianstar.com.