2003 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

- Both Hard and Soft Tops
- Red over Red/Black Interior
- 3.9L V8
- All Original

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 2003 Ford Thunderbird on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 155 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to the Thunderbird's accident-and-damage-free, very-low-mileage Carfax history report, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Relaxed sportiness.” – Ford Motor Company Thunderbird press release

Hemmings gave more background on the car: “Ford's two-seat, V-8 Thunderbird concept was a show-stopper on the 1999 car-show circuit. Created under the watchful eye of Ford design legend Jack Telnack, with details seen to by J Mays after Telnack's 1997 retirement, it was sporty without being a sports car, luxurious without costing an arm and a leg, elegant yet modern, and comfortable without being excessive. Some fuss was made about the 11th-generation Thunderbird's modern-retro style at the time: the eggcrate grille and driving light nacelles, the non-functional hood scoop, the round twin rear lights, the chromed script badging, the removable hardtop with the porthole, and the generous proportions with ample rear overhang.”

DriveChicago Automotive writer, Dan Jedlicka, noted: “… the 2003 Thunderbird is improved. Its retro styling is unchanged, but it has more power, interior upgrades, new exterior colors and more standard features.”

Offered here in nothing short of showroom condition is an all-original 2003 Ford Thunderbird in Torch Red over black-and-red. Clearly this 'Bird has been driven sparingly and regularly kept under its (included) car cover at home. Routine Ford-dealer-service-facility maintenance and owner care have kept the car virtually as-new. The car's odometer shows 17,936 miles, or roughly just 1,000 miles per-year since new.

The Thunderbird's Torch Red paint—the only color offered by Ford over the model's entire four-year run—is superb across every body panel. Pristine in fact, totally free of blemishes and wear, much less damage. The shine is deep and the gloss perfectly even. Red was an excellent choice on a car of this type; it perfectly showcases bespoke features like the hood scoop, hardtop porthole window, retro-styled grille, and gently sloped rear deck. And with the (optional, but included) hardtop removed—or the black fabric convertible top stowed—there's just something special about open-air driving in a sporty red Thunderbird. Cabin glass and lighting lenses are flawless, as are the 7-spoke chrome wheels with Thunderbird-emblem centers. All emblems are in place.

Inside, the black-and-red leather upholstery (with classic horizontal pleating in the center red portions) on the two bucket seats is as surprising as it is pleasing. Door trim adds brushed-metal to the two colors in a stylish design. The black steering wheel (with the top portion of the rim in red) features the turquoise-winged Thunderbird emblem and frames a line of four white-faced analog instruments arrayed across the black dash cluster. The center stack incorporates (top to bottom) HVAC vents, the factory audio unit, HVAC controls with digital readout, and miscellaneous controls for the convertible top, seat heating, and passenger airbag. The console hosts the red-topped shift lever for the automatic transmission, chrome-rimmed cupholders, the parking brake handle, and a combination center-armrest-with-storage-compartment. Across the dash, brushed-metal trim (matching that on the doors) handsomely separates the black top portion from the bottom red trim. Every surface in the cabin shares the same as-new look and feel. Not surprisingly, the car's trunk is every bit as clean and tidy.

Under the hood, the as-new theme continues. The 3.9-liter V8 commands a perfectly clean engine bay. “Spotless” is not an exaggeration. Viewed from below, the car appears to have never left the showroom. The chassis is clean, free of even surface rust, and completely stock.

The car's build-information tag remains properly affixed.

While the more than 155 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase the outstanding condition of this '03 Thunderbird in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

“Like the 1950s models, the Thunderbird two-seater is in a class by itself. It's distinctive, enjoyable to drive and is among the best American sporty cruisers ever offered.” So said the automotive writer, Jedlicka.

“In a class by itself” also perfectly describes this '03 Thunderbird.