After a 43-year production run, the Thunderbird was unceremoniously discontinued at the end of 1997, however at that time Ford's president Jack Nasser announced that the T-Bird would "see a bright future in a very familiar form.” And that meant as a 2-seater platform, as it was in the sporty 1955-57 original cars.

For the 2002 model year, the 11th generation Thunderbird debuted, returning to a two-place car, running on a 107.2-inch wheelbase with a convertible/removable hardtop design.

It came with a standard 3.9 liter V8 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission, rear independent suspension and 17-inch wheels. In addition, it featured nostalgia-themed "porthole" side roof windows that were seen on 1956-7 models. The very last one rolled out of the Ford factory on July 1st, 2005.

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