Implausible Deniability: 2002 Ford Thunderbird Neiman Marcus Edition
If the universe is indeed as infinitely large as the astrophysicists and heliocentric heretics would have us believe, then Dean Koontz was on to something when he wrote: “In an infinite universe, anything that could be imagined might somewhere exist.” Imagine for a minute that in 2002 when Ford brought out its retro-styled 78th generation Thunderbird that they built a Neiman Marcus limited edition to celebrate third world sweatshops and corporate acquisitions and mergers…or something. Anyway, find this 2002 Ford Thunderbird Neiman Marcus Edition offered for $18,000 in Sherman Oaks, CA via craigslist. Tip from…I dunno where I found this thing…but I think somebody sent it in…
From the seller:
2002 Ford Thunderbird
condition: excellent
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 43000
paint color: black
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: convertible
I am the original owner and this was the first new car I ever bought.
Only 200 of these special edition cars were built and they sold out in a record 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Features exclusive to the Neiman Marcus Edition:
– Black exterior with Silver removable hardtop with Thunderbird logo etched in porthole window
– Black and Silver interior
– Special chrome rims
– Chrome hood bezzle
– Neiman Marcus logo floor mats and logo on dash
– separate VIN designation compared to a “regular” thunderbird
Just over 43,000 miles and will go up slightly due to weekend enjoyment.
– All maintenance records and manuals
– Original car. I didn’t mess with it. Only added a locking gas cap.
– Always garaged
– Hard top, stand, and tool
– Soft boot cover
– Just serviced: 2 new COPS, 8 new spark plugs, 2 new valve cover gaskets
– Removed Neiman Marcus floor mats when new, so they are essentially brand new; bought “regular” T-Bird mats for everyday use
This car is not a perfect car. As much as I tried, living in a large city, it did get an occasional scratch here and there. There is a 1″ scratch on the hard top, that for the life of me, I can’t figure out where it came from – only guess is the time I had the car “professionally detailed.” Early on, I did have a VERY low speed mishap (like 4 mph) where I bumped into the car in front of me. It was repaired at a Ford dealership with all original parts. It looks like new.
Overall, this car is in excellent condition and it still gets compliments and looks all the time!
Thanks for looking and Happy Motoring!
See a better way to drive something that isn’t plain vanilla? tips@dailyturismo.com
It’s a shame these are so ball-less. $18k feels like all the money for these.
But…but…the Neiman Marcus motorsports legacy has got to be worth something…right? It is so rare that the wikipedia 11th gen T-bird article doesn't even mention the NM connection.
-Vince
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"Just cos a car is rare, doesn't mean it's valuable."– Scotty
As a styling exercise I think it attractive – just add a few ponies & stir.
Agreed. It's a pretty good lookin' ride, but 250-ish HP for a V8 in a limited platform is a disappointment. The black with the silver top does look sharp. Could care less about the "Needless Markup" badge.
I have to admit that this is a really pretty car. The silver top makes the silver windshield frame seem more of a piece with the rest of the car and the added chrome is just right. Ford could have made the T Bird work if they had limited production instead of selling or more likely leasing as many as they could build and in two years having the market full of off lease cars to compete with.
There was an interesting interview with a Porsche manager where he said that Porsche always builds less than they can sell to avoid this problem. It seems like such a simple idea.
This is going to make a retired real estate agent really happy driving to the golf course.
What I like about it is that is was designed by J Mays. One can see the early 2000s Audi/VW influence in his design.
It is too bad that the really good designers usually get hired as big wig design managers and don't pen cars anymore.