#FordThunderbird

In case you haven’t heard the news, J Mays is retiring from Ford. As group vice president and chief creative officer of Blue Oval design he’s kind of a big deal. But that’s not the extent of his achievements. Mays’ automotive career spans more than three decades with tenure at companies far beyond the one headquartered Dearborn, Mich.

However, if you have the means, you can possibly own two concept cars shown by Ford in the last decade. We are talking about the 2001 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept and the 2004 Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept.

If you’re a child of the ’80s then you probably lusted after the Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe at some point. This 9th-generation model of the Thunderbird was the only one to ever be offered with a turbo-charged motor and was even offered with a manual gearbox.

For a long time, Ford enthusiasts looking to restore older models often had their work cut out for them. Generally the manufacturer would discontinue its inventory of OE replacement parts as the vehicle reached its 10th birthday. However, in the last decade, fueled by the popularity in restoring and enjoying vehicles such as classic Mustangs, that situation is fast becoming a distant memory. Ford has been steadily adding more and more reproduction and restoration parts for older vehicles and today, the restoration parts catalog lists more than 9,000 items for various classic Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Among the most exciting for enthusiasts are once hard to find trim and interior components, along with complete reproduction body shells for 1967, ’68, ’69, and ’70 Mustang Fastback/Sportsroof models, plus replacement sheetmetal components such as complete fenders, floor pans, trunk panels, hoods. Shortly the company will be adding reproduction bodies for first generation (1966-77) Broncos, items that have been highly anticipated among classic off-roading enthusiasts.

It’s probably hard to believe for some, but Ford‘s ‘other’ legendary nameplate, Thunderbird, celebrates it 55th anniversary this year. When it was first introduced, the two-seat, personal luxury car was a smash hit and arguably saved Chevy’s Corvette from distinction. Although the T-Bird morphed into a four-seater for 1958 and became increasingly larger and more ostentatious through the 1960s and early 1970s, it always sold respectably.

The upcoming Palm-Beach Barrett-Jackson auction will once again feature a a few quality collectibles from the Ford Motor Company, including a 2010 Ford Shelby GT500, as well as the 2003 Mustang GT Coupe and Convertible Concept cars. The proceeds from the sales of all three cars at the annual Palm-Beach auction will be donated to two charities with sale of the Shelby GT500 helping The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation and the sale of the concept cars helping the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.