Ford Thunderbird may return as a Corvette competitor

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It’s safe to say that, following the popularity of the Maverick, Mustang, Bronco, Gladiator, and NSX, to name a few recent revivals, the road to resurrection has been fully paved. So, it’s not surprising to see news of another callback from Ford’s nameplate retirement home. 

Ford Authority spoke to some company insiders who allege that the Blue Oval is eying the T-Bird — last marketed in 2005 — as a potential revival to once more rival the C8 Chevrolet Corvette in the grand touring coupe segment.  

This is what the Thunderbird was born to do all those years ago, after all. When it launched in 1955, it had its sights set clearly on the taillights of Chevy’s two-door, and over the years it took a variety of forms including a sedan in the ’60s, a two-door hardtop in the ’70s, and a two-seater convertible for a limited time between 2002 and 2005. 

Ford previously filed a patent for the name “Thunderbird” with the U.S. patent office in January 2021. And technically, that means it could return once more in two-door format to compete with the C8, though not with a mid-mounted engine, according to Ford Authority’s sources. Hey, at least it’s not an SUV, right?