THUNDERBIRD IN THE PINK ALMOST

When Ford Thunderbird's color palette is changed for '03, one of the new hues will likely recall romantic Oceanfront sunsets, the automaker hints.

Asked if pink — so popular when the first T'Birds were built — will be among the new “fashion colors” expected when two '02 tones are dropped, Mary Ellen Heyde, Ford's vehicle line director-lifestyle vehicles, says: “Actually, it was called coral.”

Sunset coral to be precise. And it wasn't really pink. Not until Dusk Rose was added for the '57 T'Bird did buyers have a color choice that could pass for pink.

Ms. Heyde says coral “might” be a replacement for either Thunderbird Blue or Inspiration Yellow when they are phased out at the end of the '02 model year. Ford's plan for Thunderbird's limited-run colors is to offer familiarity for those with attachments to the original design, and innovation for die-hard fans of the new-look ‘Bird. “One will look ahead and one will look back,” Thunderbird/Mustang marketing manager Mickey D'Armi says.