Thunderbird named Car of the Year at Vegas show

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001 | 9:55 a.m.

The Ford Thunderbird today was named Motor Trend Magazine Car of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time. The announcement was made during a Las Vegas auto show.

"Ford Motor Co. did an absolutely marvelous job at capturing the essence of Thunderbirds," said Motor Trend Detroit bureau chief Jack Keebler.

The T-bird previously won the award in 1958, 1987 and 1989, but its image as a classic American sports car became tarnished in the 1990s when it was redesigned as a larger, family sized vehicle.

Production stopped in 1997, but it was revived two years later with a modern take on the vehicle's classic lines and styling cues.

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