June 3, 2023 Update – After not finding a buyer, the seller has asked that we remove their Thunderbird from further consideration now that summer is officially here. We thank him for the opportunity to market their ride and wish him nothing but the best.

April 26, 2023 Update – The high bid did not meet the seller’s reserve price, so we’ve moved this vehicle to our “Rides Still Available Page.” 

GuysWithRides.com is pleased to offer Lot 178, a 2005 Ford Thunderbird 50th Anniversary Cashmere Edition, in an online, reserve-style auction on behalf of the second owner. This example is number 1,438 of 1,500 50th Anniversary Cashmere Edition offered in 2005, which turned out to be Ford’s final year of Thunderbird production. This is a great opportunity to purchase one of the last Thunderbirds ever produced by Ford.

Bidding opens Wednesday, April 12, 2023, and continues for fourteen consecutive days ending at 5:00 PM Eastern on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

This 2005 Ford Thunderbird 5oth Anniversary Cashmere Edition resides in the seller’s garage in Mt. Sinai, New York (Long Island), approximately one hour’s drive from either LaGuardia or JFK airports.  Fly in and drive it home!

(NOTE: Click on the picture to stop the slide show and expand the pictures. Scroll down to see all photographs)

The Deets

High Bid: $11,000 (Reserve Not Met)

Thunderbird is among Ford Motor Company’s most iconic brands.  Produced continuously across ten distinct generations from 1955 through 1997, the Thunderbird morphed from its original two-seat Boulevardier to a four-seat personal luxury car starting with the 1958 model year. Then after a four-year hiatus, Ford not only elected to reinstate the iconic brand, management elected to return to the car’s original roots by offering it as a two-seat convertible. At the time, Ford executives noticed the popularity (and rising prices) of restored first-generation “Baby Birds” and hoped to cash in on that enthusiasm with a modern alternative. Ford designers developed a retro-themed exterior that relied on heavy styling influences from the iconic 1957 Thunderbird.  The eleventh-generation Thunderbird utilized a modified version of Ford’s mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive “DEW” platform shared with the Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type, and Jaguar XF. Power also came from Jaguar’s parts bin in the form of a 3.9 Liter DOHC V8.

Launched in 2001 as a 2002 model, first-year sales of the eleventh-generation Thunderbird were brisk but quickly tapered off the following year. By the 2005 model year, continued slow sales forced Ford to discontinue the Thunderbird once and for all.  However, 2005 represented Thunderbird’s 50th anniversary year, so Ford offered a final limited edition.  All 2005 Thunderbirds received a “50th Anniversary” badge. The Cashmere edition, with a production run of 1,500, featured a commemorative dashboard plaque, cashmere exterior paint, and a medium gray soft top convertible roof. A matching removable hardtop, complete with portholes, was also part of the package. Cashmere Edition Thunderbirds also featured 50th Anniversary front fender emblems, a teal-accented third rear brake lamp with illuminated “Thunderbird” script, a two-tone gray and dark gray interior with Cashmere perforated leather-trimmed seating, color-keyed instrument cluster with turquoise gauge needles and “Ford Thunderbird” door sill plates.

The second owner purchased this 2005 Ford Thunderbird Cashmere Edition, number 1,438 of 1,500, earlier this year as a present for his wife.  Unfortunately, the seller soon learned afterward that their home’s strict HOA forbids overnight driveway or street parking, so he’s now forced to sell what they had hoped to be their summer fun car to make room in their garage for their daily drivers.  The seller reports their Thunderbird received an oil change in preparation for the sale.  The second owner also notes the air-conditioning and heating system both work well and that all power accessories (windows, locks, seats, power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, radio, electric trunk release, key fobs, etc.) work as intended.

The original window sticker lists factory equipment, colors, options, and a total price of $44,985. A hardtop stand/dolly, manufacturer’s literature, and some service records are also included in the sale. The Carfax report (provided below) shows one minor accident in 2012 (parking lot) in which the front bumper cover and grille were replaced; a representative from Dupont guided the paint shop on the exact application of the tri-color paint and blended it perfectly. The detailed pictures illustrate the repair continues to be discernible ten years later. The seller notes that all the other paint is original and in impeccable condition. This beauty has been stored in a garage and has never seen snow.  The driver’s side seat shows some creasing but remains very presentable.

While the nearly 110K miles may seem like a lot, that averages out to just over six thousand miles annually on this eighteen-year-old Thunderbird and confirms this Cashmere edition was only used in the non-winter months every year since new.

Here is a complimentary CarFax® for this 2005 Ford Thunderbird 50th Anniversary Cashmere Edition, confirming the two-person ownership and the mileage. This CarFax also notes that in October 2012, this 2005 Thunderbird did sustain some front-end damage that was repaired at the time.  To review the CarFax, please click on the picture below. When finished, click on your browser’s back button to return back to this listing:

To help you make informed bids, we’re providing you with access to Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the Classic Car market, that provides an interactive graph of recent comparable sales year-to-date. By clicking on the green dots, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you make an educated bid on the car we are featuring for auction here:

Exterior Gallery

(Click on a photograph to expand and navigate through the section)

Interior Gallery

(Click on a photograph to expand and navigate through the section)

Underhood And Undercarriage Gallery

(Click on a photograph to expand and navigate through the section)

Tires And Wheels Gallery

(Click on a photograph to expand and navigate through the section)

Documentation Gallery

(Click on a photograph to expand and navigate through the section)

If you have any questions about this 2005 Ford Thunderbird Cashmere Edition, please leave a comment below or feel free to call Rudy directly at 877-468-6497.  Thank you for looking, and happy bidding!