The now-famous car customizer and TV celebrity started his career in 2002 by converting a Ford Thunderbird into this roadster called Speedbird. You can now grab it for U.S. $49,995.
Ford contracted Foose to build the car to warm up the interest to its impending 11th generation, along with two other tuners. The trio competed for guests’ attention at the SEMA-2003, with the Speedbird winning the grand prize.
For the record, the success of the one-off roadster conversion did nothing to rescue the Thunderbird, which continued its fall from popularity until going discontinued in 2005.
In his project, Foose has reimagined both the front and the rear ends of the car, replaced the OEM headlights with VWBeetle lamps and added a compact-sized windshield. Eibach springs helped bring the roadster down to the ground.
Other notable features included performance brakes, special 20-inch wheels, new seats and a custom dashboard. The 3.9-liter Jaguar V8 under the hood was allowed to remain stock along with the five-speed manual transmission.