ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 10, 1997 TAG: 9703100013
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BOONES MILL
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON THE ROANOKE TIMES
If Ford rolls out a smaller and sportier version of the Thunderbird, that will be just fine with Bill Van Name.
Who better to speculate about the future of Ford Thunderbirds than Bill Van Name?
Although Ford officials haven't confirmed it, automobile industry analysts say production of Thunderbirds will cease this year and a new model fashioned after its '50s roots will be introduced in 2001 or 2002.
Van Name, whose Roanoke County home is a T-bird minimuseum, is perplexed by Ford's timing, but is excited about the company making a sportier car that harkens back to the car's heyday 40 years ago.
"Every time I go to a car show, people will come up and talk about how they wish Ford would go back to the old T-bird style," he said.
You remember Suzanne Somers driving around in her white T-bird convertible in the movie "American Graffiti," don't you?
Van Name drives a spiffy 1956 sage green model himself.
There are fancier restored T-birds in the Roanoke Valley, but Van Name says his '56 convertible is the best-looking original model in the area.
It would be hard to argue with him.
Van Name's T-bird has graced the cover of the national Thunderbird club magazine, and it has made the cover of Roanoker magazine.
The car is essentially the same automobile that was driven off a Greenwich, Ohio, car lot after being sold to a doctor for $3,979 on June 13, 1956 (Van Name has the original receipt).
Van Name, who bought the car from an Abingdon man in 1980, has only had to replace the seatcover and the soft convertible top (it also has a hard top).
It still has grease from the factory on the hinges of its hood, as well as the sticker that describes how to jack up the vehicle to put on a spare tire.
The chrome bumpers sparkle. The clock and radio still work.
The engine, a 312-cubic-inch V8 with dual carburetors, is so clean you could eat off it.
Surrounding the car in Van Name's garage are all kinds of T-bird parts and collectibles, from belt buckles to "promos" - small plastic T-bird models that were available at Ford dealerships in the '50s.
Upstairs, the walls of one portion of Van Name's home are filled with Thunderbird-related pictures.
There are two of actor Dudley Moore when he was in Roanoke filming a movie several years ago, one of him standing beside Van Name's T-bird and one of him sitting inside it.
"My wife told me to take the car and park it and the movie stars would come out to see it," Van Name said.
And there are multiple pictures of T-birds Van Name has owned over the years, including a 1957 convertible.
Van Name, who sells medical supplies, is a past president of the Star City Classic T-birds club, a local organization that has close to 60 members.
The club's members have had plenty to talk about in the past few weeks.
Van Name said the club is abuzz with speculation over the T-bird. It's also a hot topic in Winston Cup racing, the country's fastest growing sport - of which the Thunderbird is a major part.
Thunderbird, Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix are the only body styles used on the circuit.
Thunderbird has been Ford's most recognizable nameplate over the years, especially with its ties to stock car racing.
Charlie Robertson, president of Magic City Ford in Roanoke, said his dealership has received no official word from Ford about the future of the Thunderbird.
"All I've read about it has been in the newspapers," he said. "To be honest, I really don't believe it."
But Van Name and other Star City T-bird members say the current Thunderbird sedan has many disadvantages that have hampered its popularity.
It has rear-wheel drive. Most cars these days are front-wheel or four-wheel drive.
It doesn't rival the top-of-the-line Chevrolet Corvette, and Ford doesn't offer a four-door Thunderbird that would make it more suitable for family drivers, said James Jennings, a T-bird buff who lives in Roanoke.
It's a perfect time for Ford to unveil a smaller, more eye-catching T-bird like the one he owns, Van Name said.
"That's what's the most fun about having it," he said. "It's not the car shows. The best thing is driving it down to the Franklin Restaurant [on U.S. 220], parking it out front, and then everybody comes up and asks you about it. It's a great way to strike up a conversation."
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. Bill Van Name hopesby CNBFord returns the Thunderbird to the beauty of his 1956 convertible.
The car was driven off a Greenwich, Ohio, car lot by a doctor who
paid $3,979 for it June 13, 1956. Van Name has the original receipt.
2. The Southwestern eagle emblem graces the hood. 3. The seatcover
is new, but that and the sage green car's other hat, its soft one,
are all that's not original. color.