Car Lust--1983-1988 Ford Thunderbird
The Ford Thunderbird of the early-to-mid 1980s wasn't a superlative car in any way. It wasn’t a barn-burning performer, an exceptional handler, or a great car. It was a mediocre-performing, slightly sloppy, two-door coupe like the contemporary Chevy Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, or Chrysler Cordoba.
What made this Thunderbird special was the way it looked. The original Thunderbirds had been sports coupes--at first, light two-seat runabouts, then slightly larger cruisers. In 1983, though, the Thunderbird had spent more than a decade as a massive, blocky, tacky personal luxury coupes, adorned with insulting chrome filigree and possessing all the understated, timeless class of Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite. Far from the elegant convertible cruiser of the 1950s, the Thunderbird had become a bloated caricature of a car, lazy and sleazy.
(Those of you who are eager to point out that I actually like cars like that, well, you're absolutely right. But bear with me--I'm making a point here.)
The new-for-1983 Thunderbird made as clean a break from its immediate forbears as any car line I can remember. Eschewing the bulky lines, hard-edged body, opera windows, and slabs of chrome trim of its predecessors, the new Thunderbird was lithe, trim, and shockingly aerodynamic, with very European wind-sculpted flanks and an understated grille. It was among the first of Detroit's new aerodynamic cars, a full two years before the similarly revolutionary Taurus, and it was stunning for a world accustomed to right angles.
Under the skin, the Thunderbird retained its predecessor's Fox platform, the same platform that underpinned the Mustang for years. The plebeian Ford mechanicals didn't quite match the long-limbed look, which is a shame; that could have made the Thunderbird a legendary car instead of just a nice one.
Still, there was a turbo four-cylinder option that pushed the '83 Thunderbird to 60 in around 9 seconds--this was decent thrust for the time--and things continued to improve. When the Thunderbird received a slick, attractive facelift in 1987, the Turbo Coupe received an intercooler, boosting power to 190 horsepower. Married with anti-lock brakes and a five-speed manual, the 1987-1988 Turbo Coupe was a bona fide sporting option in those days.
The fundamental rightness of the Thunderbird design made itself immediately clear in NASCAR against its brick-like competition; its wind-cheating shape was immediately dominant and helped make a star out of Bill Elliott. In 1985, the combination of Elliott, a strong Melling team, and the slick Thunderbird helped give one of Elliott one of the most dominant seasons in NASCAR history--albeit a season in which he narrowly missed the championship.
The top three photos are all from threads on FordMuscle.com. The top press photo of the 1983 Thunderbird is part of a great thread that posts lots of press photos of older Thunderbirds and Cougars. the white Turbo Coupe belongs to one of the FordMuscle.com posters. The Bill Elliott photo is courtesy of AutoRacing1.com, used in a story about the greatest moments of NASCAR's modern era.
The first commercial below bills 6.9-percent financing (wow!) against a backdrop of two Thunderbirds sailing merrily through the countryside.
The second is a bit less informative, but far funnier; against a background of flashing neon purple lightning flashes, some extras from an off-Broadway musical show off their skinny ties and dated fashions while draping themselves over a Thunderbird. It's fantastic, especially when they all breathe "Thunderbird" together, and a sultry woman rotates the car's right-front wheel.
Things really kick up a notch when they introduce the Ford Tempo Coupe with the line, "Look out--here comes Ford's contemporary look for 1985!" When the woman in the blue dress leans suggestively against the Tempo 33 seconds in, you know she's wondering what in the heck she's doing there.
--Chris H.
Steaming Pile on May 15, 2008 at 10:44 AM
Now here's a car I remember. It was the car all my Army buddies wanted when I was stationed in Germany, and you could get one at the AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service - just call it the PX) main exchange at Robinson Barracks (near Stuttgart). They shipped with the catalytic converter in the trunk because Europe still ran on leaded gas back then, and when you went back to "the world," you had to have it installed before you could register it Stateside. Or you had to have AAFES install it before you could ship it. Something like that.
The deal was, you could only buy U.S. made cars through the PX, so you could get a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta, or any Renault model sold through AMC, but no Honda Civic or anything like that. I got a Dodge Omni and picked it up at a dealership in Charleston, South Carolina. You could do that, too. You could even make payments on it while you were waiting to rotate out. Since the dollar was ridiculously high the last year I was there (1985), I managed to pay something like a third in cash by the time I left the country.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on May 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Fords from that era were decent looking cars, and the engineering and build quality were at least competitive. The T-bird was the nicest of the lot.
I never liked the Cougar though: they took the Thunderbird and gave it the "formal" rear window off an Olds Cutlass Supreme. Totally out of place. It looked like what you'd get if the guy that styled the rear window and decklid had stopped speaking to the rest of the design team in a fit of pique.
Steaming Pile on May 15, 2008 at 10:53 AM
I also remember there was this training film we had to show new recruits at Fort Jackson (where I went after my tour in Germany) in order to inform them of the advantages of buying into the Montgomery GI Bill. You had two guys, one of whom signed up for the 12 payments of $100, and the other one who really needed the money for beer and broads. The next scene had the two meeting in a parking lot after their terms of service ended. The one who took the GI Bill was loading groceries into a 1985 or so T-Bird, which he could easily afford because he went to engineering school after getting out. The other guy was "weighing several options" (read - unemployed) or something like that.
I think the guys in the Smokey the Bear hats telling recruits that the GI Bill was a good deal made more of an impact than that 30-minute film, but what the hell.
Chris Hafner on May 15, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Cookie the Dog's Owner:
"I never liked the Cougar though: they took the Thunderbird and gave it the "formal" rear window off an Olds Cutlass Supreme. Totally out of place. It looked like what you'd get if the guy that styled the rear window and decklid had stopped speaking to the rest of the design team in a fit of pique."
This is a great description. I agree, but I kinda like the Cougar just because it's so strange. It's so obviously an afterthought and such an awkward look that I feel the same affection for it that you'd feel for a homeless orphan.
Rob the SVX guy on May 15, 2008 at 11:43 AM
I felt that way about the Cougar until I saw one a local guy made. I'll try to get a pic of it this summer, it's awesome looking. :)
Oatworm on May 15, 2008 at 01:30 PM
I had an '89 Cougar - it wasn't a bad car, but it definitely had some years on it by the time I got a hold of it. The already ridiculed rear window was almost impossible to see through.
I've never been a big fan of Ford's body types from this era; they're just so obnoxiously ubiquitous. Then again, I guess that's the point - Ford was so revolutionary at the time with its proto-bubblemobiles that they sold enough of them to become absolutely ordinary, which led to their competitors following suit. As a result, I kind of prefer the wacky boxiness of the competition, like the Subaru XT, the Honda Civics, and even the Chrysler K-Cars. Even so, there's something to be said for being the car that kickstarted the next generation of body styles, and this Ford apparently was it.
mochi mochi on May 15, 2008 at 04:09 PM
There was a time when the Thunderbird was pretty much an embarrassment. I remember thinking they were just the worst crap to role down the Ford line... such a fall for a company that made some great cars a few years earlier. Then the new T-bird showed up in 83. I was in cognitive dissonance after that. How do you resolve such a shift?! I really liked the new lines - it was quite a piece of work and a major improvement the the Ford line. The fact that it did some serious damage in the NASCAR circuit was incredible - completely unthinkable for its predecessor.
David Drucker on May 16, 2008 at 05:20 AM
Nice choice, Chris. I have very fond memories of that generation of TBird. I remember the first time I rented one, being surprised at the seemingly backwards operation of the console-mounted window controls. (That's one of the non-vague memories.) But that quirk aside, the '83 was an ideal rental: smooth, quiet, good seats, and strong a/c. It also started the first time you turned the key, and didn't keep running when you turned it off. This was not something you could take for granted in that era.
A car-crazed friend of mine bought a turbo, which he quite liked, except for the truly epic turbo lag. Another bought an '85 as a winter beater when it was near the end of its life. We were both surprised at how tight and free from squeaks and rattles it was even with 120K on the clock.
But aside from being a useful car, that TBird seems to me to be Ford's toe-in-the-water with regard to swoopy styling. It wouldn't be too far off the mark to say that it made the Taurus just a tiny bit less of a risky proposition.
David Drucker on May 16, 2008 at 09:32 AM
I should add, I think, that as bad as the 83's two generations of predecessors were, there were some high points in the post-66 era. I have a soft spot for the goofy-beyond-reason four door, for example. Yeah, it was ugly, but suicide doors (badly named, I think) are so groooooovy. Plus, they make entry to the back seat way easier than conventionally-hinged back doors. Another TBird that I wouldn't exile from the garage for dripping oil on the floor is the one that shared a platform with the Mark IV Lincoln.
After that, with the '77, the TBird became a thinly disguised Torino. Naturally, sales skyrocketed: Ford sold something like 300,000 in each of the three years of that version. Amazing!
Barcelona Apartments on May 17, 2008 at 03:35 AM
Lovely cars. I want to have one
DrStrangegun on May 17, 2008 at 08:48 PM
Ohhhh my gosh, what a memory inducer.
The first car I ever bought with my own money was an '84 with the 3.8 V6. It wasn't a barnstormer by any means, but it had enough torque to feel good, and it would cruise at ludicrous velocities all day long thanks to 2.73 gears and low drag. Ludicrous included a 110mph run from Cinci down to Knoxville, TN. Young and stupid, oh yeah :)
I had that car until it lunched it's second transmission at 196,000 miles. Even with my first hamfisted attempts at radio installation, the car *never* had a squeak or a rattle, and it ate the miles on road trips like nothing else I've driven since; two of those were 2000 miles plus, and I could drive for 10+ hours without getting fatigued.
I miss it dearly *sniff*. I don't miss 22mpg...
DrStrangegun on May 17, 2008 at 08:56 PM
"slightly sloppy"
Ok, I'll cop to that. There was a decent amount of roll to the car, though it still stuck to the road once you got rid of the original 14" wheels. I had 225/60-15s on mine with nice looking American Racing (I think, long time ago) alloys.
I remember driving my little brother to school once. He fell asleep; I took teh opportunity to ease the car over towards teh middle of the road, ease a little faster then over to the other edge of the lane, then yanked the wheel hard. I bounced his head off the passenger window :) I was an evil little bastard, but then, so was he...
Honza H on November 22, 2008 at 12:49 PM
I am still driving my 88 T-Bird SC 5 liter 8 cylinder in New York City. Closing in on 160K, with engine replaced 10 years ago. The original had a knock since it was new. But I've got lucky having the same service center taking care of it. They put in the new engine for 3Ks total! The car has been parked in rented garage, so even the paint still looks good. Rear end wore out, so I got all new rear end from a guy in New Hampshire, with disc brakes instead of drums, changed the drive shaft (original was too long for the new rear end, and was vibrating and shaking the whole car above 65 mph) and it's better now then ever before. I want to change the wheels, too, but the size of 14 inch 4 lugs is nowhere to find. I am looking for some chrome finish, distance between lugs is 78mm. I tried every web site, but no one has any. Any ideas? Honza H.
Josh on December 15, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Ok I have a 88 Thunderbird with the 302 in it ... I just bought a battery because I thought the one i had went bad . Well the new battery held a charge over night so I thought everything was cool. Well this morning went I got up to go to work my battery was dead . If anybody has an idea whats wrong with my car please reply or send me a email at pomejosh@yahoo.com
Real on January 17, 2009 at 02:32 PM
voltage regulator
Real on January 17, 2009 at 02:38 PM
your lug pattern is 4x4.25 same as up to 93 mustang
smitty on March 18, 2009 at 03:57 PM
FoMoCo was in sad shape, as was the rest of Detroit, going into the Eighties, with the Japanese car makers rising fast. The decision to go from the big, sharp-edged, boxy cars of the late Seventies to the aero look was not taken lightly by Ford. Lee Iaccoca, who Chrysler Corp. was still building sharp-edged cars, sniffed to a reporter that the new Taurus, "looks like a streamlined potato." The great book on this era is David Halberstam's The Reckoning.
Jerry Ross on April 05, 2009 at 08:06 AM
My original t-coupe began draining a battery overnight and I found that it was the relay that controls the ABS charge pump which normally runs at key-on and while you are driving. The relay had burned and was running the pump even when the key was turned off. Be careful as this relay will eventually fail completely due to constantly running the charge pump and will leave you with no brakes at all. I sailed through a red light in California with severe butt-pucker when mine failed. The relay is located beneath the multi-port vacuum connector on the left side of the firewall near the wiper motor.
Francine on May 06, 2009 at 02:39 PM
I have a 88 T-Bird and wanted to mabey change the engine if it came down to it. what years fron 88 and up would fir this car? it a V8 automatic, with overdrive, i have a 93 nissan and we put a 97 engine in to it, i also have a 97 saturn and i might be able to put up to a 2000 engine in to it so I was woundering what year would I be able to go up to with a thunderbird ?