Ford bought Thunderbirds in varied configurations for practically the entire second half of the twentieth century and even for just a few years in our present century. Probably the most nimble and aerodynamic of all of the 11 generations of T-Birds was the 1983-1988 model, constructed on the Fox platform and given intensive wind-tunnel work to realize an Audi-grade drag coefficient. The most well liked of this technology of Thunderbird was the Turbo Coupe, and I’ve discovered a tough however pretty full instance in a Silicon Valley self-service automotive graveyard.
The 1980-1982 Thunderbirds had been additionally constructed on the Fox Platform, however they had been boxy and blinged-up, bearing a powerful resemblance to their Mercury Cougar XR-7 siblings.
This Thunderbird nonetheless had the Cougar as its closest Fox relative, in fact, however the Ford Mustang/Mercury Capri had been siblings to it as nicely. The Lincoln Continental Mark VII was a member of the family, too.
These of you who know Fox Thunderbirds will acknowledge that this hood comes from a 1987-1988 automotive, whereas the grille is probably going the one which was on this automotive when it got here off the road at Lorain Meeting. The construct tag says it was in-built Ohio in December 1985 after which bought out of the San Jose, California, gross sales workplace.
The hood scoops are useful, delivering chilly air to the engine air consumption, so it is sensible that somebody would have swapped a later hood onto this automotive.
The engine is the two.3-liter straight-four usually referred to as the “Pinto engine,” however with an EFI-equipped intercooled turbocharging system added. This one was rated at 155 horsepower, which was 15 horses higher than the output of the 5.0-liter V8.
In 1986, a five-speed handbook transmission was normal gear on the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and that is what is on this automotive. The non-compulsory automated added $315 to the fee ($868 in 2023 {dollars}).
The MSRP for this automotive began at $14,143, or about $38,950 after inflation. That was nonetheless quite a bit cheaper than a brand new BMW 325 two door, which price $19,560 ($53,868 now) and had simply 121 horses below its hood.
This automotive had simply over 110,000 miles on the odometer when its travels ceased.
Beginning within the 1989 mannequin yr, the Thunderbird moved (together with the Lincoln Mark and the Mercury Cougar) to the larger MN12 platform. The Turbo Coupe was changed by the Tremendous Coupe, with an Eaton-blown 3.8-liter V6.
A tricky act to comply with.