1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

Ford ended the legendary Thunderbird nameplate a while ago, having come full-circle with a retro version at the start of the new millennium. Every generation had some appeal, and a lot of people were puzzled and saddened to seed it go. It's like if McDonald's got rid of their Big Mac suddenly one day for no good reason.

Speaking of fast-food, this is a fast ruiser that would totally be rad to go to the drive through with. In 1983, Ford launched an all-new, totally redesigned Thunderbird that finally erased any memories of the bloated barges of the Malaise 70s. The new car was handsome, well-proportioned and perhaps most importantly very aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of just 0.35.

It mercifully shared the rear-wheel drive Fox platform with the Mustang of the era. This meant a balanced chassis, decent handling and a real shot at taking on the European competition.

In 1987, Ford gave the Thunderbird a refresh which ditched the awful sealed-beam headlights in favor of flush units, shrinked the grille and tweaked the taillights. The thing I really like about this generation Thunderbird is that it aesthetically offers something Europe still couldn't replicate, a mix of muscle and modernity.

There were a bunch of engine options, too. You could get a V6, V8, or a special turbocharged 4-cylinder engine like this one.

Of all the engines, I'd want the turbo 4. The V6 wasn't like today's powerful 6-cylinders and had to move a relatively large and heavy car. The V8 made the car too fuel thirsty and irrelevant, as the similar and better appointed Lincoln Mark VII was essentially the same car. But the 4-cylinder turbo offered everything: decent fuel economy and gobs of power. Ford knew they had a hit and gave the engine a air-to-air intercooler from the SVO Mustang that boosted output to an impressive 190 horsepower.

Other features included 4-wheel disc brakes Automatic Ride Control, functional hood scoops for the intercooler and 16-inch "snowflake" alloy wheels.

These are new classic American muscle cars. The 80s were a mixed decade for the US auto industry, as they had to stave off serious competition from Europe and Japan, but cars like this show they still had interesting things to say. '88 was the best year for the Turbo Coupe, and the last year for this entire generation.

The seller says this example has over 120k miles, and although they say it isn't perfect, it looks clean and well kept enough. The seller also says they have a bunch of spare parts.

Available here on craigslist for $3,000.

22k-Mile 1989 Ford Thunderbird

Thunderbird is one of those priceless, iconic American names that is sadly not being used by Ford at the moment.

Between 1955 and 2005, however, the Thunderbird saw a total of eleven generations, most very different from each other. There was the original classic that gave birth to the concept of a personal luxury coupe, then the equally classic designs of the 60s, then the 70s gave way to big, bloated, very un-sporty designs, until a drastic rebirth in the 80s resulted in a slight reduction in size and great improvement in aerodynamics, aesthetics and efficiency.

This is the 10th generation that debuted in 1988. Ford changed American auto making with their 1986 Taurus, which was sleek and futuristic but practical. The new Thunderbird followed with similar styling cues: large, flat, smooth planes, a nearly grille less front, and a gently sloping rear. It's a big car, but it's styled so well that you don't realize it.

COTC likes these early Thunderbirds for their presence and style, as the later cars got more rounded and jellybean like and thus detracting of the persona going on here. Relive the American Empire days in all their glory.

These were also mercifully rear-wheel drive in a sea of American front-wheel drive cars in the late 80s and 90s. With the subtle styling, rwd and big V8, these could be sleeper drag racers and a nice alternative to the Mustang of the time.

Unfortunately this is just an early V6 version. But what an example it is. The seller claims it has just 22,501 miles and one previous owner. The car's condition is therefore like new. The exterior paint and plastic trim looks like it just rolled out of the factory.

The interior is also looking great. No dash cracks, clean gauges and buttons and immaculate cloth seats.

While not a collector car, it could easily be someone's daily driver or a great first car for a teenager. It's a big, comfortable boulevard and highway cruiser. Sure, the V6 isn't preferable, but it might save you a little bit of gas compared to the V8. This one makes most sense if the price stays under $5k.

Available here on ebay with no reserve.

Perfect Strangers: Porsche and Thunderbird

Last summer I spotted this rusty white 911 sitting at a Shell station in Massachusetts. The attendant said it has been sitting there in need of repairs for a while, but they stayed in touch with the owner. The car itself was complete looking but in poor shape. The clear coat had completely faded and was peeling to reveal surface rust. The interior was a mess. The engine is probably even worse. But it still looked striking in refrigerator white, just sitting there, neglected, forever in purgatory. My guess it was a late 70s or early 80s non-turbo Carrera.

Fast forward to this fall, when I buy my E46. I'm in need of a local European garage who I can trust to honestly assess, repair and service my car. I found them nearby and get talking with the friendly owner, Dave. He's a big Porsche guy, and he's looking for an old 911 to completely redo into a race car. I immediately think of the 911 I saw. It's a perfect candidate for that kind of work.

So I went back to see it today, and sure enough it was still there, but this time it had moved across the lot and now sat next to 1964 Ford Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird was also painted white, but in much better condition. The paint still had gloss and the chrome looked decent. It wore a hardtop and whitewall wheels. It looked beautiful.

One of the things I immediately noticed was the size difference between the two - how small the 911 is in general and especially compared to the boat-like Thunderbird.

I sent the photos of the Porsche along with some contact info over to Dave and am interested to see what he does. Regardless, it's fun seeing these this odd couple together, and even more amusing both seemingly broken down at a gas station. Purists don't cringe! They will hopefully have homes soon. At least the Porsche. COTC will keep you updated!

24k-Mile 1985 Ford Thunderbird Elan

When was the last time you saw a clean one of these?

The Thunderbird was Ford's long-running two-door luxury "sports" coupe. The first 1955 Thunderbird is the most recognizable and arguably the best. Every subsequent generation got a little stranger looking and strayed further and further from the initial ideals. In fact, the Thunderbird had become something so different by the end of the 20th century, that Ford launched a limited retro-inspired design in 2002 that harkened back to the original.

That's not to say that everything that came in between is without note. The 1983-1988 ninth generation T-Bird sought to redeem the nameplate after the atrocious models of the 1970s. Long after becoming just a hardtop coupe, the ninth generation finally comes to terms and features a body that attempts to display some effort and flair.

It is a little weird though. The front end wears these recessed, government-mandated sealed beam quad rectangular headlights, an upright grille and a long hood. The rear quarter window is slanted more upright than the a-pillar, giving the car a stunted look that was a dreadful design trend among American cars of the time. The c-pillar is a little more sloping, and tapers to a downward-slanted rear with thin-slotted horizontal taillights. Mercifully, there is no spare-wheel hump as its sister car the Lincoln Mark coupes regretfully incorporated.

This one wears an oppressive coat of flat UPS brown paint that fortunately looks squeaky clean. It's not a bad color here and works surprisingly well on the car.

Underneath the hood were either four, six, or eight cylinders that powered the rear-wheels, to my surprise. Luckily, this example has a 5.0-liter V8.

The seller states the vehicle is a two-owner car from California whose last owner was a little old lady. They state the odometer currently reads a remarkably low 24,690 miles. This classifies this car as a bona fide low mileage survivor. On top of that, it seems to be in excellent condition. The exterior looks straight and clean, with the seller noting there is no rust, although the paint does show some heat stress. Inside, the interior looks brand new. The seller notes there are some dash cracks, but that can be covered up.

Mechanically, they say the car runs and drives and blows cold a/c. They do note two relatively minor problems: the power antenna and power door locks don't work.

This is a great chance to purchase a pretty solid car with a lot of power and in unusually good condition.

Available here on ebay in Phoenix, Arizona for $5,450.