These aerobirds, especially the plain-vanilla versions like this one, are at risk of extinction. They appeared out of nowhere in 1983, and multiplied exceedingly quickly. Even in California, which was so anti-domestic at the time, these became as common as starlings or crows. But now they’re at danger of extinction.
We’ve covered the Turbo-Coupe version several times here, including this CC and my Auto-Biography of my TC. And Jason did a CC on an Elan version way back in 2012. But this is a base version of Ford’s re-sculptured Thunderbird. And probably with the 3.8 V6 under its long beak.
By 1986, the carry-over dash from the previous Box-Bird had finally been replaced by something that looked a bit more organic to the rest of the design. And that went for the steering wheel too.
If I had to guess, this is a classic old lady-mobile, which led a very sheltered and pampered life, which explains its current state, that more closely resembles a three year old car instead of a car with decades. A rare bird indeed.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
I can’t say I’m surprised these aerobirds are nearing extinction. I was forced to drive one as a rental. I had prerequested a Crown Victoria. I’ll admit to having no interest in Thunderbird after the 79 model. Again, IMO these were just BUTT UGLY.
Not a handsome car, but it WAS a 2 door coupe, rare for its time. My very cool mother, who drove a 5-speed, BMW 633, saw the T-Bird for what it really was, a design theft by Ford.
At least the SC version had some sporting pretensions…
I bought a new 1984 T-Bird and kept it for 10 years. It was black with silver pin-striping, fake wire wheels and a red interior. It had the fuel injected 302 with an AOD. No power windows, power locks or power seats. Best car I ever owned.
I saw an ’84 version of this car – same color – at a car show two years ago. First one I’d seen in quite a while, and it was in excellent condition, too:
They didn’t really put one in mind of “future, classics” that I recall. Seemed a different shaped, “LTD” to me.
Inside, one felt much like the other.
I wanted a T Bird, my Wife wanted the Cougar. So in 1984 we got the Cougar. Except for the roof line, they were essentially the same car. And they were pretty nice. Ours was a base model, it had every power assist and accessory we could have desired. The V6 was smooth and got pretty good gas mileage with adequate power. The car rode smoothly and quietly, handled fine and was okay until we had the second kid,then we traded it for a minivan. I would have bought a nice used Eldorado if I could have afforded it, but the Cougar was fine as a popularly priced personal Luxury Car.
I know that I’m now an old man, because I now prefer this type of car. We just went for a 1,600 mile trip up to Washington state in my ’06 Mustang GT convertible, and I found myself wishing it was smoother and quieter, and had more luggage space. But it was a change of pace from driving our Flex, which is the perfect road trip car.
You cant deny that NASCAR had a big influence on this body style. FORD needed an aero coupe in the series to “win on sunday, sell on monday”. Personally its certainly a step in the right direction from the ugly 70s versions of that car.
My wife and I saw one of these at a car show last year. She declared it ugly; one of the few times she’s ever been wrong in our 30 years together. I really like these but I like the restyled later 80s version better. I think the later version disguised the square bird fairmont hardpoints better. That said the 83 was a bit of a miracle given what it evolved from.
It was never really explained how these are in danger of extinction…any more than any other vehicle that is nearly 40 years old.
I bought a new Mustang GT in 1984…..those cars are extinct to me now. I see some 90s Mustangs around from time to time but the generation before must have been beat to death by now.
If this has the 3.8 v6 I pity the owner. I had an 86 LTD ll with that decrepit weak engine. They were one of the worst v6 american engines made. Could not keep head gaskets in it to save your life!!
It’s pathetic that it took Ford this long to respond to the Buick V6, and no better than that despite their German experience . I must assume that they had minimal budget for domestic engine development after the ’60s.
Hmm, cars from the 80s. That decade. Curious I did a search on the Bay Area Craigslist for all vehicles between 1980-1989 and got 219. We don’t have much of an issue with rust here so most cars just get used and thrown away when done. Out of the 219 the very large majority are trucks, SUVs, and vans. You can throw in three Mustangs, two Firebirds, a few Vettes, a few El Caminos, and two Monte Carlos. That is it for American cars. I eliminated Town Cars and Cadillac as we want bread and butter. Nothing between an Escort size up to Gran Marquis size except one 1989 Celebrity Eurosport 2.8L. You can come and get it for $4650. Cash for clunkers probably responsible for taking many off the road. Should note not even a Camry or Accord but a 86 Tercel wagon for $13K apparently owned by a literary scribe given the write up.
Last time I remember seeing one of these was 5 years ago. Coworker maybe 20 had one, red, but not sure if was a turbo coupe. He had swapped the headlights for the weird looking LED units, said they worked better. One day it quit and he was shotgunning parts and couldn’t get it running to save his life. I used my Auto X-ray 6000 (which I had recently bought from another coworker as he moved on to modern stuff). No codes. I checked a bunch of things and determined it had to be the pickup coil in the distributor. I heard he swapped in another distributor and got it running. But due to any of various rumors he never came back so I never saw him again.
Only picture I got is his bumper sticker. Funny but legit.
My neighbor in my old development had an original owner 85 or so Cougar old NJ blue plates and all. It was still her daily driver (albeit very local). There was also the last 2 door Century I will probably ever see in a nearby neighborhood.