The Lone Wolf - 1983-1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

[@elliotdryden7560]

I was an advertising intern in 1988 and my boss had me take his brand new T-Coupe (white over red 5-sp man) to a client's office 100 miles away for a document signing. I was 21 at the time. It had a pedestal mounted cell phone in it and I felt on top of the world. I didnt use the phone but had it up to my ear in traffic to look like I was a big deal. What a simple time that was.

[@postersm7141]

Amen to that brother! I had a friend whose mother was an executive for Ford motor company. They always drove Fords and that’s why I fell in love with the T-Bird!! Not to mention the Ford Explorer at that time. 1988 through 1990 were magical times for me :-) I’m 50 years old now and those were magical times :-)

[@elliotdryden7560]

@Scott Honestly, I think it was "Frankie goes to Hollywood"!

[@9ZERO6]

To those of us that were younger at the time this car came out, it was absolutely stunning to see this car in person for the first time. One of my best friend's parents bought a new '84. When I saw the digital dash I thought I was inside a video game. It absolutely blew me away.

[@danwake4431]

you right.i was in HS when a kid showed up in his moms brand new tbird. 87 or so. i remember just staring at it.

[@9ZERO6]

@@danwake4431 True words. I remember seeing a black Turbo Coupe for the first time. Frickin' tuff looking car for sure.

[@alexanderwesner9980]

yep but at the end of the day still a fox platform and a FORD ! lol

[@danwake4431]

@@9ZERO6 for us it was the way the doors wrapped up into the roof that just seemed so futuristic.

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

I remember in 87, seeing a new black on black t bird, beautiful car. When I saw the digital gauges I remember thinking “ yep, the future is here”. I was only 13, but still

[@lilsammywasapunkrock]

As the current owner of two 1986 tbirds and an 88 cougar, this video made me happy.

[@joesbarandgrill5393]

I had a 1987 Turbo Coupe with a manual transmission. Great car!

[@ClintW.666]

I had an 87 TC but with an automatic trans. I thought it was doggy, and embarrassingly slow. But the car I had before it was an 81 Trans Am with a 383 Stroker with a built transmission and I put in a 12 bolt with 4:10 posi rear end. It got re-ended bad enough to bend the subframe, so I bought the thunderbird after I got insurance money. The car looked great and handled great, but I laugh when anyways says they had power…lol

[@dukeboy09]

@@ClintW.666 the reason yours was so slow because you had the automatic they were limited to 150 hp manuals were 190hp

[@tonywestvirginia]

Me too! But, mine was an automatic. Bought it used in 91. Not as fast as the manual (lower boost). Good car!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@dukeboy09 and to peg out the boost gauge to 18 nicely all the time ,they liked mobil 93 around here in the northeast.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

I remember staring in awe at the *MASSIVE* the 16" wheels.

[@highlypolishedturd7947]

I had the same thought when 16" was mentioned. Back then, a 15 was big! Though, imho, wheel sizes have been increasingly ridiculous for some years now.

[@The_DC_Kid]

Ooh, you likes them big sixteen-inchers!

[@alexs3187]

Back when cars were useful. I take my ‘97 Thunderbird where people won’t even take their precious SUVs.

[@ricolewis2949]

Bahahahahahaha

[@ricolewis2949]

@@The_DC_Kid …and I’m over here impressed with 5 inche-NEVERMIND 🤣

[@serich9722]

I ordered a 87 Turbo Coupe in Nov of 86. Received it 25 Feb 1987. Beautiful car. Black with red interior, 5 speed. Loved that car!

[@crusherbmx]

If you weren't around in 1982 when this was revealed it's hard to describe just how radical this design was for the time. My jaw dropped when I saw it.

[@rpm773]

I was a little young in '82, but when the Taurus hit a few years later....wow.

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

♫ Have you driven a Forrrrrrd... Lately? ♫

[@cmte.brazinazzo2061]

I was 14 and remember. It was a solid futuristic sports sedan, in line with the Ford Taurus a few years appart, when all others were boxy cages for a Long time yet...

[@acemobile9806]

87-88 body style still holds the NASCAR fastest lap record to this day. They always looked like bullets going around the track. Back when roundy-round racing was fun to watch. I wish the Cougars had been included in this also. I never liked the 83-86 but I had an '87...always thought the nose & roofline/quarter window treatment was very stylish on the later cars. 360K & ran perfect until a girl ran a red light & totaled it.

[@michaelsimko7694]

I still remember how famous Bill Elliot became with his #11 Budweiser Thunderbird

[@9ZERO6]

@@michaelsimko7694 I have a Snap-On tool box sticker with Bill Elliot and Mark Mears on it 😊

[@tonychavez2083]

Yeah I remember Bill Elliot in those days.

[@trwsandford]

I was actually shopping in 1990 for a used Cougar when the 83 turbo coupe fell in my lap.

[@emeyer6963]

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville would agree

[@whitsundaydreaming]

The 87-88 had become foggy in my memory and I barely remembered seeing a pointy beaked Tbird from the 80s. Once I looked it up and watched vids like this, I fell in love and now want one.

[@emeyer6963]

Not many left after 30 plus years.Nice ones are starting to bring some money

[@IceFoxTrainSpotting]

That Thunderbird generation was called the aerobird Bill Elliott broke a record in a Thunderbird that still stands today it was used on the fox body platform

[@kenmcneil3751]

Always wanted the Turbo Coupe when I was younger. Just seemed that it was always out of my price range. Beautiful car.

[@tonychavez2083]

My friend had an 86 LX with 5.0L , it was so buttery smooth and quiet. Very refined at the time. And the digital dash was so futuristic.

[@jayarmitage9609]

I forgot all about this model. Brings back good memories. Almost makes me want to buy one.

[@donreinke5863]

I just got an 87 Turbo Coupe towed in to my shop needing a timing belt. First one Ive seen in many years.

[@trwsandford]

I’m thinking it will become a classic. Might take a little while, but yeah.

[@nukesploder]

@@donreinke5863 not a hard job on them at all!

[@postersm7141]

That car was a product of my youth. Back in 1988 1990. I’ve never forgot about that car because it impacted me back then when I was a teenager

[@stevesideris8364]

The cable operated clutch made your left leg look like Quagmire's right arm after he discovered internet porn.

[@georgewilson1184]

I was a service Porter at a Ford dealer in 85 when I graduated H S in a suburb of Chicago I drove a lot of these T - Birds when they were new and I liked them because they were roomy & comfortable and performed as well as the GT Mustang with the same 5.0 V8

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Them and the Fairmont were just bigger Foxstangs anyways.

[@thunderbirdauthority8315]

Bert Weinman Ford in Chicago

[@lilsammywasapunkrock]

Not the "same" v-8. Tbird was down about 75 hp, but they were alot more torque down low, which made them feel zippy. At 2000rpm, feels good, out of breath by 4000.

[@paulmezhir8354]

My mom owned a 1986 T-bird. I remember how beautifully built the car was....the body structure was rock solid and the entire vehicle seemed to be of consistently high quality. Mom traded it for a 1987 Mercury Sable, which had to be the most beautiful car she owned. It was a light metallic gold with bronze cladding and a "mocha" perforated leather interior. The Sable was on another level entirely....reliable, eell built, decent performance and handling and the best ride of any car of it's era.

[@beast1624]

I bought a black 84 turbo coupe w/ 5 speed, TRX package and leather seats. I was amazingly fast for the time and the TRX package had it glued to the ground. I wish I had never gotten rid of it after 4 years. It was my favorite car of all time. But alas, with a growing family we needed more room. EXCELENT review! Thank you for sharing!

[@pyrexmaniac]

My mom owned a 1987 TC in black. Besides being downright gorgeous, I remember how well-built and beautifully finished the car was. The body was just flawless....the paint, the shut-lines and the solid doors that were positively vault-like. It was fast, too, even with the automatic transmission.

[@Imagezone61]

I had a beautiful 83 T-Bird 5.0, white with red interior. I loved that car, and drove it for 5 years. Only changed water pump in 5 years of use. A great car.

[@michaelsimko7694]

I love the 1987-88 bodystyle. The sporty styling and amazing performance of the later years of the Turbo Coupe make it my favorite Thunderbird.

[@Pat-RickSmith]

I liked the Cougar In this body style a little better especially the XR7 version very cool car. With a 5.0 HO motor In it.

[@billymercury3897]

My favorite Generation of the Thunderbird. I remember It most from Auto Racing with the likes of Bill Elliot's #9 Coors Light Thunderbird and Bob Glidden's 1984 Pro Stock Thunderbird

[@ronlind1757]

Great video! I almost bought a brand new 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe... but took a gamble and bought a brand new 1987 Buick Grand National instead.. which I still have.

[@ToeCutter0]

Oh man! I’ve not even seen a Thunderbird TC since the 90’s, perhaps? I graduated from HS in 1986. A guy I ran track with senior year had an ‘86 Turbo Coupe (it was his dad’s) in charcoal gray with the red accents. We were drooling the day he showed up in that car, as Ford was just starting to use flush headlights and “aero” was the word of the day. That said, this was definitely more of a luxury car than a sports car. We drove from MI to Ohio countless times as beer & wine were available at 19 instead of 21 as in MI. That car was _silent_ on the highway. You could definitely hear the turbo spool when he down shifted, but it was all very tame. Later that summer, I bought his 1979 Mercury Bobcat (Mercury’s version of the Ford Pinto) bc his dad got a new car and _gave him_ the brand new Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. What’s ironic is that the Bobcat had the very same engine as the Turbo Coupe, sans turbo. Ford must have made millions of the 2.3L 4-cyl. It was used in *everything* from the Pinto, Mustang, Fairmont even the Ranger pickup. I’ve busted ALL my knuckles twice working on Ford 2.3L engines! The Ford car from the 1980’s I thought would take off like crazy was the Ford Mustang SVO. The Mustang SVO was one of the first cars engineered by Special Vehicle Operations in Allen Park, MI. They took the Turbo Coupe’s drivetrain and put it into a Mustang (also a Fox body platform), added a decent suspension and a completely new front fascia with flush headlights. They also added hood scoops, as most turbocharged cars in the 80’s had hood scoops. It looked GREAT and would have easily competed with the dramatically updated 1987 Mustang GT that would be released a year after the last Mustang SVO rolled off the line. The turbocharged & intercooled 2.3L 4-cyl eventuality topped 205 bhp. Ford added the “HO” moniker to represent “High Output” from the 4-cyl. My father worked at Ford SVO when they were developing the Mustang SVO. While my dad was disappointed it didn’t do as well as Ford expected (it was a bit pricey), he was very pleased to see the newly updated 1987 Mustang GT 5.0. The front fascia of the newly styled ‘87 Mustang GT was almost identical to that of the SVO Mustang, who’s last model year was 1986. I remember correcting quite a few friends who thought the Mustang SVO was the “new” Mustang GT 5.0, and vice verse, because they were only a model year apart and looked almost identical from the front.

[@ninac4501]

Liked reading your story, and the good memories that it evokes! You probably remember that 1989 was the first year of the Taurus SHO. I had one, and it was a blast to drive as well, didn't look as stylish as the aero birds, but was an excellent sleeper. I still have my original copy of my speeding ticket, in it from 1993!

[@henrymorgan3982]

Your channel brings on many good memories. Thank you!

[@dominiczanella8443]

I still have and drive my 88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. The car is still fast and reliable after all these years. It gets looks when I drive it and lots of comments at carshows.

[@floribertosousa2251]

I owned a 1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage edition with the 5.0 V8 automatic in navy blue with all the extras like the light blue leather seats and the digital dash. Awesome smooth car,.. wished now that I never had sold it . After that I also owned a 1984 Ford Thunderbird with the 3.8 V6 automatic with red cloth seats and red exterior. Not has smooth and powerful has the 5.0 V8,..but nevertheless a great car has well. I wished that I could find one today in 2022 for sale,..still in good condition. Loved those years of the Ford Thunderbird. Thanks for a great video showing this generation of the Ford Thunderbird from 1983 to 1988 that I so dearly love even to this day.

[@faceman8893]

Loved this presentation! Saw these T-Birds coming off the car carrier and in to the dealership back in 87 the 87 turbo coop was my favorite. Loved taking them on a road test.

[@lcfanyc]

That same issue of Car and Driver is sitting on my coffee table in the living room as I write this... greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!

[@TheArkDoc]

My Mom and Dad bought a new charcoal grey Turbo Coupe (5 speed manual) in 1986. They dove the wheels off of it. Super reliable, great performance for the era, and incredible mileage. I loved that car.

[@chiefbobdavis99]

In 84, I re-enlisted in the Navy. I bought a T-Bird. It wasn’t a turbocoup, but the 5.0 EFI. 12 years latter and 205k miles it was totaled when someone went left of center. I walked away with only scratches. I got 30 mpg on it as well. It was a slick car!

[@jeninjeans]

My first car was an 84 T-bird. (not a tc) It had the 3.8 v6 and power everything. I believe it was 14yr old when I bought it. I remember the day I picked it up from the guy's house after signing everything over. I had my Beach Boys tape set up and ready to play "Fun, fun, fun" as soon as I started driving it home. But the harsh PA winters killed it. I did my best to keep the body together, but the underneath was too far gone. She was put to rest at 19 yrs old and traded her in on a 4 yr old 99 Mercury Cougar. The performance of that little car was amazing. Handled like it was on rails. I loved that car a lot too. But there is just something about your first car. Someday I hope to find someone to restore an 84 to look exactly like the one I drove back in high school.

[@bln3576]

My favorite car was a 1986 T'Bird. 120 mph down the highway and not a miss. Now I own an 84 5.0 loaded. It has 24,600 kms. A head turner and a car passer.

[@countryroadautopartsusa6466]

The 1983-1988 Thunderbird Turbo is one of the most overlooked vintage cars.

[@seahawker7796]

My 1988 5.0L Sport Thunderbird was one of the best cars I ever had, style, comfort and got excellent gas mileage for a small block V8.

[@postersm7141]

They really were amazing cars. Back in 1988/89 a friend of mine mom was a Ford executive so they always drove Ford vehicles. That’s when I really fell in love with the T-Bird from that era not to mention the Explorer

[@seahawker7796]

@@postersm7141 absolutely, I'm thinking about finding one of those 90's Explorers today, just to get away from today's complicated vehicles.

[@BruceLee-xn3nn]

Yep. My 89 Lincoln mark vii 5.0 gets just as good mpg as my wife and sons v6 suvs.

[@davidrosenblum2178]

I had the manual '88 Turbo Coupe in black with the black cloth interior. It was fantastic!

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

How was reliability?

[@12yearssober]

@@nucleargrizzly1776 Meh

[@davidrosenblum2178]

@@nucleargrizzly1776 very good. I put a lot of miles on it and had very few issues as I recall.

[@void7365]

Funny seeing this, I got an 86 Turbo coupe today. I plan to record getting it up and running and then turning it into a 400whp sleeper. Should be a fun project.

[@mach1mustangguy992]

I remember my friends dad got one back somewhere like 1996-1998 for $1000 and it was mint! Power everything. And it was a turbo coupe! It was a sleeper for sure! He eventually got the car when we all turned 16 around 2001

[@whitsundaydreaming]

I would love an 87-88 beak-bird. Very unique and with decent mileage. Just gotta watch that turbocharger maintenance.

[@tigrrtom]

I still have and drive an '88 TC 5-speed, with another in storage for parts. The Turbos were a lot of fun - enough horsepower to surprise the "5 point Slows," but not enough to get in trouble! lol! My corral also contains an '84 RS Turbo Capri and an '84 SVO. My next project is to drop a TC 2.3 into my '68 Sunbeam Alpine...

[@adamsmith9636]

LOVE the T-Bird . the first gen 80's and last gen 90's was the best looking .

[@TheNightrunner666]

My brother had a 78 tbird with a 429 stuffed under the hood. Straight piped. Also had a 89 lincoln 2 door. What a rocket.

[@jjs777fzr]

My dad had rented one of these in 1987 and I took it out for a ride down the center of town. I remember the girls commenting out loud nice car! It was not the turbo coupe but it was all black with red interior. Beautiful car. In my street racing days a few years later one of our friends showed up with the turbo coupe. I recall he did a top speed run snd then pulled over popped the hood and the turbo was glowing cherry red. Great video.

[@fijack4290]

We had an '85 3.8L V6. I loved that car and wish I still had it.

[@user-iu9pf7tp6p]

I've owned 4 of these cars and am awaiting delivery of my 5th. 83 Heritage 5.0L. Great cars!

[@MrJasonshores364]

My grandpa bought an 87 Thunderbird brand new and I thought it was the most futuristic looking car I had ever seen.

[@shellreinish6405]

I had a 1988 Turbo Coupe White with adjustable shocks, everything you said was 100% on the money, I put almost 200K miles on the car. From the first drive till the day I had to sell it, it was an exciting and fun car on and off race tracks

[@stephenp8644]

Every time I see an OldCarMemories video it makes me want to go find and buy one of them. Always an excellent and informative video.

[@larkatmic]

When I was a kid, my uncle got a brand new 67’ in dark eggplant purple. It had suicide doors. I fell in love with Thunderbirds of that time. It was such a masculine and classy design fit for the man of that time. I stopped liking them when they began to look cheap and less thought out in the mid 7Os, much like the mustang. What happened? The 1980s thunderbird seemed to return to some semblance of styling.

[@Armen567]

We had the same car… same colour and suicide doors too!

[@zipz28]

My wife's car for a few years was an 83 Turbo Coupe with a 5spd manual. It was a pretty nice car to travel in.

[@mainiac4pats]

We had an 85 Tbird TC red top with black bottom split halfway down the door line. If you saw this combo back then it was the sexiest one they made. 4 banger with the standard transmission. My parents paid a lot for it. They had a brand new Capri several years before that with an ok engine and standard trans. Believe that was a hatchback, it was silver with a red interior. Back to it, the turbo coupe had the red leather interior and was very upscale. I was really confused when they stepped away from the styling that hadn’t become stale, but was very in demand. Everyone wanted one. We also had a black regular 1982or3 tbird that had a 300ish cubic inch with wire wheels. It was more of an all luxury version minus the performance looks for luxury styling. Strangely the computer in this black Tbird kept shutting it down on the highway losing all powered units; steering, brakes, etc. A very dangerous problem which was returned under the lemon law in our state. Sorry to go off topic from the Turbo Coupe, hope you enjoyed my look back!

[@Paulie1232]

Thanks for the memories

[@sagnbaby]

Lets not forget about the Merkur XR4TI that shared the same engine as the turbo coupe!! i owned one!!

[@irongoose3865]

Beautiful cars even by today's standards IMO. I owned a V6 powered 1985 model. Solid handling car in any driving conditions. Can't imagine what it must have been like owning a turbo T- Bird! Loved that car when it was working. But that was the problem with it, getting it to work all the time. Yeah it was a pleasure to drive but what a piece of shot! So bad it was that I'll NEVER consider owning another Ford again!!!

[@BCBaron]

Bought a used '86 Turbo Coupe back when I was in high school. Black with Bordello Red interior. Just a mean-looking car, especially with the foglamps at night. Even though it had the 3-speed auto, it was a really fun car to drive and got surprisingly decent gas mileage, as long as you weren't trying to race anybody. I remember driving my brother's '87 Mustang GT a few times. It definitely had a lot more power, but I still preferred my T-Bird. Without a big V-8 in the nose it had much better weight distribution and better balance. Made it a lot less scary to drive in the snow. Plus, it had more room to stretch out and a much smoother ride. I replaced the original gatorbacks with a set of Dunlop GT Qualifiers. Those tires had raised white lettering and with them spinning down the road, it just made the car look like it was always going fast. I'd get stopped by cops all the time.

[@dale3827]

Beautiful car far ahead of its time

[@AgentPepsi1]

My dad used to have one of these when I was very small.

[@MrBrombomb]

This reminds me of the 1984 Mercury Cougar that my parents had with the 3.8 L V-6 & 3 speed automatic transmission. It almost sounded like a V-8, had good pickup, had a comfortable cloth interior, & offered a smooth ride. I loved the sleek, sporty styling of the 1983-1988 Thunderbird / Cougar.

[@Liferoad371]

I always wanted a Turbo Coupe, you just made me realize that my Lincoln MKc is basically the new Turbo Coupe with the 2.0 Turbo 4cyl

[@MrTheHillfolk]

The 87 turbo coupe was an amazing car, my buddy's dad had one and he was the oldest with his license first back in 87. I recall that we made it to the county fair in 22 minutes vs our normal 45 that year😄 Probably for a good 15 minutes ,the tachometer never went under 5000 and went up as high as 5500 in 5th gear. When he finally slowed down so the speedometer would register at 85,it felt so boring that you wanted to get out for a walk 😄 Man what a car!

[@calvinhunt2335]

My first car was an 88 T Bird V6. They still look awesome to me.

[@g2skinny]

I had a 1986 I loved that car it was fast then I found a wrecked mustang svo and got the inter cooler and exhaust manifold and then it was really fun again loved that car

[@howitzer8946]

The aerobird is my favorite. Thank you

[@JckdaripprOswego]

I had two. White 87, Silver 88. Loved those cars. Comfortable, fast and good looking.🤾

[@troynov1965]

That body style did real well in NASCAR as well.

[@bigj-dubb4068]

My father had an 84 Cougar when I was a kid, he still had it by the time I got my license in 1996 so I was fortunate enough to have been able to drive it. It had 240,XXX miles on it when it developed a clogged screen that effected oil flow internally. He gave it to a mechanic friend who cleared the screen and continued to drive it. It is, to this day, one of my favorite cars of all time. Pretty, sporty and quick. I'd love to own one just like his if I could find one.

[@KingCast65]

That car and the SVO Mustang were really solid contenders. The facelift model I would push today. I would park it right next to my '88 BMW 535is :)

[@scottyjett6017]

I remember my 88 T’Bird. It was a nice ride.

[@andyj74]

I love my 1985 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

[@bobhill3941]

I saw one of the later versions from the late 80's in traffic today. Snow was covering the rear but I recognized the body shape. Also, I knew a guy in college who had one (used).

[@markrode7331]

The black with red stripe and red interior , 16 wheels. That’s a sweet look

[@danboutell9363]

I had the 1984 Turbo Coupe! I loved that car. The manual transmission was the best. I remember it had a button to turn on and off the Premium Sound. Who would ever want to turn it off?

[@billj8527]

Especially when playing our cassingles... best sound system I've ever had in a vehicle. Loved my 84 TC!

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

Always liked those mid '80s Thunderbirds and Cougars but never had a chance to own one. Ford was absolutely killing it in the mid 80s. You look where they were in '79-'80 and then just a few years later it was like they were an entirely different company. The Tempo, Thunderbird, and Taurus really revolutionized American automotive design and Ford laughed all the way to the bank.

[@ewaldschenker8084]

Hi. V.good these cars came out in my time what I liked after a few years they came out with an other styling. V.good👌👌👌👍👍👍👍

[@kingkonga245]

I've mostly had g bodies my whole life. To this day, my daily is an 84 Olds Cutlass supreme. But I'll never forget my 84 Thunderbird.

[@VictorySpeedway]

Had an '85 Turbo Coupe, black w/ 5spd. It was the second most fun car I've ever driven (HHR SS was #1 fun car for me). It was almost immortal; lasted 300,000 miles. It was fast, comfortable, got great mileage (in the 30's on trips) and looked like a million bucks. I miss that car.

[@ME-qr2kq]

I had an 88 Turbo Coupe with 5 speed manual. It was a fun car but as it got older it really started to nickel and dime me. it handled really well and it would break 120 mph with ease.

[@NewEdgeDesigns]

I had an 88 blk on blk and gray, I loved this car, it was fully restored and I sold it for $3600 in 2004 to buy a 95 mustang GT…

[@danbanks7930]

I had an 86 Turbo Coupe it was a fun car to drive it had the 5-speed and it did go pretty fast I had a lot of fun with that car unfortunately the computer stopped working in it and back then you couldn't find any in the junk yards and there was no internet to search for one so the car just sat for 3 years and finally went to the junkyard

[@kingkrimson8771]

I had an '86 Turbo Coupe with 5 spd in Regatta Blue. The seats adjusted in unheard-of ways for an American car.

[@bobwheeler3587]

Thanks for this! I had an 86 Elan V6 and an 88 LX V8 when I was in high school. They seemed so futuristic at the time. I really loved these cars.

[@tjhaywood100]

I used to have a 1988 Turbo coupe. Great car! 5-speed manual is the only way to go with these cars!!! I miss that car so much :(

[@The_DC_Kid]

I was 4 years old when the TBird was introduced and in my thirties when this platform came out. I recall watching it "evolve" from a sporty 2-seater into a 6-passenger, slightly slimmed down Lincoln. Ford's favorite ploy for claiming "improvements" to their cars was to keep making them bigger and heavier and so they went whole hog on TB, pun intended. I guess a lot of people thought the name proved it either was fast or was ultra-luxurious (they had OPERA WINDOWS for the rear seat passengers after all, which fully justified that classification). In the '80s they had to scale it down to make it lighter and offer the 4-banger so the model would meet new mileage requirements due to the gas crisis, and that was when catalytic convertors which made them even slower were added as well. Even the Crown Victoria "police interceptors" then wouldn't do more than 85mph. I remember seeing quite a few TBs from the mid 1980s with their hood up pulled over beside the road on a long uphill grade, and I assume those were V8 models that had overheated. It was a miserable decade for American auto makers but they brought it on themselves; they refused to envision the future and were certain the waddling sleds they made were the only kind of cars we wanted. The Family Truckster station wagon in "Vacation" was pretty authentic as to what they thought we liked, including its Metallic Pea paint ("What, you don't like Metallic Pea?"). I've seen pics from that era of employee parking lots at big assembly plants in Detroit and most of the cars were foreign made, but I'm sure the big shots who made the big decisions had their drivers go to an underground lot where the Limos parked and so had no concept whatsoever as to what Americans actually were buying. And then the Japanese auto makers pounced.

[@jameshorton7496]

A friend of min had two T-Bird Turbo Coupes, an 83 and 87. Nice looking both, but I thought that 87 was gorgeous. It was medium blue with red striping in the body side molding. Looked so good.

[@andrewplantagenet5811]

The best car channel on KZbin!

[@LuciFeric137]

My buddy had the 2.3 turbo. Set the cruise for 120 and head for Nevada. Thing ran good.

[@rodneybrand8521]

I was a hood fitter at the Atlanta assembly plant..that was a big seller we were on 10 hours and 3 Saturdays a month..then at the end of the 87 model year they shut down to re tool for the Taurus..i retired in 06 when they closed the plant..

[@johnnyvudu]

my first car in 94 was an 87 ford thunderbird 5.0. I thought the 5.0 was great as a 17 year old and had more fun than I should've.

[@jefferyrobertson7520]

Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe And Super Coupe From 1983 To 1993 Iconic Modern Muscle Car ☺😎

[@ericcarr1648]

I owned a 1988 turbo coupe back in the mid 90s and absolutely loved that car. It kept up with the mustang 5.0 with no problem. The only downside was the price for parts. Definitely one car I wish I still had.

[@NewEdgeDesigns]

It was beautiful but would not keep up with a 5.0 mustang…I had a couple of each of these cars and there is a big difference..Although you can look at the specs and times and see also…They were closely on par with the regular 5.0 that came in the thunderbird and cougar but not the 5.0 H.O in a lighter car…

[@straybullitt]

@@NewEdgeDesigns I know that it is hard to believe, but the Turbo Coupe and the V8 fox bodies weighed almost exactly the same.

[@NewEdgeDesigns]

@@straybullitt Fox body coupe was 2800, the thunderbird was 3000 lbs..

[@straybullitt]

@@NewEdgeDesigns The Turbo Coupe was 2900 and change. A V8 Mustang LX Coupe with absolutely no options would get down into the 2800 range.... Those cars were far and few between. Most of the GT and LX fastbacks were optioned to where they weighed about the same as a Turbo Coupe, or, as in the case of the convertibles, slightly more.

[@NewEdgeDesigns]

@@straybullitt I agree the weight is very close, but the car was still lacking torque…I owned a couple of each, even had a turbo coupe that I 5.0 swapped..It was much more athletic with the V8..

[@guitarhole]

No matter what version of these you got , these were nice solid reliable rides . The Turbo Coupe was surprisingly awesome though .

[@WARVANE]

the turbo coupe was a great mesh of performance and comfort , it was a fun car.

[@marcomoreno8188]

I had a v6 '83 t-Bird with a decent back seat then i bought an '88 turbo coupe. This was an seesome car. Itraded it for a Lincoln Mark viii (8) LSC the final step up '(71 mark iii motto). Im now considering buying the '67 T-Bird Landau. With a 390 and make it possi traction

[@jamestapscott9400]

I worked for a car rental company in 1984. We had two of these with the 5 speed transmission and one 4 speed V8 Mustang. All three were fun to drive. The Ford stereos were a joke back then, almost like a 4 speaker AM radio. We even had a few 5.0 Camaro's. The turbo T-Bird's were a blast to drive and always a big hit with customers. Fun times!

[@jeremygeorgia4943]

For my third vehicle, I had a choice between a [used] '87 Turbo Coupe or an '87 5.0 liter. It was normal output, but it had tuned port, and the rack of ribs intake plenum. They handled very similarly, except the Turbo Coupe felt a bit big to be a four cylinder. It was peppy, but felt (and sounded) like an oversized Honda to me. The 5.0 only had 150Hp, but it was plenty responsive at all speeds. It was also extremely quiet, and didn't need premium gas. It had leather & power seating. It also got about 23 MPG all the time. I still wonder what if, but I don't regret the decision I made. It had the 8 hole aluminum wheels, like were shown on the '83. It was also my first car with cornering lamps, which were actually kinda nice.

[@charlieryan1736]

Thanks for featuring this interesting and cool car

[@davidrowden3701]

I had a 1983 Turbo Coupe with a five speed trans. I put 280,000 miles on that car and I just loved it. The only issue I had was a 3 or 4 inch clutch cable that was always failing. I always kept a couple extra cables in the car.

[@201950201950]

When I was a kid I dreamed of having a Thunder bird Élan. I'd love to see a video based on this particular edition.

[@STONE-wh2en]

This turbo engine was produced at the Ford plant in Brazil and exported to the USA. We manufactured the engine but did not use it in any national model of Ford. The national automotive press has always complained about this.

[@axjason]

Kills me I had a 1986 turbo coupe myself fully loaded dual power seats lumbar support reclining AM/FM stereo cassette five speed the whole 9 yards man I bought it for $3100 and the ride was so freaking nice it was very smooth quiet comfortable bucket seats with the feel of a couch 🤙👌👍

[@projectturbocoupe4897]

4:56 - That's a picture of my engine bay. Can tell by the damaged passenger strut tower, and the rust on the intercooler piping. LOL.