MN12 Ford Thunderbird & why Ford Halted production after 42 Years

The Ford Thunderbird was the first Personal Luxury Car ever produced. Ford had a successful 42 year sales record halted production after 1997. Here is a complete look at the MN12 platform and my take on what ultimately doomed the car to the history books. Let me know if you agree.
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[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

If you are a Thunderbird fan. Check out the Thunderbird Playlist. We have video for every year Thunderbird ever produced. Click the link for the playlist here ---- > kzbin.info/aero/PLz2M3b_orpr2eZoFKtONmqB3B3k1UAAkq

[@rob_nichols]

Great video. I bought my 89 base new and I'm still driving it today 34 years later, it's the only car I've ever owned.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That is very awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@dntlss]

I have a 91 and a 89 Mustang plus a somewhat newer little car that i drive sporadically, Ive had the 91 since new and i drive it just about every day,sometimes when I'm in traffic or just rolling down the road i ask myself,i wonder who else is doing this? (driving a car for decades every day) and when i read comments like yours it makes me happy. Not to get in a big rant but i absolutely hate the direction cars have taken,almost makes me sick to my stomach,overpriced, generic, complicated machines, my buddy bought a new Tesla, i hang out with him quite often and in the 2 years hes had it i think once someone asked him what it was or "thats cool" etc ,i get a question or a compliment on my 91 just about every other day, makes my day everytime.

[@JSFGuy]

Great, I have 3 of them, I had 89 SC as a daily driver for quite a while until I sold it in 2015,

[@RandyRydberg]

@@JSFGuy I have three of them too, and drive them all in rotation.

[@michaelcroos4713]

I used to be a paintless dent repair technician, and I remember getting one of these from a customer who was caught in a hail storm. I remember pulling wheel wells, door cards and the headliner on the car and I was just really impressed with the quality AND engineering of the entire body. The structure was at least as impressively strong as any Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche of it's day. It had to have been one of the best built Fords I ever worked on. The same goes for the Lincoln Mark that used the MN12 body and chassis as its platform.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@radioguy1620]

must agree the car was really well built.

[@deanstevenson6527]

A Ford is always a car Built Down to a Price..It failed the internal Ford defence to any platform...the ability to make globules of Eugene Von Krabbs Money Money Money. The team that did this car was awesome. The vocal ( Ford Finance) internal critics complained about weight, complexity and lack of ability to drop costs on the FN 10 and MN12. Ford Australia with it's EA26 built a similar kind of car, and the Fox 4 was potentially moving in the way the FN10 and MN 12 paved. Like the modular V8, the FN and MN platform registered a better than Japanese Lexus dynamic quality and still met mass produced quality objectives. What it needed was More Volume, and to be the next Mustang or Overseas Falcon base..But the timing was all wrong. I've only seen two in New Zealand, but I was delighted with the IRS and two 7.5 and 8.8 " differentials, and the SC 3.8 liter engine and it's injector positions and upside down Blower with excellent charge cooling and the Mazda 5 speed gearbox with Center hole 'Spawn of S@+@n' uneasy to service clutch were still uber cool, and my personal MN12 highlights🥝✔️.

[@ultraviolettp3446]

My mom bought a 1989 T-Bird and I went with her as she tried many different vehicles. When we test drove the T-Bird, it was like nothing on the road at the time - seriously - nothing had the ride and handling of that car for the money. We even considered a Honda Accord two door which came up feeling like a cheap pretender in comparison. She ended up buying the T-Bird (burgundy exterior with grey interior) and kept it until 2004 when she went with something smaller (her last car). Oh, how she loved that T-Bird!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@birdsoup777]

1991 my Dad bought 2 Ford Thunderbird Super coupes. Midnight Blue for him, Red for my Mom. Both 5 speed Manual SC models. You could feel the SC kick in.

[@DCHainline]

I owned a 1995 Thunderbird LX with 4.6L V8, I modified the engine heavily. I loved that car, I've looking to get my hands on another one.

[@jeffkenyon1145]

Great video. I had a '96 V8 with a leather interior. It was everything I wanted (and still want) in a vehicle. Great size (not too big, not too small), V8 power, TWO doors, and REAR-wheel drive! Most importantly, it was a CAR (not an SUV)! I drove that car for 10 years and put 160,000 miles on her. Nowadays I drive a '20 S550 Mustang, which I love, but that '96 Thunderbird was the first car I really loved.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and I too would love to more cars and less SUV's on the road.

[@davidpierce3072]

I have a 97 Lx with the 4.6, silver with grey leather,, it's still a beautiful car I think.

[@mrFalconlem]

Agree, I’m considering grabbing a 96 soon, it may look old hat but I don’t care Its an exciting car when you drive it at speed, that was and is a great standard coupe. Gotta look for a 1 owner old person car so I don ‘t need much restoration. I liked the early 2000s reboot, but it needs to be a 5 seater again.

[@donaldwilson2620]

My mother had a 95 Thunderbird LX with the optional 4.6L V8. It was nice and comfortable and I actually missed it.

[@sombra6153]

I drove an employer-furnished 1991 Super Coupe with an automatic for a while back in the middle-late 90s. It was fairly well thrashed and trashed by the time I got it and I’m not sure whether the loose transmission or something else prevented it from going more than 100 mph, but it still ran pretty good getting up there. Overall, the IRS and the four wheel disk brakes coupled with its size made it a pretty well handling and comfortable machine. It was a great driving car on twisting roads. I love the Fox Mustangs, but that SC was just an overall better engineered platform. Only thing to have made it better was a hundred or so more horsepower. Sad that it went away.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing. I too am sad this segment of the market has all but disappeared. That said the new pony cars are more of this segment and less of a Pony Car so they sort live on just under a different nameplate.

[@davidfusco6600]

I had a 86 Turbo Coupe. Bought it new, loved it! 5 spd trans was its weak point. Finally installed a later model (88?)world class T5. It was a great car for highway driving. Around town, you had to drive it like you hated it, to have any fun.

[@magnus9165]

I used to rent cars a lot on my job that required much travel. Once the rear wheel drive Thunderbirds and Cougars showed up again, I was a Ford fan only I remember I rented a Cougar that had the 5.0 V8. It only had like 10 miles when I picked it up. Brand new car and it really hauled. What a nice car. I think that was 1994. I can not remember, so I better not say, but it wasn't long and they quit making those great rear wheel drive cars. That is one of the huge reasons I liked them so much, they were rear wheel drive. I hated GM because they went entirely front wheel drive in 1996 when they quit making the Buick Roadmaster and Chev Caprice. I remember I rented a big Ford, a Crown Victoria when they came out with the 4.6 V8. That was a nice car, but I loved the 2 door Thunderbirds and Cougars.

[@jorgejefferson8251]

I owned a 1990 Thunderbird SuperCoupe from new in light titanium with the light titanium full leather interior. Good looking and a great driving car. To this day, the best looking most adjustable and comfortable powered bucket seats I've ever seen.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very nice! Thanks for watching!

[@patriley9449]

I had the same car and loved it. Traded it in because the automatic transmission was a constant problem. I swear that the car had much more power than advertised. It also handled well for what was a big car. Wish I had it now.

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

I never owned one, but always liked the Thunderbird Supercoupe.. the style, size and performance was just right. A very sexy looking G.T. I'd say.

[@LymanPhillips]

Man! That super coup was a sweetie! Love the looks and rhe performance wasn't a slouch either.

[@itsnotme07]

My Dad bought a 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX with the 4.6l v8 in 1997 as a program car. He drove it until 2000 when my sister needed a car and she took over the payments. In March 2003, my sister called me and asked if I would help her buy a new car. I asked what was wrong with the Thunderbird....turns out a lot. No ABS, Rear wheel drive, big v8, she did a lot of mountain driving in Western NC....and at the time, I was looking for an extra car. So I helped my sister buy a 2003 Nissan Sentra with ABS and I bought my Dad's Tbird. Everyone was happy! It had 90k miles on it. I drove that Tbird for the next 4 years as my daily driver instead of being my extra car. Loved that car! Drove it everywhere!! multiple cross country trips. Even moved to Maine from Texas for almost a year with it...just awesome. Donated it in 2007 after it hit 150k mi and I needed to move back to Texas for my next job. One of these days, I'd love to get another one! Also a fan of the Lincoln Mark VIII. Had 2 of those. 1995 Base and 1997 LSC, both with factory air ride.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching & sharing. I am getting a lot of love for these cars in the comments section.

[@RandyRydberg]

I've had the air ride removed from both of my Lincoln Mark VIIIs. My mechanic told me he couldn't get replacement shocks and the springs were far less problematic. I'm glad for the springs now, but I really enjoyed that air ride.

[@itsnotme07]

@@RandyRydberg Yeah, it stinks on both the cost of the air ride and lack of available parts...so it makes sense cost wise to convert over. But yeah, the air ride is the way to go if you can!

[@CassidysWorkshop]

Thank you for the walk down memory lane. I bought a white '90 SC in '89, but a lack of parts by 2001 led me to replace it with an SVT Cobra. I miss them both now, the SC was very classy and stood out more than my current Fusion Sport.

[@Ylerian]

Love learning about this car. I have a '95 LX at home. My first car, had it for 5 years now and I love it to death. Bought it with 30k miles on it and I've put another 33k on it since

[@siddiqahmad5193]

Flew all over the country from '94 - '99. Always made a point to get the T-bird/Cougar as rental wherever I landed. I've no recollection of ever renting the supercharged version of either marque but I loved the size, styling and "get up" of the cars

[@BakerStudiosIndy]

I bought an '89 LX new. It was the ultimate driver's car in terms of road tripping. The ride with independent rear suspension was nothing short of amazing. It wasn't as sexy as the previous generation Turbo Coupe, but from the driver's seat, it was wonderful. So in 1990, I traded for my first SC with the manual gearbox. This was more fun that a bathtub full of otters. The most comfortable cockpit of any car I've ever owned. This was the first of three new Super Coupes I owned. As for my own personal comfort and driving style, they remain the benchmark by which I compare prospective vehicles. Prior to this, I owned Turbo Coupes, Taurus SHOs and Sables. All during these years, I was a sales rep and finance guy for a GM dealership.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I was a salesman at Ford Dealership in 87 and I owned a Buick Grand National for roughly a year.

[@MidwesternRailfan]

I currently own a 1993 Ford Thunderbird LX (with the 5.0L V8) and it is a very comfortable ride. I'm putting some money into it to make it nice again.

[@jeffbrown3963]

My son bought an 89 super coupe 5 speed and he and his friends really ran it into the ground.( Said he never raced it but he did). I spent alot of time and money repairing and maintaining that car. Expensive shocks that had ride control, plus the super charger and lots of ither things. Bad apart about it was the only time i got to drive it was to move it over in the driveway do i coukd get my car out and ho to work! Thanks for the memories!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for your comment and for watching!

[@rpsmith2990]

My experience with one of these was brief, but impressive. I got a rental car when someone in a Mustang all but stuffed me into a light pole at a shopping mall. The Thunderbird I had was the base model, but somehow had most of the luxuries I take for granted on my Accord these days, like automatic headlamps, and a self-dimming rear view mirror. The car it was replacing at the time was a Camaro, 3rd gen, fuel injected V6, F41, 5 speed. I put that T-Bird into the first off ramp thinking " This car has tires the same with as on my Camaro, and it weighs hundred of pounds more. What can it possibly do?". I came out of that off ramp deeply impressed, and basically drove the wheels off of it that day, parking it only when I was too tired for more.

[@meep2059]

The Supercoupe is a must drive car for the car enthusiasts to see, plenty of faster cars, but nothing like the Supercoupe feel when you drive it. It is a tempermental car for sure and requires alot of maintenance but so worth it when it drives and everything behaves as intended from factory. Like mentioned the steering and suspension is Elite for back then. Also so much potential just in bolt ons it's awesome how fast we can make them compare to even when they were stock which were pretty fast. No offense to Mustang only guys but the Thunderbird is your daddy. Race a stock Mustang 5.0 same year vs a stock Thunderbird Supercoupe and see, especially if they are both 5 speeds. The Supercoupe will jump faster and keep opening the gap. I know, I have/had both.

[@archiveseeker]

I miss my 94 LX with the 4.6! I would totally buy one again.

[@Louis-kk3to]

Even us Chevy lovers had a respect for the 'T' BIRD !

[@alangeddes268]

My wife had one of the last Birds sold by the local dealer, They had 4 on the lot at the time. Loved that car until 2011 when a really large oak fell on it. Car was flat on the ground and as I cut tree away it just came back up with a crease in the roof. Unfortunately it did have a very slight twist to the chassis and had to be totaled.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sorry to hear about your car.

[@iowasucks9494]

Something very similar happened to my skyline GTS recently. When i cut the tree off it just had 3 dents on the roof. Thank god it was just a plum tree and not an oak like your case. Sorry to hear about what happened. I hate losing cars after years of faithful service.

[@roberthampton8682]

On a business trip, I rented a 1992 TBird, a couple months later, I leased a 1993 V6 Tbird. I had for just under 3 years. During a trip to Phoenix AZ, the car over heated and started loosing coolant. I traded it in. Then in 2003, I bought a 1996 V8 TBird with only 40K miles on it. The day after buying it, the plastic manifold broke where the coolant went though it. Ford fixed it, but I had the Engine light coming back on every time I turned around. The Auto tranny, went out, I had it fixed, then I gave the car to my high school son. He managed to destroy it with in a year!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's rough. I hear a lot from both sides ion these cars. People that had multiple issues such as yourself and others that put a ton of miles on theirs (one guy 500K and still going). It seems like you either got a good one or an awful one.

[@RandyRydberg]

I've heard about those manifolds and how being plastic was really bad. My 1995 came with a metal one, and my 1997 has a 2003 Ford V8 manifold modified for it, which gives it more horsepower. From what I understand, BMWs and some other brands are littered with plastic parts for their lack of weight and cost. Makes me concerned about buying a new car, which I'm not planning on doing anyway.

[@mikeburnett160]

I bought a new '91 Super Coupe w/ 5-speed, black on black leather, that ended up getting stolen less than 2 years later. Absolutely loved that car and always wanted another one. I would look periodically through the years and the majority I would find anywhere near me were either completely thrashed or people wanted stupid money for them. In 2021, I stumbled across a 1990 SC 5-speed with just over 20,000 original miles, in basically pristine condition. Its titanium with my least favorite interior, the maroon cloth, but aside from a little bit of sun fading on the sides of the front seats and the top of the rear seat, it looks showroom new and I love driving it just as much as I did my original. Thanks for the great vid!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you Mike for sharing your story and for watching my video!

[@OneTwo-kc4ui]

It was my understanding that Jac Nasser killed off the Thunderbird and Cougar after the UAW heads at Lorain Assembly gave him a poor reception at the plant (to put it mildly), and he wanted to show them "who was boss" and eliminated the production of both vehicles. The engineer over the Thunderbird and Cougar stated they had a souped up a Tbird and had a Cougar convertible in the plans for the future vehicles. Nasser eliminated these vehicles, even though the were profitable for Ford (the platform die was paid for) to exert his power. He did nothing to improve Ford Motor Company during his tenure (I could go into the failed acquisitions under his leadership, but that's in the history books now) , and employees in Dearborn cheered when it was announced that he had retired (asked to step down). There are stories that if Nasser was on the elevator in the glass house (Ford World Headquarters), you did not get on the elevator with him (Bill Ford is not like that...he told employees to get on the elevator). CEOs with huge egos are not team players and will fail!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I will have to look into Nassar time at the company. That's an interesting story. Thanks for sharing! GM tried to hang onto the Personal Luxury Car with the Monte Carlo but in the end the market wants what the market wants.

[@OneTwo-kc4ui]

There are many other stories on Jac Nasser. He issued a book written by Jack Welch (General Electric CEO) to all salaried employees as required reading. Nasser tried to emulate Jack Welch's leadership style. Another arrogant (bonehead) move, he removed the names (Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, etc.) on executive conference rooms in World Headquarters with car nameplates (Mustang, etc.), which did not sit well with the Ford family. As I previously mentioned, the engineer over Thunderbird and Cougar was surprised when the plug was pulled on these products. The many other acquistions that Ford invested in during this time did not prove to be finacially lucrative, and were sold off (some at a loss..the Think electric vehicle was simply crushed). So much for Nasser's legacy at Ford!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@OneTwo-kc4ui I will find that book. Thank you for the heads up.

[@dntlss]

Ive always liked Bill Ford, i actually sent him a email once to his personal email many years ago and he replied!! quickly too, i couldn't believe it,and it was him,it wasn't some "employee" i was pretty touched.

[@HP-ov7ol]

The UAW always kills the golden goose by overreaching in labor negotiations. They're about to kill off Dodge/Ram.

[@sirakuz7764]

I am from Russia and we have owners club of Thunderbird and Cougar mn12. Great cars, we love it. Many carguys hate mn12 because it does not have "true" spirit of US cars... But i think it is realy "gold middle" of the cars.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your story. It's pretty awesome that you have an owners club in Russia for MN12 cars!

[@sirakuz7764]

​@@TonysFordsandMustangs we have big community of mustangs, corvettes, camaros and other US cars. By the way, camaro 3gen, 4g and 5,6g has there own community))) one of our member in mn12 club swap 6.2 from escalade to thunderbird SC) yeah!!)

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@sirakuz7764 Thanks for sharing it is appreciated!

[@RandyRydberg]

I had no idea Thunderbirds ever made it over there!

[@ducatimikep]

I’ve always wanted on of these. Beautiful design.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@BigStickStangs]

Another great video Tony. I’ve always liked the Thunderbirds. My father had a 56 Thunderbird for years. It was black with continental kit and a porthole top. My uncle had a 57 with the supercharger. Those are some of the very first cars I worked on. Have a great Labor Day! 👊😎✌️

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you sir and thanks for watching!

[@glucarelli]

Owned a black on black 1990 sc thunderbird, bought it in 2000. That car was a blast to drive!!!!

[@JSFGuy]

Awesome, I got the anniversary edition of that SC, drove it for a few years and couldn't keep my hands off of them I currently have n3 Thunderbird SC, not the anniversary.

[@victorxavier9977]

😎👍 your mach 1 looking good in the background 👌

[@warringtonfaust1088]

I had the Mercury version, Cougar XR7. At low miles the power steering hose went. Factory time to replace it was about 11 hours. Doing it myself in my home garage took almost 20 hours. Everything, everything supercahrger, intercooler, hoses, etc. had to come out. Actually replacing the hose, after you could reach it, was a day at the beach.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Wow that sounds awful.

[@dntlss]

`They were a pain in the ass to work on them sometimes,i replaced that weird gasket that separates the oil from the water once on the 4.6, i didn't know i knew so many cusswords and the oil filter was a nightmare to take off, reminded me of those Chinese interlocking metal puzzles, i never had to replace the power steering hose but from, looking at it it was not a pretty sight.

[@ArturoGarzaID]

Ford so needs to bring this style back. There’s so much they could do with it.

[@tbirdboy]

What a review! Owned three of these beauties and fell in with the SCCOA crowd. Loved the torque it delivered and the smooth ride. Unfortunately each model I owned had ABS issues that rendered the brakes inoperable.

[@oztheberean]

If it works out in the end, I'd like to find another Bird. I've owned a '95, '96, and '97. All 4.6's

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They are out there and underappreciated. Best of luck with your search!

[@oztheberean]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs You are not wrong when you say underappreciated! lol

[@dennishogenmiller4456]

I purchased a used 1997 Thunderbird in 1999. Kept it for 13 years. Best car I ever owned. Loved that car. I then purchased 2006 Mustang GT.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your story and for watching the video. It is appreciated

[@rainbowwarrior2635]

These weren't bad cars, they were kind of what everybody wanted. A cheap, large, somewhat sporty front engine, rear wheel drive sports sedan. This is why the Chryslers were so successful when they reintroduced front engine rear wheel drive V8 sedans, and this is also why the cars that are holding value now are Ford Crown Vics, lexus LS sedans, and Mercedes CDI's. The thunderbird has a lot going for it and it sold. The problem is when you look at it you can see it was built to the minimum standard of quality. We had a 1990 Explorer, Ford and GM in the 80's and 90's were the lowest quality cars you could get. And it was a time when quality really improved a lot in cars. I think it's interesting the super V6 is the top of the line motor. Because if you compare the performance of the V8 to my 1989 Volvo 760 turbo with a 2.3 liter inline 4, that got 0-60 in 8 seconds. But the volvo cost 40,000 and the ford cost 17,000. At the time the competition was very tough with volvo, mercedes, bmw, acura, lexus. This is a much cheaper car but you got to consider in 1990 we were coming out of the Malaise era into the 90's when we were seeing some of the best cars ever built, Porsche 993 twin turbo, supra turbo, Acura NSX, Mercedes E class, BMW M5. Even if the thunderbird was cheaper, a much higher standard of quality was expected at the time than it could deliver. I will say the Lincoln Mark 8 is the one you really want from back then.

[@johneldorado]

I had a 1992 Thunderbird SC with the 3.8 supercharged engine. Did a few small mods. Maybe my favorite car of all time that I had the pleasure of owning. Just seemed the perfect package, car had gobs of torque down low. Got lots of compliments. Just a really good looking car. I will say though, the car sort of fell apart after around 75k miles. Just had way too many issues.

[@shaindaman13]

These were old people cars. My 60 year old Dad had a 97. My Bosses 80 year old Dad had a 96. These models were unremarkable appearing, rolling boredom at the time I thought. Now I’m old and I want one.

[@RandyRydberg]

I think they are classy. Boring to kids, for sure.

[@oneninerniner3427]

​@AustinShockSS an 89-97 MN12 ThunderBird??? I don't think so, the ones my family had drove great with the four wheel independent suspension they had, loved them! And they didn't use the stupid McPherson struts either.! The Accords while being good cars are like a roller skate compared to an MN12 T Birds IMHO.

[@reinderkalsbeek4748]

I worked at Lorain ohio when the last thunderbird and cougar rolled off the line very sad

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing and I agree it was sad.

[@carlcovington4910]

Was a driver for E&L Transport, Lorain,Oh loved hauling the vehicles at the Assembly Plant, the terminal was right by, recently looked the place up on Google Maps, sad that the Plant is abandoned, even worse that E&L went into bankruptcy and no longer.

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

My first "nice" car was an '89 SC 5 speed. I bought it in '95 with 46K miles. Sold it in 2001 right before getting married & starting up a family. Miss that car!!! It was the very definition of a sleeper: no one realized the beast that lurked under the hood. It will forever be my favorite, but my '17 Lincoln MKZ 3.0T is making a strong case for the #1 spot in my heart...

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching & sharing!

[@bradkrekelberg8624]

I had a '96 V8 T-bird. It was a salvage POS, but I loved it. I would love to have a '94-95 manual SC today. That was the pinnacle, I think.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The SC's are out there and still under appreciated by collectors. IF you want one and take your time nice examples can had.

[@HemiChrysler]

the pinnacle of what ?

[@ecc5119]

@@HemiChryslerthe pinnacle of ford thunderbird performance

[@HemiChrysler]

@@ecc5119 I junked a 1990 Thunderbird SC earlier this year. It didn't seem anything special to me.

[@RandyRydberg]

I have an abused 1997 T-Bird that is all sorted out mechanically now. It is so fun to drive, it just needs paint, but I understand why you like it.

[@jacoballred]

Lost and found again the same type of 1966 Ford Thunderbird. That I had tragically lost backthen in highschool. My Thunderbird is working and legal to cruise.

[@rgun2515]

I had a 93 SC. There was a few changes. The rims were slightly redesigned and the SC had a new pully on the supercharger that gave it 230 HP.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@wayneb2069]

You made no mention of the 1995 40th Anniversary Edition which I have one in blue two-toned with Grey lower panels

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Yes I did miss that one. Sorry I do the best I can with a staff of just me. Thanks for watching!

[@50TBRD]

There was also a Davey Allison Edition.

[@WillieBHardigan03]

To this day I still think a 1990 Super Coupes 35th Anniversary edition is one of the best cars ever! Great looking car.

[@AmitKumar-ym7bw]

We had a 95 v8 and it was amazing and fantastic. I’d love to have one with a super charger with a manual.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They are out there and not too costly however finding a rust free on is difficult. Best of luck

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

If you do buy either the V6 coupe, the Supercoupe, Sport 4.6 or Sport 5.0 just go ahead and replace the lower ball joints and upper control/ball joints. These are known failure items. The lower ball joints prior to failing will make the steering/braking a bit wonky, that's the only warning sign. So be pro-active and replace them sooner then later.

[@davidgold5961]

I sincerely believe that the 1993 and earlier front clip is much more handsome than the 1994 to 1997, but it was probably revised for aerodynamic purposes to maintain its superiority at NASCAR tracks.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I would agree with you. Thanks for watching!

[@RandyRydberg]

I used to agree with that opinion, but I've really grown to like the two revisions as time went on. Grew on me. I like them all now. I really used to not like the Lincoln Mark VIII styling until I drove one. All of a sudden, it looked a lot better!

[@maryrafuse2297]

Since you were kind enough to read this I have one more thought/suggestion. Ford don't try to make excessive money on options, just load up the Super Coupe and sell hundreds of thousands of them. Volume like 77 to 79. Have the SC positively dripping what would otherwise be optional equipment. Make it such a value leader that you have the new market for this car captured. Build them and sell them so long after this time some well maintained ones will remain.

[@toddbob55]

We had a 1994 Thunderbird 4.6 engine it was a damn great car I loved that thing

[@jergervasi3331]

Motor Week got a 0-60 time of "Six seconds flat" on the 1989 Super Coupe?

[@rickread5902]

I bought a 1995 Thunderbird V8 LX Dark Metallic Blue with Gray Cloth Interior as my first brand new car ever! I had a friend who owned a body shop paint a factory rear spoiler for it that really improved the looks. I found some Super Coupe 16” rims and installed them, that alone made a huge difference in ride and looks. I kept the car for 18 years as a daily driver, very good memories.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@danield.7359]

I had two of them. From all cars I ever possessed I loved this one the most. Unfortunately the Super Coup had some weak points in the area of transmission, undersized brakes and engine cooling.

[@RDEnduro]

I saw one last weekend in white(has to be most common color). Was cool to see, used to see one on my street as a kid and always caught my eye

[@rebelracing88]

Ford ruined the Thunderbird with this model. It was boxy, boring, and just not an interesting car at all. The 1983-1988 Thunderbird was a great looking car and was shockingly different than its counterparts when released. That’s what made that car such a success and why Ford moved away from that we’ll never know.

[@veiledzorba]

Looked too much like a Camaro. The previous generation looked far better.

[@BrendanW0214]

My first car was a ‘96 with the 3.8 in it. That engine was pretty wimpy and something was always breaking on it. The ride quality was outstanding and it was an extremely comfortable car however. Beautiful looking car too especially in the color I had (Pacific Green). If I could find a clean low mileage V8 one then I wouldn’t mind having another one.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! Those cars are out there and the prices are relatively reasonable if you are willing to look for the right car.

[@RandyRydberg]

I had that exact spec car except it was a 1997. The V8 is a huge upgrade to the V6, I've owned both.

[@buildurtruckurway9118]

I owned a 92 sport in 07. I loved it, it ended up spinning a rod bearing on start up one morning. I picked up a 92 5.0 out of a stang but never dropped it in. Ended up selling it to a friend that still has it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching.

[@ossieblackmon6740]

I had two 1990 super coupes auto and 5 speed loved both!

[@alyssonmanson8912]

sold for ford alot of t birds in mid 90s - it was my sports car sale to modern family life and it worked - also raced t birds at drags even winning

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The Personal Luxury Car is/was my favorite. I'm sad that segment has all but disappeared and was replaced with the SUV. I regard my new Mustang as a car that works in that segment.

[@RandyRydberg]

I had a 1990, which lasted for 260,000 miles and was still running strong when I let it go. It had been run into three times while it was parked in really good, safe spots and it wasn't worth the cost of getting all that fixed. And the transmission was slipping a little bit. I had that car for eighteen years. I still have my great condition 1995 V8 with a sunroof, it is almost at 100,000 miles. I also have a 1993 V6 that is in good shape, and a 1997 V8 which needs paint, has 200,000 miles, but is super-fun to drive. No plans to let any of them go. I also have a 1993 Lincoln Mark VIII at 100,000 miles, that runs great but needs paint, and a pristine 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII that has always been garaged, with 30,000 miles. All my cars have chrome stock wheels. I also had, for one year, a 1997 T-Bird in great shape, that was rear-ended by a Toyota Sequoia. The MN12/10 platform is great. All cars are paid for and three are technically totaled by hail, but the dents all came out in the heat of summer so I can never tell, but this makes the insurance cheaper for them. I plan to drive them all as long as I can keep them going, my mechanics are very familiar with them. Repairs have been much cheaper than a car payment on a new car, but tires have to be purchased every eight years or so for all of them. Anyway. Can't say enough good things about these, there was an article in Motor Trend back in the day talking about the 1998 Thunderbird SVT that was definitely coming out, which of course, didn't. Why not just one more year? Stupid Ford.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank for sharing your experience with these cars. I’m glad to hear someone is keeping these birds on the road. Very awesome

[@map3384]

The last T-bird was a throw back to two older generation, the silent generation and the boomers . Ford was looking backwards not forwards with no concerns what generation x preferred. I loved the 90s T-bird. I looked at the last generation T-bird and said it’s grandpas late life car. It was a ridiculous investment developing and building the car. It was a flop. You’re totally right about the SUV. I bought a 2006 Ford Explorer.

[@BillLaBrie]

In Ford’s defense, the last bird was released after several other “retro” designs (Beetle, PT Cruiser, the original Ram trucks) were proven hits. Looking backwards was no crime in the 90s.

[@joeapplebaum3763]

I bought a 2 year old ‘97 mainly because it was a decent price and I needed a car. It turned out to be incredibly comfortable. It had the 3.8 liter V6 but it scooted decently enough. I got the same gas mileage as the Miata I had before it. I really didn’t want to trade it. But I found a Silverado I couldn’t pass up.

[@stacyhazelwood4033]

I bought a 1991 Thunderbird SC w/ 5spd new when I graduated college. It was a fast, smooth wonderful car. I wish I still had it.

[@michaeldemarco9950]

I never liked these, considering it inferior to its Foxbody predecessor. I guess you could say the same for the Mustang and Mark VIII, as well.

[@v1-vr-rotatev2-vy_vx31]

Ask Bill Elliott on all his race wins with his T-Bird

[@peterbishop8584]

Great Video,simple,to the point,informative and very well presented. 😊

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!

[@markv8195]

Wonderful trip down Memory Lane! I had an '89 LX V6 and loved it! In fact, it was the best vehicle I had ever owned up to that point and certainly one of the best looking. After exceeding 100,000 miles I made the mistake of trading it for a '95 model. That '95 was a let down. The worst part of it was the interior redesign. Although the air bag accommodation was a big improvement over the motorized belt restraints, the interior didn't have a single flat surface to set anything on even standing still. There was an afterthought of "cup holders" consisting of a flimsy hinged ring assembly that folded out into the console storage compartment, making the compartment useless for anything else and it broke off within months. The ride had been harshened, the V6 didn't have the pep of the '89 & got diminished gas milage. After 50,000 miles I had enough and moved on to Japan's luxury offerings, but still miss that old '89 Bird with its perfect combination of sport & smooth luxury with American comfort.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your experience!

[@Prairieshutterbug64]

Thanks Tony. Another excellent video.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the kind words!

[@dntlss]

Great video, whats under the blanket? My cousin had a 89 Bird, i remember when he first got it,we were just kids and man that thing was awesome,we picked up a few girls in it,lol,he passed away young and my Uncle ended up keeping the car for a few years,it had that digital dash,lot of people dont like digital dashes, i thought it was bitching,we had some good times in that car. i had a Super coupe also, wish i had never sold it, have a 95 right now just sitting and i really want to sell it but i want it to go to the right person,someone that knows about these cars, its somewhat of a basket case but it does have a lot of good parts on it and some aftermarket stuff like flowmasters and nice headers etc,these cars were awesome,they had zip and they were also very comfortable,a lot of people when they get married and have a couple of kids normally have to sacrifice their hot rod for the sake of the family,you really didn't have to do that with these cars,very roomy and get up and go. I remember one time i was having a stereo installed in the 95 and i was talking to the installer for a bit and he had his head buried in the trunk, wiring something and all of the sudden he stopped and just looked like he was in deep thought and said "man i dont know why Ford stopped making these cars,they were awesome"

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The car under the cover is a 70 Mustang Mach 1. I have several video on the channel that feature that car and series where I drove 3,000 ish miles around the country. Thanks for sharing your stories and for watching it is appreciated!

[@philvaclavik6890]

I had a 93 LX in that blue I bought in the summer of 96. Loved that car

[@tonychavez2083]

i think the MN12 platform lived on to underpin the new Mark VIII from Lincoln. That was a very high tech Ford, full electronic air susp. 4 cam heads on the EEC-V computer controlled 4.6L triton V8. it was an honest 140 mph. coupe!!

[@OathTaker3]

I had a bunch of T-Birds with the 81 being the last, do you blame me? My favorite was my 68, 2dr, 429cid, 4brl, dual exhaust that had the "N" code engine which had 360 or 340 horsepower I forget. I had to sell it in 91 because I entered the service that year, sadly I had no way to store it. If I decided to get another T-Bird I would be a 82-84 model, an early Aero Bird then RestoMod it keeping it's outer stock look, I find them a very attractive vehicle although I might remove the trim & smooth out the line a bit...🤔 Who knows! Great video, keep up the great material, It's much appreciated.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing, the kind words and for watching! That is very much appreciated.

[@nickcate9377]

Nice Video Tony. I know this generation of the T-Bird was engineered very well, and came with some competent and reliable drive-trains. It was an excellent value for money buy in its day. The comments here from the people that had one are certainly a testament to how good this car is. One guy said he's still daily driving his today and has been since it was new! So they were definitely good cars to live with. However, i have to say that i could never get past the styling of this generation. In my opinion, it is a complete lack of stylying that would be a more accurate description of the exterior of this vehicle. I was always curious as to why FOMOCO chose this direction for this T-Bird. I thought the styling of the previous generation was done well (1987-88 too). I had a 1984 Cougar XR7 (Man. Trans.). I enjoyed that car very much.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the kind words. I would agree that I prefer the styling of the early Aerobirds. That stated Ford has to make changes or cars become stale. This new platform required a change in direction and this car has many fans who love it and like this style much more than previous generation. I had a Car designer tell me yesterday that the 70 Thunderbird is his favorite car of all time. Me, not so much

[@DanielLopez-me9mh]

My father purchased a thunderbird new in 1993 it was very peppy for a 3.8 v6 I tried to get every opportunity to drive his car great memories 😊

[@hothatchpa]

Hey Tony - I always enjoy your videos and format. I have a question for you. When the S/C model received a good power bump, it was tested quite a bit slower than the earlier ones. Do you think this was due to weight of air bags and changes made or was there something else at play?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

There could be plenty of things at play here. Firstly 20 HP isn't a massive amount of HP and depending on who tested it, where, and when also come into play. Any car especially a forced induction car will perform much better in a colder less humid environment. I believe those factors have more to do the numbers than the weight. Airbags allowed Ford to ditch the in track motorized seat belts units so I'm not sure the airbags added much weight if any. I would think a 94 all things equal would perform slightly better than an 89. Thank you for your kind words and for watching.

[@darrelgray1248]

I had a 1989 base model. I absolutely LOVED it but I couldn’t keep it on the road in snowy weather. I ended up totaling it in ‘96. It had over 250,000 miles on it and the engine was still running after a crashed it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Seems like you got a good deal of use out of it.

[@darrelgray1248]

@ I sure did. To this day, it’s my favorite car.

[@marcgambone4240]

I had an 89 sc in high school and i loved it but i kept blowing head gaskets because i didn't know that i was supposed to use high octane fuel. After the 3rd gasket replacement ($2500 each time) i traded it for a 95 tbird v8. The sc was a way cooler car even though it was 7 years older. Miss them both

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's a very cool High School car. :)

[@aaadamt964]

I had a mint 93 v6 car my grandparents gave me when it blew head gaskets. I ended up buying a bunch of the v6 tbirds and mustangs needing head gaskets to fix and resell. They were fairly new at the time (late 90's) and most shops wouldn't do head gaskets. They quoted engines at $5,000. I'd buy them for a few hundred, but the gasket kit ($120) and head bolts. I can't remember how much the bolts were but they were tty and HAD to be replaced. Looking back, I would've reused them but this was before the internet. Aluminum heads and fuel injection were still pretty new. Everyone seemed to think reusing the head bolts would surely make the repair fail or they would break off in the block resulting in an expensive trip to a machine shop or having to replace the engine that was nearly impossible to find used. But I still averaged around $2,500 profit for a weekend of work. I made $5.15/hr flipping burgers back then so that was a ton of money for a poor high school kid.

[@danwake4431]

i had 2 cougars and a 94 tbird. The IRS made it handle VERY well. I took it on several long trips and the seats were comfortable every minute of those drives. I never had any trouble with that 4.6. Just changed the oil that was it. The trans started to slip out of 2nd gear around 130k but it was already rusting out by then. My c4 vette and my tbird were my favorite cars. I also had a 97 Mark VIII at the same time, I grabbed it since it was a deal and the intent was to eventually sell the tbird because on paper, the Mark VIII had it beat. More hp, softer leather seats, etc. But in the end, i found myself getting in the cloth seat tbird more than the Lincoln and I ended up selling that and keeping the tbird after all. No one could believe it I said i just like it better. Ive had cutlasses, a Regal, several others. If I had ALL my cars today, that tbird would be my daily for sure. Wish I had had a chance to drive a SC, maybe its good i didnt.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! IF you look there are nice examples of these cars to be had today at relatively decent prices. I saw a 40K mile Anniversary edition for sale local to me for $7,500. The collector community has yet to embrace these cars but I think that time is coming as the prices for Foxbody Mustang have recently taken off.

[@infernoking7504]

We had a 1991 all white one blew a head gaskit and sat around to long I miss it the ride was amazing I love the 4.6 sohc engine.

[@radioguy1620]

In some ways the car could not be re designed every other year , so could have contributed to the problem, it was already a darn good car especially chassis and body wise.

[@petertornabeni602]

Tony Kutchna. Thank you where ever you are

[@nickn815]

I had a ‘96 Thunderbird but had to sell in 2012 for financial reasons. I still think about that car often.

[@jimlubinski4731]

Was always a big Thunderbird fan up through 1982. When they went with the aero look in 1983, I went to Pontiac (Trans Am), but when the MN-12 version came out, I returned to Thunderbird, but I had to have a V--8, so I waited until 1991 for an LX with the 5.0L. It was a great car, but in 1994 the pricing was just too good to pass up. I bought an almost identical one, except it had the 4.6L V-8. I still have the 1994 with over 500k miles. It's beyond just a great car. Personally, I hate SUVs, so I really miss the personal luxury car era. I also have a 2004 T-Bird that I bought new, but the Jaguar running gear has not been nearly as reliable. To say I'm a Thunderbird addict is an understatement. In addition to the ones I mentioned, I have 2 1966 T-Birds and a 1980 Silver Anniversary edition. I always felt they had the slogan correct when they said the Thunderbird was "unique in all the world."

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing! 500,000 miles is quite impressive! You certainly know how to maintain a car properly!

[@jimlubinski4731]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Well, that's the thing. I really didn't maintain it like I should. It's just very well built.

[@RandyRydberg]

I have three T-Birds out of the total of five that I've owned... and two Lincoln Mark VIII. You are not alone, my friend!

[@fericyde]

IMHO Ford never really understood the Thunderbird brand and over the years was simply too wish-washy about what it meant. If you go back to it's early release, it was a sports coupe much like the corvette -- then McNamara (yes, Bob) decided that a 4 seater would sell so much better so a bloated (yet personal) thing happened. AND it sold. -- ... for a while. Over the years Thunderbird has meant it's own platform, trim level on a different platform, a kind of bigger Mustang-like thing, wait, let's swing back to the original formula (kind of). And the buying public simply said "what the hell does this really mean anyway?" and quit buying them. It's really sad because there were so many good Thunderbirds along the way. But I digress. Make a brand mean something. Thunderbird should have stayed true to one formula and it might be around. FWIW: Mustang doesn't mean "Bloated family "SUV" or whatever you want to call the station-wagon like thing they've made today. It had a really clear brand meaning for close to 50 years before the marketing jack-wagons at Ford made this call, somehow missing the curation of an icon they had helped build along the way. Names like Thunderbird and Mustang should mean something and stick to some of the original formula or they risk dying off due to a confused buying public. It doesn't help that making sudden changes (like adding a second row of seats for example) yield short term sales results. These are the things that make headlines and promotions. No one seems to get the long-term cost when the bodies of these brands get buried due to market confusion a few sad years later.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I made a video regarding the first gen and why Bob McNamara added the rear seat. :) I agree the brand should have an identity and they should stick to it when possible. Thanks for watching and for sharing.

[@sorshiaemms5959]

HAD a 94 with the 4.6 was a awesome car only a length slower than a supercoupe would only do 110 mph before the fuel shut off would kick in wish i still had it have a 83 with a 351 in it now thanks for the video

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@bryanweston7737]

I bought a new Thunderbird Super Coupe in 1991 - black exterior, black leather interior, automatic trans. I had also test driven the Mercury Cougar XR7 with a V8 - it was a dog by comparison...felt slow and heavy, while the TBird SC had solid power and felt responsive / athletic. When you floored it, the sound from that Eaton supercharger was intoxicating, and the acceleration was strong! It was a great looking car and the interior was sporty and luxurious - high quality, solid feel throughout the whole car. A couple of cars later, I had a 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 - it was a tinny hunk of junk, with a cheap interior, by comparison to that 1991 Thunderbird Super Coupe.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! Sorry about the Monte Carlo 😉

[@dntlss]

For some reason Chevrolet interior qualities is on a league of its own when it comes to crappy,we have a Malibu at our work that we use as a car to run errands in, we dont abuse it and no one really drives it much so i drive it most of the time, this car has like 50 thousand miles,the dash is curved with a separation of about a quarter inch, the hazard button has to be pressed gently or it will go thru the dash, the headliner is falling down, the electric mirror switch and the horn wont work and the A/C button has a combination where you have to tap it and wiggle it for it to come on, this car is like 10 years old. I have a 91 and 89 Mustang besides my regular car,the dashes have a tiny like crack here and there but you have to look for it, thats about it.

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

I have a 1992 Sport built in October 1991 (VIN info). It sat on the dealer lot for 7 months before being purchased by the original owner. I'm the 2nd owner of the Thunderbird. It's a great around town car as well as a long distance interstate cruiser. The 5.0 H.O. comes with factory headers. It has the supercoupe coil springs, sway bars, EVO rack & pinion steering, and E4OD. It's only option package is the Sport package -- no sunroof, no 4 wheel disc brakes, etc. It's a "low-line" model.

[@morecowbell1613]

I also own a '92 Sport that I ordered from Ford with every option except the moonroof. There was no manual transmission option for some unexplained reason. It did come with larger rotors on the front, however no option for rear disc brakes, as you mentioned. The Windsor HO 5.0 V8 is what sold the car for me, as I traded my '89 base model Bird that had the wimpy V6 engine. I still find it very peculiar that Ford would market a new model as a "sport", without offering the 5 speed manual tranny that was mated to the same engine in the Mustang GT, or even a rear decklid spoiler, not to mention the upgrade to the rear brakes! I chose the Currant Red paint color, which was paired with a hot pink accent stripe on the lower rocker panels, which I had removed by the dealer when it arrived. Still remains to be the most enjoyable car to drive that I've ever owned, and am proud to show her off whenever I can! Long live the Thunderbirds!

[@cliffordkinnear9705]

Ford might have sold more 1991-92 Sports if it came with a 5 speed manual. Only roughly 17,400 original Sports were produced. @@morecowbell1613

[@sff1987]

I had a red 1990 Supercoupe...pegged speedometer over 125..very stable. I alot of trophies at car shows,not for speed. Had great brakes. I miss that car.

[@Pappy63]

I bought a new 94 V8 black. I loved this car and miss it today. Long live the MN12

[@traxiii]

Ford has screwed up and stopped making lots of cool cars, not surprising. I loved Thunderbird, and they should have kept making it and a version of the Continental Mark.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I really miss there being a large selection of cars. I am not a fan of SUV's but that is what is popular.

[@Pappy63]

I bought a new 94 V8 black bird. I loved it!

[@diyi75]

I had a 94 Tbird LX V8 in 96. First vehicle I ever financed, while I was in the Army😌

[@jimmypage3183]

I a 1987 Thunderbird with 5.0 in the early 90's. Wish I still had that car.

[@alisasharon1626]

I had a 90 triple black Lx .Had it for 10 years and 230,000 miles. One of the best cars I've ever owned

[@GrandPitoVic]

I had a 91' Lx sport coupes. Black on black with the 5.0 H.O. auto. I loved that car.

[@javierjavier7291]

I love them still have a 90sc a 90 sc manual anniversary a 93 sc and a 97 xr7

[@culcune]

I liked the idea of the Cougar version of these cars. Then again, I leaned towards Mercurys, having owned a '68 Cougar and in '89 bought the love of my life, an '86 Capri GS.