Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Super Coupe. Technically, since this 1990 Ford is a Thunderbird, it is also a bird. The Super Coupe was the badge’s high-performance offering, and this one is a survivor. It presents well and has a genuine 32,900 miles on its odometer. We always appreciate input from our readers, and I must say a big thank you to ever-vigilant Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting the T-Bird. The seller listed it here on Craigslist in Silver Creek, New York. They set their price at $18,500, and it is worth looking closely to see whether the figure is justified.
Ford introduced the Tenth Generation Thunderbird for the 1989 model year with the Super Coupe as its high-performance version. It struck an immediate chord with motoring journalists, with Motor Trend naming it its Car of The Year for 1989. This Super Coupe rolled off the line in 1990, with its original owner ordering it in dazzling Vermillion. Its presentation is tidy for a survivor-grade car, although the seller’s limited photos make it hard to spot any possible paint defects or damage. The paint shines nicely, and the panels are as straight as an arrow. There is no plastic deterioration, and since this Ford has never seen snow, its rust-free status is unsurprising. The glass is crystal clear, and the original 16″ alloy wheels are free from stains and physical damage.
The Tenth Generation Thunderbird retained its place in Ford’s model range as a Personal Luxury Car, and one look at its interior features confirms it deservedly wore that title. This car’s new owner receives Black leather trim, climate-control air conditioning, a power sunroof to admit fresh air for those not wed to A/C, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, power seats, cruise control, a tilt wheel, and a premium AM/FM radio/cassette player. The interior’s overall condition is respectable, but the seller has done the car no favors by not treating it to a basic clean. There is visible wear on the outer edge of the driver’s seat bolster, but this is almost inevitable due to its prominence. A leather specialist could probably address the problem for a few dollars, and a set of slipcovers would be cheap insurance against future wear. Otherwise, there are no visible issues or problems. However, the best news for driving enthusiasts protrudes from the console because the first owner selected the desirable five-speed manual transmission.
Although most of its opposition had switched to front-wheel drive architecture, Ford continued to utilize the traditional rear-wheel drive layout in the Tenth Generation Thunderbird. This car features the 3.8-liter V6 coupled with a five-speed manual transmission. The Super Coupe was the badge’s high-performance model, with its V6 benefiting from internal upgrades, a supercharger, and an intercooler to produce 210hp and 315 ft/lbs of torque. The company quoted an official ¼-mile ET of 15.7 seconds, and some journalists expressed disappointment that this fell short of the 14.8-second ET produced by the turbocharged 1987 Buick Grand National. However, with Ford’s focus on luxury, most considered the time to be respectable. The seller indicates that the T-Bird has hibernated since 2023, but it starts and runs. They also list the odometer reading of 32,900 original miles without mentioning supporting evidence. Whether it is roadworthy is unclear, but a thorough inspection would be wise before attempting long journeys.
This 1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe appears to be a genuine survivor, but the lack of information will undoubtedly hamper the seller. They don’t indicate whether they hold verifying evidence for the odometer reading or whether the car is roadworthy. Is their price justified? If you believe NADA, the answer is a resounding “no” by a long way. Values have dropped during the past year, and there are no signs of a rebound. I performed a brief online search, and while I found a few similar cars currently listed, all were significantly cheaper than this one. However, none featured a similar odometer reading. It will be fascinating to gauge your opinion and to learn whether we have readers who like this Ford enough to pursue it further.
My brother in law traded in his 88 Firebird GTA on a navy blue 90 SC w/5 spd. That T Bird was decades ahead of the TA in build quality, no surprise, but the 5 speed made the Super Coupe loads of fun and felt plenty fast for a 3800 lb car. Ford meant to shadow the BMW 635 with this car, and for the money it was a good attempt, in my opinion. Fun fact. Car&jDriver got their 5 spd up to 146mph, besting their auto SC which topped out at 137
I bought a well documented 1990 Super Coupe Anniversary Edition with 27K miles on it 10 months ago for $10K. Factory car cover, promotional “his and hers” watches, undocumented but plausible movie history. This one has a manual tranny which is a definite plus, but seems over priced to me.
Great touring car. The 5spd is definitely a plus and helps drive the price higher. It may be overpriced, maybe not. Most of these were beat to death and don’t survive in great numbers, at least around here. This most likely won’t stay on the market long if it’s as nice as it looks.
Steve R
Date code on pictures are almost a year ago.
The Auto Club here in the 55 + community has a 25 dollar raffle for a 05′ T-Bird.
I’ve lost out the last 3 years missing on a Mustang, Camaro and a Ranger.
Do the seats look like 33k miles? I’m not sure.
Can a car live 1/4mile from Lake Erie and 30mi south of Buffalo NY and not be affected by snow? Hard to tell without underbody pics.
I love the idea of the turbocoupe and supercoupe and want one (or the other) badly but I’m a little leery of this car at this price.
You would be wise to check further. At 33k miles it’s problems may just be starting. I had a 1990 TBird, standard model, same color which was almost florescent it was so bright. Loved that car, but being in Ohio the rust started soon after I bought it. Had numerous front end suspension parts changed too. But driving it, I felt like a king. Gimme a break I was young.
Nice rides. Raced a few back on the day w my 89LX. Quick cars to be sure.
Everything I’ve read says the LX would take the Bird off the line, but the Bird catches up on the top end. I had a 5.0LX when they were new, and my memory says the Mustang would eat the lunch of my Super Coupe all the way!
I owned one of these, a 35th Anniversary Edition, black 5speed, for a brief moment but I had to sell it off. I needed gravel for my driveway because I was tired of getting stuck in my yard.