When Ford wanted to appeal to customers not looking for a V8 and loads of luxury, it often turned to turbocharging and Euro-centric design tendencies. It’s an interesting approach that shows somewhat limited thinking; it essentially put customers into two boxes, without accounting for people who reside in the middle (which is most of us). If you didn’t want a gussied-up Thunderbird with a V8 and a landau top, you could buy the Turbo Coupe with a 5-speed manual and turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood, like this 1988 model listed here on craigslist and showing under 60,000 original miles.
The Turbo Coupe was designed to attract buyers who might have considered buying a sporting model from the likes of BMW or Audi, cutting down on chrome finishes and wood trim in favor of alloy wheels, fog lamps, and plastic body cladding. One of the key misses, however, is that drivers who would cross-shop with a 3-Series were looking for the tidier proportions and more responsive handling, and the Turbo Coupe was still a fairly large car by two-door standards. The good news is the Turbo Coupe made it possible to find a slick-shifting manual transmission in this big-body coupe, along with adjustable suspension settings that utilized computerized dampers.
The improvements made with the Turbo Coupe were noticed by road test editors, who praised the car’s sharp handling and quick acceleration. Speed was delivered by the familiar 2.3L inline-four that also powered the Mustang SVO of the same era, and the numbers were impressive: 190 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque. The 1988 models added the air-to-air intercooler, which is an important detail when considering which year Turbo Coupe to buy. The automatic transmission saw a reduction on horsepower, and really, if you can wait for one with three pedals versus jumping at the first one you see, it’s worth being patient.
The seller’s car appears to remain in mostly stock condition in one of the more common color combos of silver over blue cloth. The seller includes a lengthy list of mechanical improvements made during his ownership and claims to have receipts to back up the work. The only tweak I don’t love are the ghost flames on the hood, and I’m not sure how easy those are to remove. It also points to the fact you can’t put people in boxes, because while flames are typically reserved for hot rods, the owner of this turbocharged coupe with European influences clearly feels his car can live in both worlds. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip.
Good job Jeff. The Turbo Coupes looked good when new, and I still think they look good today. This appears to be a decent example. Lots of new parts over recent years. Not high mileage. Manual transmission is a plus. Not expensive.
Nice looking cars, comfortable and sensible interiors. 👍
Ford delivered w rwd, manual transmissions, and torquey turbo ↩️ 4pot.
I knew a guy in H.S. who had one a little older than this. ( early 4 eyed Turbo Coupe) I was jealous lol. I lean towards the 4 eyed ones a bit more, but looking at this one now. I like it too. Silver with a blue interior is a nice color combination too.
I like this car but wish you hadn’t mentioned the ghost flames. I can’t unsee them now. That would be the one thing I would change.
The air to air intercooler was part of the Turbo package from the beginning. My 1987 model had the manual transmission and Inter cooler. Traded it in 1989 for a Taurus station wagon. Folks thought I was crazy!
The intercooler (often referred to as an “interheater” due to its location directly above the turbo/exhaust manifold) was added for the 87 model year.
I had a friend that worked for corporate Ford and he got one for a company car. Told me he wanted me to drive it, didn’t say anything else. Holy smokes I could’t believe it and then he told me about the drive train. I thought he was joking until we stopped and lifted the hood, I was in shock!
one of my favorite all time cars from when I was a kid! a friend of mines mom bought one brand new when we were young and kept it in mint condition. When we got to be driving age, she gave that car to him. As I was driving an old F-150 that I pulled out of a guys back yard with a tractor that I got running, I watched my friend beat the living tar out of a beautiful free to him Turbo coupe. Man did I think life was unfair back then! I’d love to have this one in my stable, minus the ghost flames lol.
Nice car , ghost flames not so much. I’ve driven many of these they are very nice cars especially with the 5 speed.
Had one from a dealership for the weekend. Gold, 5sp, don’t remember the color of the interior. It got up and hauled ass, mpg was not great when you stuck your foot in it all the time, but a sweet car.
Rocco poor mpg is the price of admission for a fun day of spirited driving!
Well worth it in my opinion.
Someone please tell me when they went to hydraulic clutch. I know the next body style (1989 on up) used a hydraulic clutch with the Super Coupe. But every Turbo Coupe I have ever seen had a cable clutch with the Mustang. Am I wrong?
The hydraulic clutch was used in the 87 and 88 Turbocoupes. Uses an external slave cylinder on the bellhousing, with a traditional throw out bearing and clutch fork.
Other than the Boy Racer flame job, I’m digging it.
Thanks Jangus!
Evidently I had been playing with older models.