Despite my thinking that this Fila edition Ford Thunderbird had to be one of the most obscure special editions out there, there have been a few examples that have popped up in recent years in surprisingly intact condition. Russ Dixon even wrote about a Fila edition runner on these very pages back in 2021, and one or two have appeared for sale at various auction sites. Today, we have yet another Fila edition T-Bird survivor listed here on eBay for the measly price of $2,900 or best offer. There’s something delightfully charming about this oddball partnership between Ford and a clothing brand, and it’s oh-so-80s white-on-white paint scheme.
As a brand, Fila has made some big moves over the years. When I was in high school, the company signed Grant Hill – at the time, a big deal of a professional basketball player – on as a spokesperson, and built an entire shoe line around him. As a kid who was convinced he was going to play in the NBA someday, those shoes were essential to both my jumping and shooting ability (spoiler alert: neither skill set improved significantly by wearing these shoes), but I would have gotten more enjoyment out of my investment in Fila products had I purchased a T-Bird like this instead. According to Russ, this partnership was sparked in part by an affiliation with tennis star Bjorn Borg, which makes sense given Fila was always more of a tennis brand than any other sport back in the 80s.
While it seems odd today, this brand partnership actually kick-started a variety of relationships between Ford and upscale clothing manufacturers. Bill Blass, Eddie Bauer, and others would follow in the coming years, showing that consumers didn’t object to their favorite clothing manufacturers being used to hawk automobiles. The Fila influence included color-matched white wheels, red and blue pinstriping, and a Fila duffle bag. The bag is long gone and I suspect very few cars retained their Fila gym bag after the car traded hands for the first time. The interior of this Thunderbird is in fair shape, but it needs some work; the gallery photos show the headliner is sagging down and there’s just general wear-and-tear to address.
Now, the big news here is that this rare Fila edition comes with the optional 5.0L V8 under the hood. Many of these seemingly came with the base six-cylinder engine, which makes sense: if a dealer could add a premium to a car with the smaller engine via a special edition package, why wouldn’t they? This is a phenomenon we see continue to this day, particularly among the “hairdresser” subset of the market that is largely made up of base model Camaros and Mustangs. Supposedly, the seller is working with the family of the original owner of this car to find it a new home, so the next caretaker will be owner number 2 of this rare Fila-equipped Thunderbird – and it’s going cheaply with a list price of $2,900 or best offer.
Goofy and forgettable. T birds intel ya
The Mercury Marquis deSade edition was another nice pkg from the good folks at Ford
Don’t forget the 77? T BIRD With fake leather straps ⛓ on trunk lid! Was frequently referred to as BONDAGE Bird. Like or not, this was a time when buyers had many choices. Today???
Right on again, Rick W. Yesterday I was talking to my wife about the “diversity” that we once had in the auto industry, particularly in the ’50’s and ’60’s. I had a ’65 Corvair Corsa, and my cousin had a ’65 Sport Fury convertible. Two domestically produced vehicles that couldn’t have been more different. Now? Grey/white blobs from world-wide manufacturers are the “choices” and very little else, and they offer little significant differences. No wonder people buy vintage cars for daily drivers.
Thanks John, 👍. In a post for 57 Dodge, I recall the two and tri tone combinations of 50s automobiles and even trucks. Like SO much in today’s world, DIVERSITY is given lip service at best. In the auto industry, it no longer exists. 😒
Back in the day, we called these “beaters.”
I worked with a guy at one time who drove one of these beaters. I thought I was being helpful by pointing out that he was missing one of the four lug nuts on one of the wheels. a year later it still had three lug nuts on that wheel.
Lol, thats wild. 😲
I worked with a guy that had one of these in the 90’s but it was a 3.8l. I was really clueless about designer brands back then I had to ask what fila was.
A lot of rust to take care of. Agree with the previous comment would qualify as a beater.
IMO, this entire generation had lost the THUNDER of the Bird, looking like a plucked chicken 🐔 and becoming a DEAD duck 😳
Million Dollar Bill put the Thunder back in to this body style!
And Bob Glidden, in his Thunderbird Pro Stock in the NHRA.
I think the styling of these downsized, Fox-based Thunderbirds was nicely done, and has held up well. Like Guardstang said, I had no idea what Fila was. This example is pretty well used up.
Kick-started? Hardly! Ford (through Lincoln) had done designer editions in the 1970’s with Cartier, Givenchy, Pucci and even Bill Blass. Right around that time they started their long association with Eddie Bauer. Given production lead times that was surely in development a couple of years before. Those other versions had much more extensive special details beside some color key wheels and pinstripes. They often had special colors or special paint treatments, special interiors and “custom” options such as the Cartier clocks.
They only made these Fila’s in 1984 (V6, and V8’s) and 1985 (V8’s only). The 1984’s are worth almost $3,000 more in #1 condition at $9,700 for the V8, and $9,300 for the V6. (Pricing is from 2014).
One of my favorite pastimes use to be dripping through junk yards just checking stuff out and I snagged one of the Fila emblems off of one of these.
Carry on with your day.