Bright Canyon Red is about as eye-catching a color as it gets for Ford’s 1985 Thunderbird line, and this incredible paint is said to be all original and in excellent condition. Once you click on the eBay link and check out the photos, you’ll see for yourselves just how nice this car looks. It’s located in Crossville, Tennessee, and the current bid is just $895, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
I don’t usually cuss on Barn Finds, but jeepers criminy! GOSH, this thing is nice! Ok, enough of that. As an early ninth-generation Thunderbird, this one has old-school headlights; the aero headlights weren’t available until the 1987 models came out. The ninth-gen cars were made from 1982 for the 1983 model year, until the end of 1988. I’ve always thought it was strange that Ford didn’t offer a convertible in the ninth-generation Thunderbird, so I made a quick one. There also wasn’t a four-door sedan, so I made a quick version of that as well.
This doesn’t appear to be a special edition T-Bird, but it sure looks nice. The seller says this car is “like new,” and the paint is original, and it’s also like new. I don’t see a flaw anywhere on this car, inside, outside, or even underneath. This car looks like it just rolled off the velvet turntable in the seller’s living room. Hagerty is at $10,600 for a #2 excellent-condition car, and this example looks that nice to me. What do you think?
The interior photos aren’t as nice as the exterior photos. There is no really good overall photo showing the front interior, which is unusual given how many photos they’ve uploaded and how much of this car is shown. But what we can see, it truly does look new inside. The crazy part is this car has 98,354 miles on it, so it isn’t a super low-mile trailer queen. It just somehow still looks like that, so it had to have been taken care of like a newborn baby. The back seat looks perfect, as expected.
Jeepers criminy! Check out how incredible this engine compartment looks! This is, of course, Ford’s 5.0-liter (302-cu.in.) OHV V8, which had 140 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque rolling through a four-speed automatic to the rear wheels. The seller doesn’t say how it runs and drives, but I’d have to imagine that it works as well as it looks. How much would you pay for this Thunderbird?
This generation of T-Birds featured the aero styling, and it managed to come across as clean and attractive. This example looks great, especially for the mileage. Very well-equipped. I’m assuming it is currently owned by an enthusiast: nicely detailed (check out the clean engine), Marti Report, personalized plates. Lots to like here.
Fun photoshops Scotty, they look quite believable.
Thanks, Bob! This one is at $3,075, and the reserve hasn’t been met yet. I wonder what it is? $6,000?
Closer to 10k, I’d bet. These mid-80’s T-birds have all but disappeared!
That car is awesome. I spent a lot of time in my youth driving Dad’s hand-me-down ’87, so I have a soft spot for these.
Thanks, Aaron! That’s super cool that you had one. It’s been on my master wish list for years.
This is incredibly clean!!! Quite honestly, underneath and under the hood you’d think you were looking at a brand new T Bird in ’85 or perhaps a late model super clean one in ’86 or ’87. I went to high school with a kid who had a red one just like this except he didn’t have these rins. He wanted them, badly, and was looking all over for a used set he could afford but none to be had at the time. Great write up Scotty, and the drop top makes me wonder why Ford didn’t go for it, it looks nice without a top, even the 4 door, it kind of reminds me of the 4 door T Birds from the late 60’s. It still looks great even as a 4 door. I lean towards the earlier “Four Eyed ” ones myself, but like them all. Nice one here this was absolutely someones garage kept from new baby.
Thanks, Dave! Those wheels are the clincher for sure, not that the overall condition doesn’t make it pretty dang desirable. There I go again, swearing… (kidding)
I agree, those wheels look cool.
We had an ’85 that we put close to 200,000 miles on. Oil changes, brakes, and one water pump. And, with the 3.8 V6. A great car, that made Bill Elliot a household name.
“Jeepers”? Ok, Daphne!
(Vintage Scooby Doo for those who don’t get it.)
Ha, I was thinking more of Dennis the Menace, but Shaggy works, too. Zoinks.
Awesome post. Complete with convertible and sedan renderings. It’s posts like this that make Barn Finds awesome.
Thank you, sir, you’re way too kind.
The four door treatment would look more realistic if the back doors were suicide doors like the 70’s.
I prefer convertibles, but I have to say that it makes a handsome four door – great work Scotty!
Great comments, folks! Thanks for the back-slap on the quick convertible and sedan versions, and Richard, I agree about the suicide door version. I made one but didn’t use it for some reason. I like it much better now that you mentioned it, thanks!
I feel like crossing to Crossville , Tennessee for this beauty. The convertible version kind of looks like a Saab, the sedan is just ugly. A personal luxury vehicle should never have four doors. It’s even in the name, personal.
Bidding is up to $3500 as of 1320 EST
And gone off Ebay after I put in a bid. WTH?
Sad, it would have been great if you could have gotten it, John. A lot of times, someone makes the seller an offer they can’t refuse, either that, or they see that it isn’t getting close to what they want for it, and rather than let it go for cheap, they end the listing. We’ll probably never know what happened.
I bought a new 85 black with red interior when I got out of the USAF. 5.0 wasn’t a powerhouse, but smooth and got great gas mileage. I traded a 79 Toyota Supra and it was my first try back with American cars after painful disasters from GM. I loved the car!
That’s a good engine, though I think 85 was the last year for throttle body injection. I had three cars with similar 302 and my current 66 F-100 has the 87+ 302 HO but with a Holley carb. I replaced the water pumps on each car. That’s all. They ran well for miles with only regular oil changes.
Damn that thing is clean! Beautiful looking Thunderbird in amazing condition. Even more amazing to me is that 1985 was 40 friggin years ago now!
The convertible would have been a great seller, the four door,maybe not so much but great ideas!
This was the ninth (9th) generation T-Bird, and the last one to feature a solid rear axle. Notable for a number of firsts, including the first of Ford’s aerodynamically-styled cars, along with the Lincoln Mark VII and the then new Ford Taurus, it was also the first T-Bird to receive a four-cylinder engine, the 2.3L turbocharged four cylinder that also appeared in the SVO Mustang, which was based on the 2.3L Pinto mill.
The next generation, the tenth (10th) generation, the so-called MN-12 platform, got significant upgrades, including an Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) and the “modular” aluminum V8, with either SOHC or DOHC versions, which later became the basis for the Coyote family of V8 engines. The MN-12 platform was also the basis for the Lincoln Mark VIII.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thunderbird
The auction ended with no sale! The high bid was just $500! Really? What a shame! It’s worth more than that, for sure!
P.S. I like both the suicide doors AND the droptop! Two thumbs up!
Robert, the seller pulled the auction, so all bids were erased. That $500 you see is probably what the auction started at. It had built up higher than that before the auction was pulled.
O.K., Thanks. It’s still didn’t get the money it’s worth, though. If I had a place to park it, I’d have bid on it!