This 1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe is a looker with its lipstick red paint over a camel-colored interior. This one is a bit of a sleeper with the 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. To me, this is an awesome 80s performance rig that looks like your Aunt Lilian’s hairdresser’s car, which should make for some stoplight surprises every now and again. What makes this Thunderbird even cooler is a host of upgrades under the hood that are thoroughly masked by its otherwise stock appearance. Find the Ford here on eBay with one bid to $5,000 and the reserve unmet.
The Thunderbird and many other Ford products shared this turbocharged powerplant, from the Mustang SVO to the forgotten Merkur. You could have even found it in a real-deal pace car back in the day. While die-hard Ford enthusiasts will yearn for a V8 under the hood, 80s-era enthusiasts understand that while this powerplant didn’t have the bombastic soundtrack of a 5.0 car, it was surprisingly quick – especially when outfitted with some choice upgrades like this car is. The body appears to be in excellent condition and it looks bone-stock, right down to the OEM wheels.
The interior features those awesome factory bucket seats with deep bolsters and lots of support for when the road turns twisty. Now, I don’t think this is the car to buy if you’re looking for a fierce handling machine – go with the SVO or the Merkur for that – but it is a terrific boulevard cruiser. The dash looks a little tired with some cosmetic flaws evident and the steering wheel wrap is downright ugly. The T5 manual transmission is the one you want to find in a car like this, as it will make that turbocharged engine feel far more responsive than if saddled with an automatic. Interestingly, the seller confirms via the Marti Report that this is one of seven cars in this color and equipped with a power options delete package – note the crank windows and manual locks.
So, let’s think about this: if you’re a performance car enthusiast in the 1980s and want to own a Thunderbird, you would most likely order this car exactly as this one is equipped, with manual controls all around and a 5-speed. The Thunderbird has been further upgraded with a Gnari intercooler kit and full Stinger 3″ exhaust, among several other enhancements that the seller claims are too numerous to list. This is an unusual opportunity to get into not only a survivor-grade Thunderbird but one that has been cleanly modified into a big-body two-door that is likely much quicker than when it left the factory. I’d rock it in a heartbeat.
I think Jeff’s analysis is spot-on. This is a cool car from a sleeper-from-the-80’s viewpoint. Maintaining the stock look preserves the attractive styling of this generation of T-Bird. It isn’t without its flaws, but that makes it more palatable as a driver/cruiser, for not too much money.
Delete pwr pkg, but still looks like good seats 💺
I’m a bigger fan of the 87-88 Turbo Birds, but I like these earlier ones too. Ditch the steering wheel wrap and drive this sucker.
i have an 88 with 7k original miles
I have been guilty of throwing stones at SVO’s (35 years ago & unwise) but I do understand what has been done to this car & totally agree on all points & it’s a crusier with punch, affordable & nice looking sleeper. In my defense turbos back in the day lacked proper oiling & bit the dust with regularity( I knew a couple guys ) So as long as that snail ( don’t start i love turbo diesels) has been fixed it is great looking car & now days the snail means 🐌 fast ! I still love me a 5.0
I had the 87/88 TC, the turbos as well as the SVT’s were water cooled. Something the Grand Nationals needed, they smoked turbos like clockwork. My 87 TC had 250k on the stock turbo.
I don’t think many hairdresser’s could afford a Turbo-Coupe back in the day.
Unless they maybe owned a few hairdressing shops.
A regular hairdresser would be scuffling around in a used Pinto or something of that order. No offense to hairdressers !
Aunt Lilian’s hairdresser would have been the epitome of cool in 1984 if she had the means to tool around in this 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. I think the author is applying today’s criteria to yesterday’s car. Nobody conservative would have been driving a 1984 Thunderbird. This was as avant-garde as it got back then.
Oh, we picked on that poor old Pinto motor,,in a lowly Pinto, although, I did know some that raced them with great results, well, who’s stupid now, eh? The most unlikely of motors, turns this car into a respectable ride. I say put this motor in an old Lincoln. This car originally did the 1/4 in 16.8@ 81 mph. Upgrades, perhaps a tick better. Not a top fuel dragster, but where it really shined was 0-60, under 9 seconds, a much more plausible figure for the street. Where this also was attractive, one could get high 20s for mileage. I never cared for the Fox platform anything, but the motor, despite all the jokes, finally had its day.
You ?
A five speed anything beats the alternative, and this one looks good too.
This one is kinda gnarly, but it’s far beyond the name on the turbocharger.
The nose panel is busted clean through by the grille. Rust is poking through the wavy left rear quarter panel. Up high. The cheap add-on flip-up sunroof is a mess. And a Marti report ain’t worth much when it’s applied to a car that’s been so extensively, maybe questionably, modified.
There are enough warning signs here to pass on this one and wait for a more original first-gen Turbo Coupe in better condition. I really like these cars, but this is not the hot rod you should be looking for. Hard pass.
The sunroof is original factory equipment, as is the turbocharger. It’s a Gnari intercooler; neither it nor the Stinger exhaust is an “extensive” modification. There’s *one* pucker on the LH rear, clearly shown, from something inside the trunk hitting it hard. Other than that there’s plenty of evidence this is a clean, solid car which includes a replacement header panel & grille. It’s not exactly the junkyard refugee you dismiss it as.
Aunt Lillian’ hairdressers car? The author must be a young ‘un. When the Aerobirds came out, they looked like nothing else on the road. And immediately started racking up wins on NASCAR speedways. Her hairdresser no doubt was driving some tin can Asian car, like a Corolla. Boring and cheap.
2.3’s were good little engines.I remember working on one of these a customer had way back when. Another had the svo mustang which was cool too. My fave was the Mk.5 with the 5.0 H.O.Had to put a heater core in one though …that sucked.
Had the same color combination but mine was a 85 updated wheels and interior. I even put that same intercooler setup on mine. Very nice car!!!
To add. I think this one is overpriced, seems like it should be absolutely perfect for 10k. Probably will be stuck in re-list-ville.
Love the looks of the 80’s Aero Birds. Just picturing Bill Elliott smoking everyone on the high speed tracks.. still makes me smile.
Or Bob Glidden in Pro Stock
Turbo Coupe with four lug nuts. Nope.
Swap hubs. At least the owner didn’t put some hokey fart tube exhaust on his Tbird like I hear on about 2/3 of 370Z’s these days.
That is because most of those Z owners are 20 years old and trying to have a sports car. Regardless, fart tube exhausts can be annoying on any car John H, including yours.
Dissing Z cars and their owners speaks volumes about you.
As mentioned above.
Very Nice Car!!
Luxo delete package with 5 speed backing the intercooled turbo … !
What’s not to love right there.
And yes, images of Bill Elliot doing his thing, back when that racing series was still worth watching, flood my mind when I see this car. Granted he was running a cleveland header 351w derivative …
those 2.3 turbo you could adjust those turbo to give you more boost and the options for those cars are those from the lincoln line of cool options