When Ford morphed the Thunderbird from a two-seater into a full-figured four-seat coupe in 1958, it arguably created the “personal luxury coupe” category. That market segment’s heyday would come in the 1970s, so many of us today associate the personal luxury label with padded vinyl tops, opera windows, and massively inefficient use of space. This is perhaps a bit unfair to the Thunderbird; as time marched on away from the ’70s, so too did the T-Bird, and in its ultimate final form, the 1989-1995 Super Coupe, the original personal luxury coupe was a pretty legitimate high-performance, high-style machine. Sadly for this 1991 Super Coupe, time has also marched on since the ’90s, and it’s fallen a ways from its original splendor. Just $1,100 could make it yours, however, if you’d like to mend its broken wings; find it here on craigslist in Alameda, California.
At the heart of the Super Coupe was another SC, a supercharger. Bolted to Ford’s 3.8-liter V6, it boosted power from 145 hp to 210. The SC was also the only Thunderbird of this generation available with a manual transmission, a Mazda-sourced five speed, although this example is equipped with Ford’s AOD four-speed automatic. We’re told that this ‘Bird “does run but needs work,” and it’s been off the road since 2010.
This nasty bump in the front fender is the only major blemish we’re shown. Otherwise, the Thunderbird’s smooth flanks appear dirty but unmarred. The ’89 Thunderbird, engineered under the code name MN12, was targeted at the BMW 6-series coupe—also a clear stylistic inspiration—and was impressive not only for retaining rear-wheel drive when the rest of the American auto industry was moving in the opposite direction, but also for its sophisticated four-wheel independent suspension and slick aerodynamics. Unfortunately, it also came in over its weight and price targets, and wasn’t designed to accommodate a V8. The 1991 model year saw the addition of an optional 5.0-liter V8, modified (and detuned in the process) to fit, but the SC still offered greater power, torque, and acceleration figures—figures that were, in fact, distinctly on par with those of the bogey BMW 635CSi, a car that had sold for more than twice the T-Bird’s price when it was last sold in 1989.
The Thunderbird couldn’t compete with the BMW in interior opulence, of course, but it was roomy enough to comfortably fit four real adults. This one shows a hole in the driver’s seat bolster fabric but otherwise seems clean and intact. The ’90s motorized seatbelts are present and accounted for, a sign that this car predates the addition of airbags in 1994.
I wish we knew more about why this Thunderbird has been off the road for so long, and what it needs to be brought back to health. Head gaskets were a sometime weak point on the 3.8-liter V6, so that’s one possibility. Still, the SC was an impressive update on the personal luxury formula in its day, and they can be easily modified to produce power figures that would still look impressive today. At a bargain price for a low-mileage, rust-free base car, I hope someone sees the potential in this project car!
Jason at jalopnik has opposing view 😭
https://jalopnik.com/meh-car-monday-the-tenth-generation-ford-thunderbird-h-1828316097#od3gm749obs8l84juk3z7ij8.286llrpyoge9b
Yeah, I can usually get on his wavelength, but I think he missed some crucial context in taking down the T-Bird. He also completely overlooked the SC, not to mention the aero-styled Turbo Coupes that preceded it in the ’80s, all of which were a valiant, if only semi-successful, effort to give the Thunderbird a new image.
Dude is clueless. The 3.8 na wasn’t much I will agree. The 5.0L & 3.8 SC were a lot of fun. I know this since I owned 3 of said cars with all three drivetrains. My gold 93 had a free flowing exhaust, 3.55 gears in the IRS, and a GT-40 intake with a domed hood. I busted quite a few in the red light Gran Prix….including a 383 4 speed General Lee clone.
Awesome Bill from Dawsonville set record’s in the T Bird. 1992 The Thunder Bird completely dominated the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt went crying to oldman France for help keeping up with the Fords. T Birds ruled NASCAR for a time.
I remember that. I always liked that body style second only to the 55/56.
Ford= FIRST ON RACE DAY!!!
No mention of the wonderful brake system on those. Yes, they went after the BMW and used the same power boost system that failed on me so many times I gave the car away. Handling was impressive and the torque when the upgraded sc went into action. Just hope you stopped.
I took my 89 sc on Watkins Glen. Burned through a set of brake pads and several tanks of racing fuel, 140 mph into the bus stop little wonder. Never had a booster let alone any other problems with that T Bird. The fastest car that day was an Acura NSX.
I had an ’89 SC when it was 10 years old. Very nice car. The V6 had a surprising amount of power with the supercharger on top of it. It has several computers that control everything from the engine to the electronic shocks. While I had mine the right front shock went bad. A new one was nearly $700.00. I found a good used one for $300.00.
Inside
one more
Very nice!
Completely random but, I think I might’ve worked in this car or at least the place I used to work at did.
I’ve worked on one, they seem to really foul up plugs
This one is probably too far gone since enthusiasts for these cars seem to be few and far between these days. I never got a chance to drive one although I wanted to (I really liked the 87-88 Turbo Coupes too). I used to see plenty of these in the pick a part yards and I always wanted to grab one of the superchargers for ‘wall art’ to go along with the SHO intake that decorates the shop wall.
When I joined Ford’s engineering department in 1990, people were still smarting over the dressing-down the T-bird development team got for missing the weight and cost targets over a year earlier. As I understand it (it pre-dated my employment, but people still talked about it), the team was gathered together and expected to celebrate the car’s critical acclaim. Instead, they were chastised.
Personally, though I can see the BMW influence in the greenhouse, the relatively flat front end and bodysides make this generation less desirable than the prior Turbo Coupes.
I used to replace auto glass for many years and I have worked on many of this generation Thunderbird and its Cougar cousin. IMO they were tinny and put together rather cheap. The 1983 to 88 generation were much better built and a major improvement over the Fairmont based generation it succeeded.
I know 2 guys who both owned automotive repair shops that had well over 200k on their SC. they were robust vehicles. My old boss still has his anniversary edition one of these black,silver, leather, etc last I seen the car only had 700-800 miles on it never spent a night or even a day outside. I wonder what the market for that car is, if any. The four eyed turbo coupes always appealed to me more.
They sell for so cheap in good condition, why would anybody take this on other than to put the engine in something else?
That said, if I find a nice 5 speed, I will buy it but it has to be cheap.
The consistently low prices on these begs the question, of why their owners feel they are of little value. From a collectable standpoint, I’d look for the more scarce Mercury Cougar version.
I don’t believe the Cougar was ever available with a 5 speed.
1989-90 Mercury Cougar XR7 models shared the same engine as the SC and were available with the 5-speed, but it’s fairly rare. From 1991 onwards, the XR7 dropped the Super Coupe drivetrain and went to the 5.0 with automatic.
The 86 Turbo Coupe was a rennisance for thenT-Bird. Black with maroon interior? Awesome car. The 87 redesign was spot on. These cars were awesome in their time period. Then the Supercoupe? Awesome car. Future collectible