It seems that as time passes and the inevitable thinning of the availability of collectible cars happens, later-model collectibles are catching enthusiasts’ attention. Such is the case with the 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe seen here on craigslist and available in Litchfield County, CT. The price is nowhere near punishing, with the advertised asking number at $15,900 for a car that appears to be in pristine shape, probably because it has spent its life in North Carolina. Rocco B is the sharp-eyed finder of this beauty.
Owning/collecting a car like this makes sense on so many levels. It’s sporty and likely fun to drive with a 5-speed on board. It’s all complete and cared for. It has some factory options which jazz it up, including a two-tone interior, lower body fascias, and a full slide-back sunroof. And assuming you could get it for a thousand or two less than asking, you’d be in a unique and desirable ride for under $15K. How could you ever get hurt at that number? You shouldn’t have to spend much more money to have a lot of fun. How many miles will the engine go? The 55K traversed so far doesn’t seem to put it at a point where you’d have to worry about the wear cycle. Change the oil on a time basis, rather than a miles basis, and you should be good for 100K or more.
You might have forgotten this two-year-only offering, the Turbo Coupe existing in 1987 and 1988 as part of the ninth generation of T-Birds (1983-88), but if you think back to your NASCAR history, you can resurrect memories of Bill Elliott in the number 9 Coors/Melling Thunderbird—the red one—winning the 1988 series championship. Of course, he was running a mighty V8, and not the 2.3-litre turbocharged engine this particular example uses for motivation. Speaking of Elliott, his 1987 version of this car set a never-to-be-equaled record of 212.809 mph in qualifying at Talladega. The series has slowed their cars since then using aero drag and intake restrictions to that nobody goes sailing out of the track to their, and spectators’, peril. Alan Kulwicki also drove a Thunderbird in this era, of course.
1987, 1988, that brings up a point. This car is labelled with each of these years as its year of origin in the craigslist ad. (The rubber rear window trim seems to indicate a 1988, but please, Barn Finds experts, weigh in on this one.) Maybe a technicality, but buyer beware—compare title and paperwork to door tags, cowl tags, and other identifiers. While we’re on the question of accuracy, what would I like the ad to state explicitly? That the paint is original, with no accident damage or other prior repairs. And maybe that the A/C is in working order. After all, summer’s coming, and if I bought this unique piece of recent automotive history, I’d be anxious to get it in gear and drive it.
Super nice car. These Turbo Coupes were well-done. Attractive styling, looks great in silver. I’d prefer no body kit, but if the car is as clean as it appears, it would be fine. Manual transmission is a plus. Not ridiculously expensive.
The NASCAR reference is fitting. Back from when there was at least a hint of the connection to factory cars. An era I don’t think we will see again.
Good job Brian.
These were beautiful cars, the plastic ground effects ruin the cars lines. These have been featured in this site in the past and typically don’t bring what this seeker is asking, that will change one day. Just like the late-1980’s Mustang GT’s with their cladding the interest and prices lag behind the same year 5.0 LX siblings.
Steve R
Nice find in very good condition. Good garage mate for a Taurus SHO. I sent in a tip a few days ago for one these that wasn’t as nice as the subject. Curious to see if anyone writes up the Jeep FC with camper body tip I sent in.
I want to see a Jeep FC camper
If memory serves me, 1987 did not have front cornering lights and 1988 did (why do I remember such things?). Which would make this a 1987 model.
The cornering lights were a part of the luxury light/convenience group, and it was available in both 1987 and 1988 (my ’87 had cornering lights).
Nice TC. Why arent more pics of the body and driver side in the ad. How about some pics of the sunroof and headliner. A pic of the driver side door build tag/sticker would be helpful to confirm options. Hard to tell but this TC looks like it is lightly optioned. No premium sound, no electronic climate control, no power passenger seat. What about keyless entry? The ground effects and wing were not factory options, perhaps a dealer add on. The roof appears to have tracks for the sliding roof which was not factory. Factory used a Webasto tilt n slide. Engine bay looks immaculate though. Serious inquirers should get more details from owner. Overall a nice clean TC with an immaculate engine bay.
I am pretty sure this car has been for sale for a couple of years. Make of that what you will.
I had an 88 manual; I agree with Steve R about the body kit.
Ford had a great 1-2 punch for many years with the Mustang 5.0 and the T-Birds equipped with the turbo or later supercharger. Actually i almost forgot to include the V8 T-Birds also…while automatic only, were still very nice cruisers I bet.
Notice it’s got an Ammeter not a Voltmeter. Weird.
I love that model TBird and the next model. I had base models, not the really cool ones.
The ridiculous spoiler totally wrecks the lines of that car.
It is stupid and useless. Maybe use clothes pins to attach your laundry to the thing then drive around and dry out your socks and underwear?
I honestly cannot believe that any of these little spoilers on just about any car apply enough down force to assist with cornering. I always snicker when I see them … ugly and useless.
I like it. Ground effects don’t “spoil” it all for me.
I had a ’84 Turbo Coupe with the 5 speed and it was a blast to drive. I like the 87 body style better. I gave it to my son when he went to college. We swapped out the turbo 2.3 and 5 speed because he wanted a V8.
I must throw in my 2 cents worth on this one, being that I am the proud owner of a 1987 Turbo Coupe, silver, black int, 5-speed, original paint car. Some red flags for me, I have never heard of a two tone interior, looks like a redo with silver inserts. The sun/moon roof is not original with the runners mounted on the roof. The ground effects and spoiler are not factory options. The only difference in the 87 to the 88, as far as I can remember, is a little horse power or torque increase. One more thing, this has been repainted IMO. A good original paint car (like mine) has a double pinstripe that goes around the trunk lip, down the fenders and doors, ends at the headlights. I would value this car at 8k-9k because of the modifications. It is not highly optioned either. But still fun to drive. GLWTS
I had two of these as company cars, an ’87 and an ’88. Fun to drive, but came at a time when Ford was seduced by four cylinder turbo engines. It would have been so much cooler with a 5.0L V8, if for nothing more than the sound.
I owned a 87. It was dealer special awarded to local dealership that won a trip to Bonderant driving school and the one I owned had Gurney valve covers. Something special. 4 adjustable shocks up front. Leather throughout.