Normally, I’m against any amount of modifications to an otherwise stock, time-capsule car. The seller describes this 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe as a time-capsule example, found after it was retired to basement storage in 2013. He did add the aftermarket wheels seen here which would normally catch my ire, but dang if they don’t look quite good. The whole car is oozing with appeal, which you’ll find here on craigslist with an $8,500 OBO asking price.
This generation of Thunderbird remains my favorite from an aesthetics standpoint, and I really dig the silver / red / black color combination seen here. The seller added Ford lowering springs in addition to the aftermarket wheels, which reveals just how nicely these cars respond to a mild suspension kit. The body appears to be in excellent cosmetic condition, with the black trim still showing good luster and no apparent fading of the red pinstriping.
Inside, door panels and cloth seats are well preserved, although the floor mats look out of place. The thickly bolstered bucket seats are geared more for comfort than speed, but that’s OK – especially with the automatic transmission, this Thunderbird is best used as a comfortable cruiser rather than a backroads carver. That doesn’t mean it fails to offer some level of driving excitement, however, as the turbocharged two doors got a variant of the motor used in the Ford Mustang SVO.
The engine bay looks spotless, and I’d love to know more about this car’s maintenance history as the cosmetic condition speaks to being a vehicle that was well-loved. The seller notes it retains 90% of its original paint and he recently installed new pads and rotors. While I think the price is a touch high at the moment, this is still a lot of car for the money that can be used right now.
Nice car. I always liked the styling of this generation of T’bird, but have never been a big fan of coupes from a practical standpoint. One of my college roommates drove a similar vintage Cougar, and it was a comfortable cruiser.
You had me until the automatic…40 horses less, not nearly as much fun to drive…that being said, very nice ‘bird…
I said the same thing when searching for a used Xr4Ti with same engine as this. Lots of automatics until I found a manual.
15 horses less, not 50.
They had 190 HP with the 5 speed and 175 HP with the automatic.
Nope 155 auto.
Had same car except for the automatic, blast to drive. The faster it goes the better it felt. kinda hunkered down at a buck 30. You could burn up the interstate at extremely high speed or get 30+ miles per gallon. One of the best driving machines FoMoCo ever built. imho.
These will always have a soft spot in my heart. My first car was an X-R7. The turbo is not my thing though. Gotta be the 5.0 all day
Agreed. A coworker had one of these with a stick shift, purchased new. I thought the coarse nature of the engine was quite out of keeping with what was otherwise a personal luxury car on American-floaty suspension. I thought my base-model Sable wagon was a nicer overall package, as the ‘Bird came up short as either a luxury car or a performance car. It sure looked nice, though, and I thought a V8 would make it feel cohesive, if not exactly sporty.
The Turbo Coupe definately did not have ‘floaty suspension’ especially the 87/88 with Tokiko cockpit adjustable or computer adjustable shocks. Ford did a remarkable job of making this engine perform smoothly in these cars. On it’s own the 4 was a shaker, but it was completely damped out in these cars. I had several and still have an ’86 and ’88 Turbo coupe along with Jaguar, Mercedes, Nissan, etc.
Normally I don’t care that aftermarket wheels have been installed, this car is an exception. The original wheels were one of the best from that era, the current wheels are a cheap cast version of the Weld Dragstars, which were forged. The swap would be justified if the car had been converted to better brakes with 5 lugs, but it wasn’t. Luckily the seller says the original wheels come with the car, but what condition are they in, it will also be a hassle to sell what currently on this car. The automatic is a problem too, some people might prefer it, but this car will not be a daily driver seeing much stop and go driving, therefore a stick shift would be more desirable. It’s a nice car, which isn’t seen often, I don’t know if the asking price is fair, but I’d hold out for a 5 speed if I were in the market for one of these.
Steve R
If you believe him that he has them…
“I do still have the stock 16in wheels in great shape! “
I’ve always liked the styling on these, including the earlier 83-86 four-eye versions. I think the styling has aged well, the cars still look good today. This is a clean example. I prefer the stock wheels and a five-speed, but I’d be proud to own this car. If it is as nice as the pictures portray, I don’t think the price is far off.
Despite the decline in the popularity of 2 door coupe, if the likes the this generation T-Bird and the Honda Prelude were re-introduced, there would be small but profitable niche market for them.
The wheels are similar to those on Bob Glidden’s NHRA Pro Stock Thunderbirds from the late 1980s. Don’t mind them at all.
I guess the T-bird could be considered a classic time capsule in some circles but certainly none of mine. Personally I could care less what engine options it has. When my 86 wore out I threw it away.
these, just like the fox-bodied stang have been coming in/R just doing so. The SVO motor is more desirable (bigger than the stang) but grab one either way. The (world class) T5 swap should B done if auto. Still new enuff to not have to do a great deal of restoration. Avoid over customizing (lower, wheel change, body kit) unless wanting to keep it.
I had a ’83 and a ’88. First and last. No charge air cooler on the ’83 but it was still fun to drive. The ’88 was a real hoot with the T-5, and I loved the adjustable ride shocks at the press of a button. Very cool. I also learned quickly that they don’t do well in snow, partially I believe for the turbo, plus I couldn’t get chains that would fit due to wheel clearance. I would still rate them a 9 overall.
Had the same, but in a 5 speed…great car and great road manners. A smooth, gentlemanly push into the seat under hard throttle and full boost. I truly miss that car and the whistle of the turbo spooling up.
I very much like this generation of the T-Bird, but prefer the 5.0 liter V-8. A friend of mine had one a few years ago that he put a 5.0 crate motor in it, I don’t know what the hp. rating was, but it was FAST! Unfortunately it came in contact with one of our four hoofed friends and was a total loss.
I dreamed of owning one of these when they first came out, but on Army E-4 pay at the time I couldn’t even think of putting one of these in the barracks parking lot.I still think these are some sharp Birds and I wouldn’t mind owning this one.
Seeing this makes me miss my 88 Turbo Bird. Black on black loaded with the 5 spd. Loved that car.