Proud 88 Turbo Coupe owner ! 🙌👹

The T-bird, cougar and Mark 7 were all great cars!

When Ford made cars. The 80s was a resurgence of American made cars. This car looked good compared to the crappy crossovers made today.

Those T-Birds were great looking cars, so were the Cougar version in my opinion. The power came on smooth and strong.

I absolutely love the 83-86 Thunderbird. One of the most beautiful cars to come out of Ford design studios. I thought that the 79-82 was one of the ugliest cars that they had built.

Very nostalgic video for me. My first car was a 1988 Ford Thunderbird LX 5.0. I still remember how comfortable the seats were in that car. The digital dash was also awesome, but sometimes slow in the cold. I do wish I still had that car!

I had an 84 Cougar. Basically the same car just squared off in back. Pretty good car

These Thunderbirds set the standards for what Fords new vision with Quality is #1 in the 80s. These cars, Tauruses, Tempos, Probes, Aerostars, Rangers, Explorers ect. All great vehicles Ford made!

I had an '83 Heritage model. Loved that car

I still like these cars.

I bought an 87 5.0 in 99 with 190000 miles on it. I could put a glass of water on the intake when it was running and it barely made a ripple. Was really a good car! I've only drove trucks since then. But interested in getting another now!

I was reading a car mag in early 83. I saw a two page spread showing a red Tbird. I told my wife we were getting one. We had an 81 Mustang Cobra. The cobra was a cute little car, but no guts. We ordered the Heritage in silver/black, with a 302. I just recently passed it to a nephew. He drives it every day and draws a lot of attention. I had gotten a crate motor from ford and installed a 5 speed. My wife is still pissed at me for that. Still a great looking car, 40 years later.

87’ - 88’ BEAUTIFUL

A great overview! I owned an '86 Midnight Wine/Taupe Thunderbird elan V-8, loaded. It was a great car, very comfortable and reliable.

Bill Elliot's Coors sponsored 1987 Thunderbird is probably my favorite street based race car ever, and looks fast standing still. I would love to buy one and Coyote swap it.

1987-1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupes are the greatest Fords ever created on this planet called Earth.

Only auto centerfold I ever hung was of the 83' T'bird. First new car I ever bought was an 86' Cougar.

The 'face-lift' given the 1987-'88 models foreshadowed the coming '89-'97 all-new models, and made for an easy transition to those from these.

My mom got an 88 Mercury Cougar that had a 5.0 engine. Essentially Mercury version of the T Bird. What a sleeper, wire wheels and white walls but that car could roll with the 5.0 motor. My buddy and I took it to FL from PA to see the 1991 pepsi 400 at Daytona 4th of July Weekend. We drove it on Daytona beach....😊 Those T Birds and Mercury's were wonderful cars!

Owned a '86 Thunderbird Elan v-6. No options. I loved that car! QUIET! But not really quick. Everything work perfectly. No issues whatso ever. It was a nice driver.

It took me awhile to appreciate that body style when it first came out, but now I really like the look...💯💓

I bought a 1986 T.B. new, two-tone paint popular at the time (Burgandy and Toupe). It had the 302 and four speed automatic. Keep it for almost 30yrs. always garaged, when I sold it had over 160K miles. I never had a problem with the drive train. This was best car I ever owned and looked great! thanks for this walk down memory highway for me!

I had an '88 Turbo Coupe. It was Black with black and grey leather interior, dual power seats, premium sound, and the 5 speed. I absolutely loved that car and miss it every day! I have tried like hell to find one like it and I never can.

The production quality and research are obvious. Another great video!

These Thunderbirds Rank as Some of My Family's Favorites Cars that We've Owned. My Mom had a Silver Blue over Gloss Black 84 Elan, with Light Blue Velour Cloth Interior, a 5.0 V-8, and the TRX Wheels & Suspension. Such a Beautiful Car. I owned an 84 5.0 V-8 Fila Edition, Pastel Charcoal over Dark Charcoal, with the White Leather Seats in a Charcoal Grey Interior. Mom traded Her 84 Elan for an 87 Silver Blue Turbo Coupe, with Raven Black & Charcoal Grey Leather interior, and an Automatic, but the car was an Anomaly. It had the Engine Tuned for the 5-Speed Manual. It had supporting documentation that came with the car that Ford had Performance Tested it before Shipping it for Sale. The Result however ended up with Ford having to Rebuild the Transmission 3 times under Warranty, in the 5 Years Mom owned it. I also owned an 87 Turbo Coupe a few years later. Mine was Raven Black, with Crimson Red Leather interior, and a 5-Speed Manual Transmission. That car is still the Most Fun to Drive Car I Ever Owned. Mom eventually traded Her 87 Turbo Coupe for a 90 Silver Blue, with Medium Blue Leather (Sensing a Pattern Here?) Lincoln Mark VII LSC. Several Years later I bought a White with Medium Blue Leather 92 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. IT was Dad that traded Mom's Silver Blue Mark VII for a Triple Black, 92 Mark VII LSC/SE, which She Still Owns today.

Great timing. I’ve been considering one of these as a future project.

Absolutely love this generation of Thunderbird. I would gladly daily a well cared for turbo coupe.

Hi. Dale Jarrett won the first three nascar races the year the slippery bird debuted. Nascar made the Fords run as taller rear spoiler to slow them down. I found a nice red one at the salvage yard. Clean no rust. Engine locked up. Changed engine, and later found a starter Bendix gear jammed between the flywheel and the engine block. The engine itself was fine. I loved that car.

The Aerobird is my favorite Thunderbird. Its smooth aerodynamic design and limited chrome trim make it look sporty and contemporary. 1987 is my favorite year. The Turbo Coupe's exterior, interior, and performance are awesome. Sales numbers between the 1977-1979 and 1983-1988 Thunderbirds show them the be the best-selling generations.

Bill won his first race in '83 at Riverside CA driving a Box bird. I love the '87-'88 Turbo Coupes, with the 5 speed are fun cars. Used 'em as daily drivers for probably five years. In the mid/later '90s were obscenely cheap at the auctions(people afraid of turbo failure, out of approx 15, one failure). Also common for fuel pumps to be weak, so they'd fall on their face at more than approx half boost. Still I'm a die hard V8 guy so I searched out one with minimal options & automatic(no hole in roof, climate control etc), transplanted a Trick Flow headed 5.0, used AOD from a Super Coupe.. At full weight & all orig systems operating, It would run 13.3s all day long, best 13.11. With a little help(75Hp) from Papa Smurf in the trunk, 12.23@ 112. The drag radials I was using could not hold a "big" shot(yeah I tried). With slicks, acquaintance at track ran 11.6 in a similarly built '88 LX. He was my inspiration, told him I was going to swap a 5.0 in to my Turbo Coupe. Yeah I got the sideways un-huh look, surprised him when I showed up with it at track.

Love the T-birds great editing, super well done 👏

A big step forward for American Auto styling.

Nice job Tony 🤘

I really love those 83-86 T-birds! Great job on presenting all this information. I love seeing the old Ford ads too! Have a great one! 💯👊

A friend of my parents had the 5.0 when I was a kid and a guy I went to high school with had a v8 as well and would "neutral slam" it on a regular basis and it just kept going. Was amazing and that's what started my love for the 5.0, at 8 years old, albeit more for the Mustang but I always appreciated these T birds.....I love the old commercials you add and also shows the interest rate at the time which sucks even more than now😂

Good choice for a highlight video. But I still gotta say, Ford's move towards aero styling and design were a product of the Probe concepts and actually were first brought to market on the euro market Ford Sierra in 1982. That aero styling then was implemented on NA and other world product cars after, including the Thunderbird and Tempo in 1983. They all got Ford Probe 3 design features like flush headlights, small- or no-grille header panels, molded bumper covers, etc. Still a very excellent video. Keep up the good work and I'll keep watching.

Have one in the driveway. 87 turbo;)

Owned a 85 Turbo Coupe, black dark gray interior with a 5 speed.. Loved that car!

Thanks for posting this. The first car that I had ever bought new was an ‘83 heritage v8, Metallic red w clear coat. I loved that car. I also had an ‘87 turbo automatic for a while. They were both great cars for the time.

Love all of your history vids. How about doing something on the Super Coupe.

My mom owned an 87 turbo coupe. She sold in 89 and got an SC. Both were bad ass vehicles 👍👍

I had 2 thunderbird's from that generation. An 85 with the 5 liter and a 88 turbo coupe. I loved my old turbo coupe. I wish I still had it today. Great video, sir. It's a nice trip down memory lane.

I had an '87 Turbo Coupe. Loved that car. Amazingly for a Fox chassis, I got 60,000 miles out of the original tires. The alignment must have been set just right at the factory.

Another great video ! Keep them coming Tony . 😎👍

I remember when the 1987 Thunderbird came out I said to myself that those headlights are huge.

Great video. When you touched on Elliot’s high speed lap I remembered the 212mph before you said it LOL. I do remember those turbo coupes well. Sharp looking cars. Had a grocery manager I worked for with an 85 TC. Thought it was a great looking car. Great video Sir. Brings back some memories…especially Awesome Bill from Dawsonville…

I'd love to have an 87-88 for a project car.

In 1984, I re-enlisted in the Navy. An 84, 5.0, AOD was my purchase! 205k and 12 years later it was totaled when some kid went left of center.

In 98 I bought a 86 T- coupe with a bad motor for 500.00. I swapped in a nice 325 hp 351w and a c-4 auto trans. It fit perfectly with shorty headers and a custom length driveshaft. That car was my daily driver for 12 years.

As a kid it was hard not to notice every turbo coupe you saw and thought they were pretty cool. But that’s what you did in the back seat, look out the window and notice everything and every different car you saw. Unlike today, my kids usually have a screen in front of them lol.

I remember seeing my first 1984 T-bird on display in a shopping mall, in Phoenix, Az..... was a little unsure of it, but did trade in my '82 Mustang for an Turbo '84 T-bird! With the 5-speed tranny..I loved that car! Unfortunately, I was t-boned in the side by a car that ran a stop light! End of the T-bird!

It was the best looking T-Bird I've ever seen. The Centerline drag looking rims made that car. Never saw another one like it, but they were factory. They were just like the one's at the strip in early 80s, but had quarter size holes between the rivets and the lugs that went around the entire face of the rim, just like the rivets.

it was exciting when it was new . . . it was a bright spot in the 80s to me . . . especially the turbo coupe. the only second would be the OG Cougar XR7 - 80s version looked real nice in person I recall. I saw them on the dealer lots - sort of a candy apple red with larger gold rims . . .

Fantastic video, Tony! Thanks for posting. 👍

I owned a black '83 Turbo Coupe, a white '86 Turbo Coupe and a bronze '87 Turbo Coupe. All were great cars but the '87 was off the charts! Fast, beautiful and durable. I put over 225K on that 'Bird and it was still running great when some guy rear-ended me!

Hey Tony, I definitely am glad I found this channel. This video and your other videos are very informative and engaging. I'll be sharing this channel with friends

Have a 83 with a 351 in it now great car

Bought a 1987 T-bird off showroom floor ; 302 V8 , on cruise control at 66-67 MPH back in the dsy it would get 29 miles-per-gallon in the Midwest flatland .Loved that car , drove it 10 years

Got my 83 Heritage 5.0 in the garage. Love the car!

The 1977-1979 Thunderbirds will always be my favorite.

I had a silver one 1988. I loved it automatic.

Still a good-looking car.

My first car, was an 84 T-Bird I bought for 1200 bucks in 97. After that I owned an 88 and a 90. I loved them all. Been trying to find an 84-86 model to rebuild. Sad they went out of production but at least for didn't make a version like the econobox cougars that were around for a while lol.

Loved my fox Tbirds and Cougars.

This shape also dominated NASCAR . Remember when they all had the same shape , it was based on the thunderbird

I want to see a tour of your Ford collection.

I built the Monogram 1/24 87 T Bird Turbo Coupe a year and a half back...

Far better looking car than its successor...

that mustang!!! 🖤🤍 but yes, this thunderbird was very handsome

Thank you

I test drove a 86 Turbo Coupe. It was a pretty quick car for the time.

I really miss my turbo coupe

Thats when cars were a love affair and not some jelly bean

Those were the final great days of NASCAR, before restrictor plates, and when stock cars were still loosely stock. You couldn't take the name of a four door, front-wheel-drive, 6 cylinder car, take the roof and rear window, and then turn it into a V8, rear wheel drive two door car and race it as a "stock car." In the 80's makers, mechanics, and drivers were pushing the limits to beat the competition, and going 212 mph was the result. I remember watching Bill Elliot suffer a mechanical problem, run back out on the track after losing a lap, then lapping the entire field without a yellow flag, and come home to win the race. That can't happen today.

Wish I could post my picture I saw at TBird today in the comments. That’s why I looked for a video like this. Man wish I had one looks so cool on the insid e

I had an 86 T-Bird with the V6 I actually loved the car although I would have preferred the V8. It did not resemble previous Birds but it was a decent looking car and I liked it. Later I did buy a 94 with the V8 it was an awesome car and at the time was one of the few rear wheel drive V8s available.

The Fila edition also came with a Fila towel and Fila headband as well.

First drove a turbo coupe which blew the doors off my bosses 350 Chevy Caprice V8 as I shifted through the manual transmission squealing the tires.

My first car was a 1988 Ford Thunderbird with the 5.0 engine with a full equalizer everything was power

I think I still have the sales brochure and a lot of the the stuff from the dealer in my magazines have to check

It was a more appealing replacement for squares and rectangles on wheels

Good vid I own a base 85 thunderbird (for sale)

The 1982 Ford Sierra was the first Ford with 1980s, wind tunnel developed, aero-styling.

first place winner bracket racing stock v6 - 1985 blue - dont ask how but it won at 18;34 quarter mile -

In 2004 I bought an 84 T-Bird 302 w/40k miles for $550 and drove it off the lot. It had minor quirks but I loved that car. It's the make/model I'm searching for again. If I had any idea...

My 2nd car was 87 thunder bird turbo coupe = and my mother was a very classy woman in the 80s and she ordered 88 mercury cougar with black carriage top and spoked rim hubcaps = and it was beautiful = she had that car till end of life =OH WITH V8 of course= CAYMEN RED METALLIC ❤

Love the turbo coupe. Would enjoy a comparison to the Super Coupe

my Ex had the one at 5:35 (87 model, in Red color though) wasn't that bad of a car. had a JBL sound system too. she kept it till 89, then traded it for a 89 Turbo TA. anyway, friend of hers had the same car and was having all kinds of electrical issues, but ours never had any problems. and it was a Ford of all things! lolz first and only Ford we ever had though ☮

Oh... and BTW, Interesting Fact, that Bright Red 88 Turbo Coupe that's the Banner for this Video, is actually a Rare, Limited Edition, 88 Turbo Coupe/Mach-1. In 1988 Ford Needed to Use the Legendary, Mustang's Mach-1 Name to prevent Loosing the Copyright to use it. Since the Turbo Coupe was Ford's Halo Performance Model they decided to Use the Mach-1 Moniker on Specially Painted, Bright Red (Non Metallic), or Platinum Silver (A New Color to be Introduced on the All New 89 Thunderbirds) These Colors were Not Available on Any Other 88 Thunderbirds. The Cars also featured Black Mach-1 Decals that were shipped with the Cars for Dealers to install on the Front Fenders, behind the wheels, and also on the Decklid. My Mom actually had a Red Mach-1 Turbo Coupe briefly, but She sold it to a Kid down the Street, who still Owns it today.

We had one 1989 in Texas al paso lx coup

My boss originally bought me an 84 turbo coupe and I kept it for about a year and then I saw the the 87 model of the car of the year so when I move to a different state my boss I needed a newer company car and my boss and I went down and they had a silver 88 turbo coupe with a manual that thing was loaded and he paid for it with a credit card I couldn't believe it but I ended up turning the boost up on it and I got a lot more power right I think I don't even when I went up like 6 psi it made a big difference because it was easier with the ratios on the the 5-speed manual because a lot of times if you downshifted you be at the red line so with having more boost I didn't have to downshift all the time

I have an 84 Bird with 15,000 miles. 5.0 loaded.

I remember having a 1988 cougar LX it was like a mustang in a tuxedo it was fully optioned plus the 5.0 litre v8 I regret selling it had about 50k miles at the time

The 86 looks better than the 87 because it used the old style 4 headlight setup. A friend had one with factory Centerline or American Racing rims with the rivets and small holes. Drag racing rims. I can't find a pic of one anywhere.

If I remember right the 87 and 88 turbo coupes 5 speeds came with dual exhausts and automatics were single.

It was black with red pinstripe and red interior.

❤

Davey Allison - 1987 Rookie of the Year - Ford Thunderbird - Robert Yates Horsepower.

Definitely aftermarket sourced.

Plastic is fantastic