Nails were used in its Construction
The last of this generation, the ’76, managed a slight recovery — to near 53,000 — mainly because the economy had mostly recovered from the 1973-74 gas crisis. The Thunderbird met this requirement with bigger bumpers that only aggravated its weight problem. Relatively few changes attended the heavyweight sixth-generation T-Bird. Federal bumper standards took effect for 1973, which meant withstanding a five-mph frontal impact (and a five-mph rear shunt for ’74s) without damage to safety-related components. Yet if these figures were disheartening to Ford, the Thunderbird at least maintained a solid lead over its Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado rivals.
There was only one powertrain, with a 3.9-liter/240-cid twincam V-8 sending 292 bhp through a five-speed automatic transmission. Brakes were four-wheel discs with antilock control nestled within 17-inch alloy wheels. For full-on nostalgia, an extra $600-$800 put body-color accents on the seats, center console, door panels, lower dash, even the standard tilt/telescope steering wheel. The dashboard was another Lincoln lift, though customized for the T-Bird with turquoise gauge needles. Both came from the LS, as did the basic all-independent coil-spring suspension with twin A-arms at each end, plus rear toe-control links.
Included were 2536 limited-edition hardtops with gold-color roofs and other special touches. Hardtops as a whole, outsold convertibles nearly 8-to-1, suggesting that T-Bird buyers wanted luxury first and sportiness second. There was again just one engine: Ford Division’s new 390 V-8, a stroked 352 but delivering the same 300 horsepower. A new third-generation Thunderbird bowed for 1961 on an unchanged wheelbase and would see mostly minor alterations through 1963. Distinctive styling was highlighted by severely pointed front profiles, modest “blade” tailfins, big circular taillamps (a sometimes Ford hallmark), and outward-curving bodysides bereft of sheetmetal sculpturing.
The startlingly different and handsome 1983 T-Bird arrived in base and upmarket Heritage models with a choice of Ford’s aluminum-head 232-cid “Essex” V-6 or an equally new 140-bhp, 302-cid V-8 with single-point fuel injection. A standard handling package, optional for other ’83s, brought high-rate springs and shocks; a second pair of rear shocks, horizontally mounted to resist axle patter (Ford termed this “Quadra-Trac”); “Traction-Lok” limited-slip differential; and beefy performance radials on handsome aluminum wheels. As the name implied, it carried a reengineered 142-bhp version of Mustang’s 2.3-liter turbo-four from recent Mustangs, now with port fuel injection among numerous improvements. But the real surprise came at mid-model year with the Turbo Coupe, the sportiest Thunderbird in 20 years. Initially, it linked exclusively to a five-speed overdrive manual gearbox.
Acceleration wasn’t lacking either, with most testers timing 0-60 mph in a brisk 7.0 seconds or so. Besides those already mentioned, the no-cost features list showed leather-covered power seats, in-dash CD changer, dual-zone automatic climate control, tachometer, and remote keyless-entry door locks with antitheft alarm. The reborn T-Bird came two ways: a Deluxe model initially pegged at $34,965 and a Premium version with standard traction control and chrome wheels for $1000 more. Of course, buyers expected a load of equipment at such prices, and Ford didn’t disappoint.
Higher prices undoubtedly played a part: some $15,000 for the base 1990 model, over $20,000 for the Super Coupe. Still, those production numbers were respectable given a worsening economy and a far more crowded luxury-performance field. The deep new national recession that began in 1990 didn’t help. T-Bird volume became even less respectable for ’91, then sank to just under 78,000 for model-year ’92 before turning up again along with the economy.
