This 1986 Ford Thunderbird is one of the Vehicles that Killed the Traditional American Car
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- 00:00 Start
00:04 Night Drive
00:22 Startup and headlamps
00:51 Startup and Taillights
01:07 Startup with instrument cluster
01:26 Rabbit acting suspiciously
01:59 Intro - weather, animals
03:37 Start of actual review - Thunderbird history
07:36 Start of actual review of this car - overview
10:55 History of 1986
11:40 Close call with birds
13:55 Beginning of review of this actual car
19:20 The trunk
20:28 Under the hood
24:09 Interior
31:16 Testing the cassette player
32:08 Start of test drive
34:45 Highway drive
The 1983-1988 Thunderbird was the 9th Generation of the famous model, but the first that wasn't a traditional American car - at least not in the sense of design. I would agree that a front engined, rear-wheel-drive car is very apple pie and baseball, but the exterior styling abandoned the squared, Lincolnesque look for something far more round and European, with Ford admittedly using BMW for inspiration.
While I really like the looks of this car, I'm sad that it and a few others were the harbingers of doom for vinyl roofs, opera windows, chrome trim, and other American styling cues of the past. It wasn't too long after this car was made that pretty much every car shared the same basic rounded shape, and the ornate loveliness of our domestic past was tossed on the ash heap of history. Sad stuff.
This car is available at Autohaus of Naples, but will not be on the web site for a while - for information, please call (239) 263-8500. - Авто та транспорт
That styling has aged beautifully. It's much better looking than most modern offerings, imo.
I was in high school, a gearhead and a Ford guy. Bill Elliott was dominating Nascar and Bob Glidden was dominating the Pro Stock division of NHRA drag racing.
The 87-88 T-bird Turbo Coupe is one of the sweetest looking production cars made imo.
@Matt Denny, CVLS I love that car. Came very close to buying one on several occasions and would only consider the manual.
@@pescatoralpursuit1726 You'd have to ask Nascar and the NHRA.
They're the ones who honor the word "stock" about like the WWE honors the word "sport".
Had a 86 turbo coupe around 1999,had it lowered and put a air dam,some rims on it,,,then the head gasket blew,spent so much on the looks,didn't have the money to get it fixed,and got rid of it
My friends and I called the 1987-88 Turbo Coupe the "Spider-Man" T-Bird (on account of how the front end and wheels looked!)
My parents had an 86 like the one featured in this video, and also an 87 TC. Gorgeous car, but major POS. Stayed in the shop. Still, I would love to find one today.
There is something so satisfying about the green glow that comes from 80s dashboards.
I'm not much of a car person, but my first car was the 1986 Thunderbird. So I was feeling nostalgic and stumbled onto this video because I wanted to hear the ol' engine startup again. I've gotta say, I was not expecting to be so entertained. Thanks for this.
If I was in the market, I’d buy that immediately and it would probably be my daily driver! Loved those TBirds!
The amazing thing is the car is almost as long as a crown vic and it is so nimble and the 5.0 is a pleasure to drive, Smooth as silk!
@@lilibethdoherty295 yep that’s a fact. See my comments and brief video below.
This car shows how things SHOULD be done! You can actually see round the engine, and get to everything! Wonders never cease!
Driving an 86 Bird in this shape would probably start a roadside car show everytime to stopped to buy gas or beer.
I think Bill said it has a 2.8L. Ford used a 3.8L in those T-Birds.
Also, Bill didn't mention the curved design of the top of the doors that made the interior much quieter. It was a big deal for Ford cars.
I caught that, too...checked the specs for that year and it is a 3.8 L. Bill might have been thinking about the 2.8 L "Cologne" engine which was used in the Capri, etc. beginning in 1974.
Definitely 3.8 throttle body injection!
The 5.0 with EFI was the way to go, Smooth as Silk and great power through the mid range and it was new for 1986.
3.8 130 hp Essex engine ,I had the 89 3.8 tuned port injection 140 hp 215 Lbs torque
@@carlosg1165The terrible TBI 3.8 had 120 HP the TPI 3.8 Had 140 HP starting in 1988. I worked on these cars for nearly forty years and my record is three head gasket replacements on the 3.8 in one day and none of the cars had over 98 K miles on them. The drivers side head back cylinder #3 had gasket failures and none of the heads were ever warped ,the $8 dollar gasket caused all the problems and was redesigned in late 1988.
I had a 86 turbo coupe. All my friends advised me to not buy it. 5spd stick, it was fun to drive, a bit of a dog around town, and plenty of get up and go on the hiway. I found that if you drove it like you hated it, the fun factor dramatically increased! We put over 200k on the clock before selling her, the only major repairs were a 2nd gear synchro, and a timing belt. All in all, a fun, comfortable car that in the end, owed us nothing.
When I was in college, I test drove a new 1986 Cougar XR-7 turbo with the 5-speed from Medlin Lincoln-Mercury in Charlottesville, Virginia. Drove the thing all over UVA for about an hour, showing off. Man, was she a looker. And fun to drive.
When I retire, I will drive only perfect 1980s-era cars from my youth just like this one.
Awesome! There's so many I would love to own.
Wow. We had an '85 in "charcoal grey" with the 8cyl engine and the same phone dial wheels. It had the great 8cyl engine but lacked things like the power antenna, keyless door entry and (thankfully) the door window vents. Loved that car. With all the digital displays, the interior felt like the future. In '91, my parents got a black-on-black Lincoln Mk7 LSC, which was even more incredible for the day. It was on the same Fox platform and very similar if you looked closely. They even shared the same doors. And I was handed-down the T-bird that I drove until 1995.
How come you call them "phone dial" wheels?? I'll have you know that phone dials are ALL flat, rectangular and covered by glass!! 😉
I owned a 1985 Lincoln Mk VII LSC and I was surprised how many people mistook it for a Thunderbird.
..... because it has the same steering wheel and same cheap interior.
It rode on the same platform.
I don't.
I heard cougar a lot too when I had my 91
I had an '87 Mark VII and my sister had a 1986 Ford Thunderbird. IIRC the Lincoln had a 108 inch wheelbase and the Thunderbird had a 105.5. For a coupe, the backseat of the Lincoln was comfortable.
I've recently turned 50 and clearly recall when these came out and how Bill Elliot drove the hell out of these. My Aunt and Uncle bought an 86 Cougar, essentially the same car, and I loved it. They kept it forever. Great car.
I'm 65 and I remember them well also. My brother also bought the cougar version. I thought they were fast back then. And a hell of a ride.
51 here. Pops had a beautiful 83 Cougar and we were both Elliot fans back then.
For being old as hell, it looks fairly contemporary. Always liked these.
That car is MINT, if only it had the 5.0 EFI instead of the 3.8 TBI motor it would be worth Double!
Agree, looks very modern, I had one in college with the V8. It was fully optioned and it looks like something that could be built now with the design.
Yeah 👍💯💪l love it!!!
Hey! Watch that, "old as hell" crap. 😂
With a manual trans. It would be triple @@lilibethdoherty295
Bill you have been a true gent this week with these uploads.
Agreed. These videos are my happy hour. My flask is almost empty!
He needs a podcast
He should do a live once in awhile.
Ask Bill about getting a sponsor. I see tons of videos that gave a short blip in the video. Bill is do knowledgeable and entertaining he us entitled to get the most benefits.
I suggest an auto glass cleaner. "This product is so streak free not even Dalton can screw it up."
@@hertzair1186 Yea but wouldn’t be able see the visuals of what he’s talking about. I love watching his videos, it’s like being my comfort zone.
Just sold my 44k mile 92 Cougar and had very rare full blue leather interior for 92. Great cars and very underappreciated. She was minty and truly rode better than most newer cars I ride in
Good point about ride quality. Too many cars now have some sporty feel added to what is a heavy, not particularly sporting car. The rental I have at this moment wile waiting on a repair to my also too firmly damped LS Lexus is a Malibu. It's amazing how roughly it rides. It's a boring sedan that's not fast. Why make it firm? Why not add some insulation to the rear wheel wells? Who is trying to kid whom?
@@texlad04 it’s too bad the only cars that have 16s on them anymore are base econoboxes
Sweet car! I have a 1986 Thunderbird myself with the 3.8 and only 46,000 miles. Yes these engines were anemic and prone to head gasket issues, but I never had any issues regarding that. I did end up pulling the engine and C5 trans and rebuilding both due to all the seals being shot from age. But I was able to get the horsepower up to 200 and the torque to around 250 foot pounds. Decked the heads, honed the cylinder heads, forged crank, honed intake and larger injectors while also building my own custom true dual exhausts with no emissions. And now I can hit 0-60 in 8.6 seconds at 9.5:1 compression on 93 octane. Still not the fastest these days but she holds her own! These cars shine on the highway with their torque and I can easily keep up with many high performance cars.
The head gasket killed my t-bird,mine was an 88 was a nightmare for parts. There were some wierd revisions in 87-88 very obsolete parts.
@@ScrotieJohnson I have similar issues, given my body style was from 83-86. That’s always been an issue with Ford. They change the design constantly and the parts become obsolete fast. Now I can get mechanical parts no problem since the thunderbirds shared parts with the mustangs - since the fox body mustangs ran from 79-93. But body panels are extremely hard to find. Most of the fox body thunderbirds were crushed when cash for clunkers occurred. That’s why mine stays in the garage.
@@sreilly some stuff mechanically is cougar thunder bird specific, took me 4 months to find the correct steering rack. The a/c compressor as well a mustang ac compressor is different than the t birds
@@ScrotieJohnson I was able to get an AC compressor out of a mustang for my thunderbird, but it was dealer installed. In the 80s ford had a shortage of ac compressors. So some were dealer installed on a bracket attached to the power steering pump, and some were factory installed. The factor installed compressors were the ones that were different. The dealer installed compressors were the same.
Seeing another video drop so soon is sheer delight. Great colour on this car, and another history lesson for me on American cars, thanks Bill
2:20, dude, we're not shoveling snow. This beats digging your driveway out of snow.
Very true 👍this guy likes to complain about everything lol
My father bought a brand new Mercury Cougar back in 1984. I loved the front end styling of both vehicles.
I preferred the Cougar to theTbird. Loved the more formal roofline.
Agreed, and it was GM rip off at the time. Ford's version of the Seville was absolutely hilarious. A co-worker, female salesperson at the time said "I'd rather have that Seville but this Continental was much cheaper".
Me too , that's why I owned a 1987 Cougar X-R7 5.0 automatic with ever option, but keypad entry and leather. Had literally power everything and the same digital cluster in dash and stereo, seats light dimmer etc, basically this cars interior options.
PS. The 'Speed' button is to 'launch', NOT. It is a button you set at the speed you set it at speed desired, and it warns you with a tone when you go over it.
@@XxxXxx-fm3wo love your car
Lovely car. What a time machine. In 1991 I drove a 81’280ZX. My best friend had an 86’ Cougar. We would switch cars from time to time. I loved driving that Cougar. It was so smooth. Always liked the T-bird styling better though
That's a friend.
The "speed" button was for setting a chime to sound at a certain speed so it kept you in check. You could say set it at 66, so if the speed limit was 65mph, when you hit 66mph you'd hear the chime and know you're speeding
I was going to say the same thing. I had the Cougar version of these Thunderbirds, several in fact, lol. You would get to the speed that you wanted the alarm to go off and then push the button for it to alert you if you exceeded that speed. Guess the guy that thought that up didn’t think about just setting cruise control? Lol
If you were doing 66 mph in 1986 that’s 11 over the national speed limit. 55 mph Something else to hate Nixon for.
Who really ever did 55 in 1986? That's like saying I do 65 now, LMFAO. Highways are good for 90
I remember the car's with that ding. That was funny as hell! The cops with their radar were really bringing in some income for the state back then. How many troopers per gallon did you see today!
@@tricountygunsales2226 Carter.
Absolutely love these 9th gen fox body T-Birds! My uncle had an ‘87 Cougar when the 9th gens were refreshed and it was such a great car! He drove it everywhere and by the time he sold it, it had over 500,000 miles on it.
I want to meet the guy that bought a 500,000 mile ford...
@@earnestbunbury2103 better than any chevy
WOOOOOOOW!
@@earnestbunbury2103 I wanted it when I turned 19, but he refused to sell it to me. He didn’t believe in doing business with relatives.
One of my absolute favorite cars, so many memories for me.
At this point in time to find cars from the mid 80's to late 90's that are well preserved is a miracle. They just aren't regarded very well and it's always a surprise to me to see them. They take me back to my youth.
I get the same comments with my ‘86. I only have 46,000 miles with the same interior as this car. It is so comfortable and I rebuilt it to be much more powerful than the V8s of the time. But it’s all original and I’m always told how nice it is to see a 9th gen thunderbird still around today.
Papa Bill I’m so glad you mentioned the XR4Ti. One of my favorite failures in the car industry (at least by US standards). I’ve never even seen one in person, which isn’t surprising. I lust after those Euro suckers. If I was around when they were new, I definitely would’ve bought one. If you find an XR4Ti, please review it!
@@danielknepper6884
Good one!!!
The XR4Ti was heavy and under powered compared to an 85 or 86 Mustang SVO. Because the Merkur didn't get an intercooled 2.3 turbo. Just a non intercooler turbo. The extra weight didn't help.
A mechanically inclined friend had two of them. He said that they required twice the maintenance of a thunderbird turbo coupe to keep them running decently!
For reasons I'm sure even he can't (or won't) remember, my uncle traded in his 320i on one. It did not go well. He wasn't really the racing type but I'm pretty sure the GTV6 my dad had at the time would have killed it.
@@danielknepper6884 It's almost like they designed that atrocious double decker rear wing thing with pushing in mind.
There was a rich kid in my high school that had one. It was often the subject of conversation. So bizarre looking for the time.
Mr.B is on a roll, thank you for your variety this season! Epic:)
My mom drove an ‘85 Thunderbird, which was stripped to the bone. No extras. Not even a passenger side-view mirror. It had the 3.8, 3-speed automatic. My dad bought it for her without her input. She wasn’t all that thrilled. But I sure appreciate that model now. I was 16 at the time.
That speed button was meant to alert you when you exceeded your set speed limit. Very low-tech, but I used it on my mom’s car.
Years ago we bought a new 86 T-bird. It had the small V/8 engine, I loved that car it had very good pep. It was pleasure to drive. Only draw back they were prone to rust around the rear glass. But what a nice running car. Wish we still had it . thanks
I believe you were driving a C-5, Bill. Most '86 T-Birds would have had the AOD.
The V6 was 3.8L displacement and the V8 was nominally 5.0L (but technically revised to 4.9L during this time for a few years),
with a 2.3L Turbo exclusive to Turbo Coupe.
(In later model years, the full 5.0L V8 came back as I recall)
The V8 in '86 was paired with the Ford AOD transmission only. On the V6 engine, AOD was optional. The base transmission was a C-5, not the C-3. If this car doesn't have overdrive, the original owner did not order the higher cost option or package to get it, but it was available. The interior shown is in great condition, although it also suggests this car did not come with a higher option package.
Prior to '86MY, both the V6 and V8 T-Birds were CFI .... the first fuel injected system replacing traditional carburetors on these motors. In 86MY, this was upgraded to a full EFI fuel injection system.
You are correct. My ‘86 is a C5 with the locking torque converter. These can be rebuilt to gain more horsepower with simple decking and honing of the block and intake. Mine now has around 200 horsepower on 93 octane with base timing set to 13 degrees BTDC.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I had an 83 T-bird. It reminded by of the 63/64 T-bird that Grandpa had when I was a kid. Mine had the 5.5 V-8 and it went like a bat outta hell. Such fun to drive. My older brother had an 87/88 not sure which year Turbo Coupe as well. My cousin Bill even had a Cougar.
I purchased a 1984 Turbo Coupe (Pastel Regatta Blue) in October of 1983 and to this day it is still my favorite car that I have owned. The styling was gorgeous to my eye and considering the vehicles of it's time had more than adequate power, decent fuel economy and the ride and handling was very good. Add to this the fabulous build quality that Ford's Lorain Assembly plant produced made this a truly great car. Wish I had one again....
These were actually pretty solid cars. Definitely better than most American cars of this era. But I am bewildered that someone poured that much love into this particular car and it isn't the V8 model. That is the only model to get IMO.
That’s a badass ride I’m sure someone is going to love this classic! Hope it survives the times..
The transmission D indicator is actually OD, the O is around the D. It’s just how Ford made it.
GM copied that from Ford .
I want to thank you for all the work you put into these videos. I know you're never going to see this, because it's a 2 year old video. Like you I would like to have one of these. It's just one of those cars that makes you remember your youth in a positive light. Oh yeah I was surprised to hear that you and I are the same age. I was born in 1971 also. If you were born in February that would be crazy. Once again love your work. Please keep up the great work. Thanks😂
Nice review. Thanks for taking me down memory lane with the 80’s history lesson, that really bought me back to my youth. You do a good job at tracking down cars from the 70’s and 80’s that are in immaculate condition.
that rabbit wasn't cleaning himself. he was clearly providing surveillance details to his abhorrent comrades by way of a hidden lavalier mic.
Regarding fit and finish, Ford made a huge effort to improve quality with this car. The ultimate extension of that effort was their improvement of the jaguar brand.
These cars were well-assembled as were the Panthers. Ford made big strides in improving quality in the '80s while GM really kind of sat there.
As usual, highly informative and very entertaining, thanks Bill!
I had a 1983 Turbo Coupe. It was black, grey interior, electric Recaro seats,4 wheel disc brakes, TRX tires and rims, and a 5 speed transmission. When the 2.3 finally go out, at 225,000 miles, dropped in a 5.0 HO from a StatePatrol Mustang. I loved that car was sharp looking and drove like a dream. Thank you for the video brought back great memories.
Bill,
The engine in this is the 3.8 liter V6, not a 2.8 liter. And it does have a 4 speed electronic overdrive transmission. All Thunderbird/Cougars beginning in 1984 had the 4 speed automatic.
My Dad had a 1988 302 LX Thunderbird. I loved it. If this car you have had the 302 I’d be seriously thinking about calling your company.
Actually my ‘86 has the C5 transmission, which was a 3 speed with a locking torque converter. This car does have the C5 trans. If you look at the PRNDL, you’ll see the D does not have the O around it which identifies it as a 3 speed.
Negative. The AOD was optional on later production V8's. My 1984 with the Essex V6 had a C5 3 speed transmission.
We enjoy your content and have never commented, but we love this era of Mark so much. Used to eyeball them back in the early early 90's in Honolulu HI i think they imported a lot of the Lincoln versions there.
Love the key pad.
Friend had one of these in college. We took it to Florida on spring break, great road trip car.
I look forward to all your vid! I love the knowledge that I get on cars and your vids are HILARIOUS AND INFORMATIVE!
It is pretty common knowledge that you test every digital speedometer cars you need to get them up to know if they will read triple digit speed. ALWAYS a plus to know.
The XR4Ti was the high performance version of the UK Ford Sierra, which was quite controversial at launch because of its "jelly mould" appearance. It also meant the end of the Ford Cortina name, its predecessor, which had been through various incarnations from 1962 to 1982. The XR4i, as it was badged in the UK, didn't last long. It was replaced by the XR4x4.
My grandfather had an 84, black with grey interior. I loved that car, I can still remember the ride.
I worked for Ralph's Supermarket through the 1980s. The produce manager at my Newport Hills location drove a new Thunderbird elan. Cool car indeed. And now, two years later, I am the proud owner of a 1997 Mercury Cougar 30th Anniversary model, purchased from Copart in New Braunfels, Texas for $1,500 and a Run & Drive donation! Only 68,455 miles.
In a 3.8 car the 3-speed auto transmission was probably a C5. (Basically a C4 with a lockup torque converter). They were in the process of switching over to the AOD, which is a whole different design internally, with a planetary gearset borrowed from the FMX). The 3.8 had the bellhousing bolt pattern of a 302; at one time the thought had been that the V-6es might replace the V-8s altogether, but there was still demand for the V-8s and the overdrive transmissions reduced the fuel economy concerns for many owners. And the 302 was a more reliable engine.
The crazy part is, the Turbo Coupes with automatics had C3s and A4LDs like other 2.3 vehicles, even though these had more power and were catering to people more likely to drive them hard than the V-6 cars and even some V-8s; Ford got around the limited torque capacity, initially, by detuning the turbo. The choice of transmission back then really followed the displacement and design family of the engine more than it probably should have, once turbos came along and you'd have to consider that smaller engines might have more power and torque than larger ones. Another assumption - more realistic in the 80s than now - was that most people who were really going to put the spurs to a Turbo Coupe would want the 5-speed manual (the T-5); but even that unit needed beefing up over the years and improved a lot by the late 1980s.
Ironically, they were using the A4LD (or, its electronic descendants) behind the 4.0 in the early Explorer SUVs - really heavier vehicles and more power than appropriate for a glorified Pinto transmission, but the 4.0 was a "small" (60-degree) V6 that was a descendant of the 2.9 (which shared a bellhousing pattern with the Lima 2.3 4-cylinder). So they just did some beefing up to the A4LD; it got better but it was never very happy with much hauling or pulling.
The "big" (90-degree) 3.8 V-6 was never in trucks, but a larger version of it (the 4.2) was in F150s and vans from the mid-90s. I'm not a fan of any of the Essex V-6s but I know some people had great luck with theirs and others who basically had a boat anchor around 120K.
Great comment.
This explains somewhat why the auto turbo-coupes were "uninspiring" compared to their 5-speed counterparts.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think ford did offer the 3.8 in the F100s in the early 1980s. Most either died early or were swapped out for 302s or 300s because of how poor a match it was for a pickup.
@@grndiesel Come to think of it, you are right and I misspoke. I had forgotten but the parts book shows it as available in 1982-83. Must have been part of the "F--- Around and Find Out" package.... I can't imagine anyone choosing one and being very happy with it, in that application.
Purchased a special addition black 86 Taurus with MT5 badging on the bottom sides. Had the 300 with T5 . Was a great cruiser with great MPG for it's day. I'm sure they didn't build many. Sold it with around 150,000 miles. Only replaced the fuel pump. Loved that car. Even though it did have a bit of front end push.
I6 wyd be good but 5.0 pr 4.2
This was a fantastic review. I had some laughs and learned something too. Thank you.
In high school, one of our friends had the 86-1/2 version of that Thunderbird with the newer, pointier nose, flush headlamps, and circle taillights. It was a deeper shade of red, but had the same digital dash. The manual climate control is correct with that dash. His T-bird had the "5.0" EFI V-8 and console shifter (vs your column shifter). As teenagers, we all thought that digital instrument cluster was top notch... so much so that when my friend wrecked the T-bird, he replaced the analogue gauges in his new (to him) i87 Cougar XR-7 with the same digimemories!tal cluster (which required a LOT of rewiring) Thanks for the memories!
I purchased an 86 TBird brand new. One of my favorite cars. Drove it almost 10 years and 200k miles, she went every day without a hitch.
3.8L V-6, not 2.8....and only throttle body injected. Multipoint injection came in '88 and added 20 hp, up to 140hp. I had an '87 and definitely could have used the extra 20 (or better yet, the 5.0L). But this is splitting hairs...very well done again, Bill!
This takes me back to the time when Ford wasn’t a one product (pickups) company.😣
Did you forget the Mustang? How about the Excursión, Expedition, Explorer? They have dropped all their standard sedans though.
Like the new showing of the lights and startup in the intro. Good idea
I was never comfortable calling this car a THUNDERBIRD. But I ALWAYS loved it and thought it was an absolutely beautiful… car. At the time.. “ WOW” comes to mind. Fabulous car and excellent presentation Bill!
Thank you so much Papa Bill. I love these Thunderbirds. A staple in NASCAR. When I think of these I think of Bill Elliott, and vice versa.
Lovely example. I have the same car in the same colour with the 302 V8. You one has a lot more options though. I reckon they look great. Thanks for the review.
Rabbit acting suspiciously!!! I was a mechanic at the time and worked on a fleet of these TBirds and Cougars. They were great cars. I remember the display panels dying was a common occurrence.
Mom had an 83 Cougar with the 302 V8. It was a fantastic car for my Mom and handled like a dream on the open road.
Hey Bill, love your videos. Can you do a review of the Lincoln LSC variant? My aunt had a 1993 LSC and I loved that car so much. I never got to drive it but my cousin would pick me up and we would cruise around NYC on the weekends. Man that was a beautiful car.
My brother had a 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC and I loved it. I drove it a good bit.
I had a 1988 Cougar LS 5.0 liter (same platform as the Lincoln), but the Cougar did not even come close to the Lincoln in any regard.
The LSC is still one of my favorite cars.
@@my1vice Every so often I see a low mileage Mark VII on eBay and I have to resist buying it. I have a 1994 Eldorado and I can tell you that keeping a nearly 30 year old car in reliable and drivable condition is not always easy.
@@CH67guy1
Agreed. But I'm used to that. All I drive are older cars..... No style in anything new in my opinion.
2005 is my cut off year. Everything after that is garbage. (To me)
@@my1vice I agree with you. Today there are no new cars that I lust after, at any price point, and I’m always looking back to the cars of my younger years.
Two months ago there was a 1982 Riviera for sale, metallic gold with a gold vinyl roof, really well taken care of. A local car where I live, always cared for by the same family owned auto service facility that I myself have used and trusted for 40 years. But I resisted buying it.
I always wanted that style Riviera. Everyone else at the time wanted Camaros, Mustangs, or trucks. So I guess I’m weird.
Yes, now that I’m older I’d like to own and enjoy some of the cars that I salivated over 35+ years ago, but couldn’t afford at the time.
Wow great 80's bird very nicely equipped, almost like the Mark VII. Hope you find one of those someday! Cheers
I have this car in Silver with 3.8L and only 68,000 miles. Restoring from a 12 year time in a PA. barn. Love it !!
Analog gauges were standard for '83 and '84, digital dash for upper levels. For '85 and '86, digital dash was standard, but the upper levels had a different kind of digital dash, and only the performance version had the analog.
This car will always be memorialized as the pro stocker that carried Bob Glidden to so many victories.
I got to say I love this mans commentary. You sir are funny. Keep up the good work and the hilarious commentary. Rabbit must be a scout. 🤣
I loved the retro modern Thunderbird. The biggest problem for me was it just didnt have the power. If they would have put a supercharged 4.6 v8 at the time it was out that thing would have killed it in sales.
You only need 50 hp to maintain a car at cruise speed. I strongly suggest you consider the 1975 Ford Granada,, a 4.1 liter engine (250 cubic inches), larger than this Thunderbird (3.8L, 231 hp), which produced a whopping 72 hp and weighed 3120 lbs.
The Lincoln Mark VII was essentially the same platform, and the LSC used the same 225 hp 5.0L HO engine as the Mustang GT. Unfortunately, it also piled on a lot of extra weight and luxury features, along with a steeper price. I have seen some aftermarket manual transmission swaps on a few of these Lincoln Mark VII's.
Really liking the front and back lighting views you give at the beginning of the videos now!
What a time capsule of a car. Looks brand new. Great review as always.
The ultimate Aero bird of that era was the Chicago Edition with the 5.0 and moonroof Black & Dark Gray with a thin red stripe awesome depending on the driver it could go toe to toe with the M GT. 5.0 very stylish and practical & comfy a real head turner of the era
I wonder what type of buyer a "$hotcago Edition" of any type of vehicle would draw today.
I believe the face of the Ford cassette desk was pretty much used in all Ford and Mercury vehicles from 1986 thru around 1990. I know because my Dad had the same cassette deck in his 1988 Mercury Tracer wagon.
My '89 Mustang had the exact same unit.
HOLY COW!! Two Curious Cars reviews back-to-back.
The.Best.Week.Of.My.Life!
Wasn't expecting to open UA-cam to see Papa Bill reviewing my car today lmao
Papa is a generous Papa.
Greetings from wexford to one and all.
Love these and I don't see it as what killed the American car. I see it as the car that saved Ford. It was the first Ford that signaled things were about to change in a very big way. It set the table for the Tempo/Topaz and Taurus/Sable. GM never recovered from Ford completely kicking their butts in the eighties.
Couldn't have said it any better 👍 love Ford's. These along with the others set the tone for the Fusion and current gen Mustangs
I had a buddy in college with one of these. It had a 302 in it. Pretty quick at the time. Thanks for reviewing this car!
I love that 'Bird. I bought my wife that one when it came out. It was the E'lan model. Thunderbird was always on top with style back then.
The E'lan had the automatic digital AC control. And the digital instrument cluster was all one big screen instead of those three individual displays.
i have a 86 E'lan v8 with a shit trans, but still gets you places
Wow. I had that exact color on an '85 Cougar.
I loved my 1984 Cougar. Same color red interior. I’ve had far more upscale cars since then, but the Cougar was really special. I bought it used as a repo from a bank for $4,000. I drove the hell out of it. I miss it!
I use to have one of these it was gold it was a really good car. You'll notice it has no Ford badge.
That's crazy. I never ever noticed it didn't have a badge.
I still have my 86 Elan'. V8 84,000 miles. It was my first car. It's nice to have a car from the Reagan years, when America was GREAT.
This was a great trip back in time for me. I had an 87 Thunderbird loaded up like this one... loved that car. Served me well for 200k miles.
I can never say too much in favor of the Ford keyless entry system!! I drove Cougars and Grand Marquis for that.
Agreed! I currently drive a 2013 Expedition and I use that keypad all the time
Years ago I had a grand marquis with a broken ignition tumbler, so you could start it without the key. I had keys for it of course but with the keypad on the door I rarely used them.
Are you sure that’s not a 3.8 v6? Also I think those are called phone dial wheels
Yes it’s a 3.8 liter. I drove a 1984 Cougar for years. Until it developed a rod knock around 125,000 miles…
My first car! My dad bought it new, and I bought it from him 8 years later. Mine was charcoal grey. Everyone thought I'd be buried in "Smokey".
Wow Bill! Pumping out the contemt lately. For a little while it seemed like there were no new vidz, and I was like "WTF", where is Curious Cars, and then BANG! Love it!
There’s the intro we’ve been missing. My favorite videos start with Bill’s miserable weather report! If it’s a nice morning it almost ruins the video! 😂
Man eating rabbits, is a thing.
my grandpa's brother had one of this generation T-Birds, was always fun going for ride in it.... thank you for the awesome videos. Very informative. keep up the great work and watch out for those cats and birds
Bill was being verwy, verwy quiet when speaking about that rabbit! I loved this video and this Thunderbird is beautiful. Thanks.
I had a friend who had an '87 equipped similar to this one except is also had automatic climate control (which had a fault causing all the indicators to flash). I remember the digital speedometer topping out at 85 MPH (even though the car would go faster).
I remember my friends parents had the cougar. I thought the digital gauges were so cool when I was ten. Great video. Lets go Brandon!!!
why bring politics into this. you are part of the problem
The V6 was only tolerable. If you got the 5.0, this was a hell of nice car for the time, and far, far better than anything from GM or Mopar.
I had an '86 Turbo Coupe with the three-speed auto (shifter on the floor) when I was in high school. It was black with bordello red interior. It had a blacked out front grill, fog lights and shared the same 15 inch wheels as the Mustang LX 5.0. It was a very nice combination of sportiness and luxury. Got pretty decent gas mileage if you weren't trying to race anybody. I think the power rack & pinion steering setup on the turbo models had a lot more weight to it than the one shown in the video. I think it had an almost 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. I remember it always handled well and felt nicely balanced, even in the snow.
Man! Your videos are an automobile history class! Thanks!!
Buddy in high school had one with. 5.0 in it and always did burnouts.
Then another buddy had 1993 super coupe. Loved it.
One of my all time favorite vehicles was my 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coup. Mine was tricked out with a Calloway Turbo w/adjustable waste gate, Motorsport intercooler, Hurst shifter, BBS wheels with Yokohama AVS tires, Borla exhaust, K&N, etc. It would run even with a GT Mustang, but was more comfortable, classy and fun to drive. 👍
Another great one, Bill!
You commentary makes this video very entertaining. Thank you.
I had a red 1991 T-Bird. Really loved that car. It had a 3.8L engine, it looked good and drove like a dream. I also liked the big boat T-Birds from the mid 70s but never had one.
THE SOUND OF THE DOOR CLOSING IS AMAZING
I had one of these in 91, had the 5.0 in it. Two tone blue with the blue interior. Same rims as this one.
Loved that car. 😁