2018 had it best imo in terms of a choice for everyone: Focus ST Fiesta ST Fusion Sport Mustang GT or other cool trims Taurus SHO Edge Sport Explorer Sport
This is actually a VERY good-looking car. And probably at least a couple years ahead of the curve. I wouldn't have thought much about it back then, but seeing it now as a new car, dang. It looks damn good!
agreed. Also supercharging that V6 at the time was amazing. The 3.8 was a good engine for sure. Obviously today everyone wants high feature DOHC engines but nothing to be ashamed about with the 3.8 pushrod from ford. Great setup for sure back then
and they look aggressive going down the road and coming at cha!! It handled like my ol second gen camaro I came from when I got my first one. It is classified as a luxury sports car for a reason. Great cars all of them from mid 80's thru 97 that last full size body which was also a nascar back in those days.
I bought one new in 1990 and loved the car. Handled great, had tons of power and torque. it sure felt faster than the numbers indicate and would smoke the tires forever. Most fun big car I ever owned. I have since owned smaller, nimbler and more agile cars, but I would have the T bird back in a heartbeat.Probably my favorite of the many cars I have owned these past 48 years.
You are totally right about the handling, which most people ignore. It was a big, heavy car but it managed to put out a ton of grip and had amazingly neutral steering. Kicking the back end out (for fun) was always just a dab of the throttle away if you wanted, and it never understeered. Totally right about spinning the rear tires too. It was child's play, and in the rain on worn tires you could really have some fun.
I was 23 In 1991 and lucky enough to be dating a girl whose daddy bought her a brand spanking new white w/ maroon interior '91 SC 5-speed Super Chicken. She hated it, I of course fucking loved it! I think about that car all the time, her not so much. Her sister lived in Cincinnati and cruising the SC up and down I-75 in between Jellico and Cincinnati was always a blast. At that time, it was the fastest car I had ever driven and remained the fastest for a long time. It handled great in town as well as on the highway. Surprisingly , it got around well in the snow too. I miss that car.
I completely agree. I own a Supercoupe and own and have owned alot of cars/projects. If you haven't owned or taikin a Supercoupe for a long drive then you wouldn't understand. Of course assuming the Supercoupe runs like new and there's a ton of sensors/readings these cars computers go off of to make them run.
This was my first car, got it brand new in April of '89.... Got snowed in in winter '93 and traded it in for an Explorer in '94..... Oh how I wish I had that car back.
explorer is a pretty dependable suv, the SC's had a stressed essex block, an engine known for blowing head gaskets. Cool car, just dont expect it to go beyond 100k without a head gasket job.
Yes, loved mine!! Put snow tires on for winter and it handled better then any fwd car could ever!! Miss it so much!!!! Only dislike was the beeping for an upshift when heavy acceleration took place. 90 SC candy apple red.
Absolutely. It was pretty quick for the time (with good gas mileage), and could probably be amazing these day. Where it really shined was the highway, where you could lope along in 5th gear with instant grunt at your disposal.
I've had 5 T-Birds in all 89-97 models (never the SC, sadface) and it was a fantastic vehicle, selling the final 97 in 2013. Very stable, very comfy and easily one of the coolest looking vehicles at the time (and still). I do miss it.
All these years later, 2022, and one wonders if Ford will soon introduce an all electric Thunderbird? Even if it is proportionately between an SUV and traditional coupe. The Thunderbird name and tradition are valuable and should be important to Ford. Thunderbirds have been many cars over the years, it would be great to see the return of this majestic name.
Man! Brings back some memories. My first car was a 1989 Super Coupe. As a kid out of high school, first job, going to college, I picked it up in a small used car lot. I really wanted a blue Camaro RS convertible, but the T-bird was more within my budget. I learned to drive stick on that car. Loved it!! Years later, some mechanic scammed me and ended up running the engine. I ended up selling the car, and picked up a black 94 Mustang GT convertible with a 5.0. That was a cool car, but it never equaled the SC. Eventually, I sold it and picked up my dream car: a mint 95 SC, pearl white with a 5-speed. And learned to work on cars myself. Lol.
+Xbox360Player350 The Cobra got IRS in 1999. But yes, the MN12 T-Bird/Cougar had IRS in 1989. The Mark VIII got it in 1993. And then it finally became standard on the Mustang in 2015. It took Ford a long time to get the 'Stang out of the 20th century.
+Chris Haywood They did if because they were being outlapped on the Nürburgring where automakers test vehicles to their limits. A 2015 Mustang still gets blown away by a V8 CTS though, which is sad.
+Granny Shifting that and the last CTS-V's had a 5.7l supercharged engine and cost tens of thousands more. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison lol!
I just bought this car same red color 1990 Thunderbird SC ; 1 owner ;own by old state trooper 100k miles on it. Excellent condition kept in a garage. I f'n love this car. I wish Ford would bring back the SC model not retro old Thunderbird style look.
1989 Tbird owner here. It was left neglected in a driveway under a tree for 8 years and little by little I'm tearing it down and putting it back together. Next step is to rebuilt the upper ends.
a dog with bad hips lol. I had a generic 94 tbird with 4.6L. When I had exhaust done on it, the muffler guy was amazed at the suspension. It wasn't an SC or turbo but it still had stabilizer bars and IRS. It handled very, very well for a base tbird. I drove it till it rusted out. I loved it.
Being that it was released on 89 still looks good and had so many gadgets as the more expensive cars. Fall in love when i saw it at the dealership. 1991 thunderbird. Gorgeous
Ford didn't get the bugs worked out of that 3.8L Essex engine until long after they pulled the plug on the T-Bird. They were never all that reliable. Once Ford gave in and put a proper V8 in these things, they were great cars. I had a 1995 in college with the updated interior and overhead cam V8, and it was probably the best car I've ever owned. Reliable, fun, and built like a tank.
Nope. When this generation of Thunderbird was introduced in 1989, there was no V8 engine option. 1991 was the first year for a V8 in this generation of T-Bird. In 1989 and 1990, your only options were the 3.8 V6 or the supercharged 3.8 V6.
You are wrong about reliability, though. I drove my 1989 SC from '96 to 2010 with hardly an issue at all. Then some things started to pop up, but the car was 21 years old by that time! Oh, and even at 21 y/o you could still embarrass most modern sports cars if you were good with the 5 speed.
The supercharged variant of the 3.8L had low compression heads, that did not have the head gasket problems of N/A 3.8L if that's what you're getting at.
They had low compression pistons, used the same heads as the N/A. Yes they did have huge issues with head gaskets, go on SCCOA, everyone tells you they will blow head gaskets like crazy if you use the full 12psi of boost very often.
As someone who couldn't find a SC I went with the LX with the 5.0 and can tell you for sure it was one of my top 5 favorite cars out of about 40. Road great, handled decent, moved out pretty good, I absolutely loved the interior, and best of all the reliability!
I drove one of these in high school in the early 00s. 315 ftlbs at 2600 rpms. This thing used to smoke all sorts of cars of the line. And that supercharger whine was beautiful. Such a fun car.
@@markbrinton6790 Yes It did have those Torque numbers, that's why it was so quick to 60, But the low 210 HP in a pretty heavy car also gave you low quarter mile trap speeds.figure it out it's pretty simple.
I've had a '93 5 speed for 3 years. It was a total beast, even with a bad synchro. Last year it split the crank and as a result is undergoing a full rebuild, including a stage 2 comp cam to sweeten it up ;) They're fantastic cars and definitely live up to their reputation!
I had the exactly same thing happen to mine (it split the crankshaft). Thing is, it happened in 2013, to a 1989 SC. I'd say 24 years of reliable, strong running is pretty fantastic, no?
I owned an 89 and a 93. The 89 was white with white SC rims...it looked sweet in the 90's...was a blast to drive and race light to light...315 ft lb of torque but only 210 hp. 😢 If I had a do over I would have bought the 302 ho model and yanked the wheels, bumpers, and ground effects off the SC.
These were fun cars to drive, and ahead of its time. They were geared ridiculously tall, but had gobs of torque. 330 lbs/ft at 2500 rpm. If you really want to wake them up, swap out the stock rear end for 3.73's, I did that in my 91 and that thing was a rocket.
I knew a true Ford guy who had a 1989 Thunderbird S/C and then bought an incredible 1995 Thunderbird S/C new off the lot! That was very low production and had a new 1990s interior, and 230hp vs 210hp.
+marko27513 The car's weight and gearing aren't as suited to the quarter mile specifically. The Mazda sourced M5R2 transmission has truck low gearing in 1st and 2nd gear, with a final drive of 2.73, it works out well to 60mph in the top of 2nd gear, 3rd-5th gears go to less trucky ratios and are all very tall gears, 3rd will take you to about 110-115mph, 4th which will take you to about 140, 5th will top out at 167 if you have the horse power to pull the gear. This basically results in the slower 1/4 mi times. The cars have very good aerodynamics though and it pulls strong at a rolling cruise, think autobahn gt car and that's how it behaves. I daily drive a '92 SC 5-speed, with light bolt-ons they easily overcome steepness of 3rd gear and run 13sec 1/4 mi times.
+Kupidzheart Do yall not understand gearing? It had taller gears for highway driving. V8's of the time where not going any faster. This car had the same power that a 5.7L Corvette had basicly. Which wasn't much over 200 HP.
Times should have been around 0-60 in 6.7 and a 15.7 @ 87 MPH 1/4 mile. These cars had 12lb boost and 210 HP and 315TQ. They also were not geared for the track with a 2.73 rear gear. They really pull well in 2nd gear though.
Rccr Dawgs Thunderbird, cougar and Mark Vlll was slick cars almost bought a new back in the 90's oh i had a 96 cougar and Thunderbird 97 personal lurxury
A few years back one of these ('93?) showed up on the local CL. Champagne with a beautiful grey int. They were only asking 4k. Didn't have enough cash sitting around at the time. 🙁 Always liked these.
I own a 92 with the auto trans with a 15% under drive pully, cold air kit, bigger injection and headers dino 380 hp and 460 torque it all coast me $1500 fastest street car I ever drove
A buddy of mine had one of these in black with some FlowMasters on it. That thing was BAD ASS back in the day. I think it was either newer or a higher level model. Looked better and had a factory lip and other cool looking stuff though.
Damn, I never realized they were that quick for that time....I always preferred the Turbo Coupe over the Super Coupe, but that's because I didn't know the difference in performance (still prefer turbo over supercharging any day), but in reality, I was always a Cougar fan(of that generation, T-Bird of the previous), I had a 91 5.0 XR7 with a swapped T56.
I had a 91 in white. Still love that car. Got to 155 mph. Loved the supercharger whine. Hated driving it in winter. Wound up trading it in for an Expedition. Wish i still had it
A buddy of mine had a '94 Super Coupe about 20 years ago when we were fresh out of high school. We did some crazy stuff with that car. I'm pretty sure we set the record for fastest trip from Madison to Minneapolis.
A woman I worked with had a white 90. She had a ton of trouble with it. Ford did the headgaskets at 34k, a supercharger at 39k via extended warranty, rear calipers and rotors that simply stopped working at 40k.That's where Ford stopped and her wallet took over.. Failed oil pump at 55k resulted in a new short block and ANOTHER supercharger. The fuel pump died at 70k and we then found that a rear spring was cracked, and the pinion seal was leaking badly. That resulted in a new rear end from Ford which was big $$. Now the car was just 6 yrs old, and rust took over. A local body shop found that the car's rear quarter windows didn't have enough sealant on them, and the water was pooling in the rockers and quarter panels. She sold it in 97..
I used to have a pic of this car on my wall as a kid and almost traded my car in for one when younger. I think along with the early 90's Probe and the Taurus Ford had a really modern looking line up.
I had a 91 SC with the 5 speed. It had a lot of low end torque but after 4000 rpm there wasn't much power left. I can see how they got a quick 0-60 time but slow 1/4 mile and trap speed. It was also geared very tall. You could hit over 60 in 2nd gear. At 60 on the highway in 5th it was only turning around 16 to 17 hundred rpm. The adjustable suspension was either quite firm or really soft and springy. I liked the sound of the motor. It was deep and had a nice growl. Not thrashy or raspy like some v6 motors. The interior was cheap. Seats were comfy. The steering was quick and sharp though the steering column seemed like it was mounted by rubber bands. Any bump would cause the colum to shake and vibrate a lot. I only had it for maybe a year and a half. No major issues though I got rid of it b4 anything big went wrong. Overall it was an ok car.
Ford really restricted these engines, thats why they ran out of breath after 4k rpms. Remove the air silencer, replace the restricted exhaust manifolds with headers, put ina high flow exhaust and install a smaller blower pulley and this engine would really scream.
Remember going to college my neighbor across the street who was in his early fifties had the sc model and i thought that was the nicest car ever! now im his age and how time flyes!
My first car was a 89 V6 non SC cougar then I saw a 91 5.0 red t-bird for $900 In 2001 and I jumped on that... I was delighted to have that at age 15 but I got it towed for almost 2 grand worth of parking tickets so I sadly just let them have it and instead I got a 94 4.6 tbird like a year n half later but the 2nd or 3rd gear started to go on it. That was the end of my ford days,I had a 93 LSC for a week but I traded it for a 92 bmw 325i sedan and then it was a bmw obsession from there.
It's a good thing BMW and Porsche don't do any thing like that with their cars. Can you imagine how silly that would look? Whole lot full of cars with the same face! Year after year!
Precisely, I thought just the same as you. It looks like a Crown Vic from the 1990's, but not as wide as the Crown, isn't? But I guess this engine reaches more or less among 200 and 250 HP, isn't? Ford has always have very powerful engines in all it's history, isn't?
My uncle had a 94 4.6. We called it the thunderturd. Had trac lock (posi), constant burnouts and donuts. A fun dependable car. We would beat the crap out of it and it just kept on going, no problem.
doing headgaskets in my 89 xr7 cougar right now haha.. can't wait to get it running, had the car given to me with all of the parts for some work i did.
aluminum heads with an iron block doesn't help when also combined with boost and too much back pressure/restrictive exhaust.. i think it's a combination of the three that kills the gaskets so fast.. im deleting the cats this time as a start to see how much that helps.
J M Bauzo Owned new...'85 Turbo Coup...'87 Turbo Coup...'91 Super Coup all were best in class. Automatic, 5 speed, 5 speed. By far the '85 was my fav. It was somewhat of a special factory offering. The dealer made mention of not ever seeing an oil cooler or electric day night rear view mirror on the TC. It also was the fastest of the three with 17 lbs of boost on her 2.3. Unfortunately, she got rear ended at 40 MPH while stopped at a light by an over due pregnant lady who delivered the next day. The lady called us and said her and baby were fine.
@@u2mister17 Hello my friend. Yes, I love the 1983-1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupes. Ford really did a good job with those Thunderbirds. Yes, I still remember the first time I saw an '85 Turbo Coupe with the newly added Goodyear Gatorback tires... beautiful and fast. :)))
@@u2mister17 my friend. Your Turbo Coupe was really beautiful. Plus that fine red molding around the car... wowww!!! You are blessed. You owned three T-Birds. I never owned one because at that time I was too young to buy a car. But my elder brother owned a 1987 Mercury Cougar XR-7. It was light blue with the lower titanium paint. My Lord... the Ford products of those years are great!!!
Whether anyone realizes it or not, Ford's MN12 coupes nailed it. The legacy of unmodified, street-legal mid-size 2+3 muscle coupes was finally restored during the unleaded gasoline era by the T-bird, Cougar, and Mark VIII. Not since the big-V8 days of the Chevy Chevelle SS and Pontiac GTO had American auto makers produced such a performance-minded family car. Overall, the automotive press seemed reluctant to acknowledge Ford's accomplishment here. Ford actually succeeded in creating a powerful rear-wheel-drive mid-size coupe that harkened back to that legacy, and simultaneously took on its contemporaries from Europe... all while employing only six cylinders. Imagine if Ford made a modern version of the T-bird today, propelled by its 2.7-liter turbo V6. It would rule the street!
Had a new 1990 SC in Titanium with black cloth interior. Car was ahead of its time. Sure wish I still had it. I could beat Mustang GTs off the line. Loved the JBL system too. It thumped.
I would be interested in a new T-Bird. Based on the Mustang platform with similar outer dimensions and more interior room. Base engine could be an NA 2.7 with optional engines starting at the 2.7 ecoboost all the way up to the 6.2.
Spent alot of time turning the mustang into the tbird. In 1983 you had a 2.3 turbo, a 3.8 v-6 and a 5.0 v-8. Almost every time the mustang was "upgraded", they just threw tbird parts at it. The 1993 cobra used a 87-88 turbo coupe rear end to gain disc brakes. The one thing the mustang has always lacked, is an acceptable rear seat. My buddy bought a 2012 mustang. To move the seat back enough I could get inside of it, it touched the back seat. Whole time I was driving and we hit a bump, the leather would squeak.
Yeah, I'm learning this the hard way. Inherited mine at 109,500mi. Now at 110,000mi and I'm slowly teaching myself how to take the top end out over this past week. Can't hold coolant so it doesn't hold temps. I was told not to cheap out on getting a new Gasket set because you don't want to have to get back in there again anytime soon.
The sensation of a 3 ton, supercharged, adaptive suspension grand tourer ripping 6 sec 0 - 60 is a rare sensation, at least back then and not 6 figure prices
![1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe Review [MN-12]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YKMzjPDAk3o/mqdefault.jpg)
In 1989, you had the Thunderbird SC, Escort GT, Probe GT, Mustang GT, Taurus SHO...That was the BEST year for Ford! Something for everyone!
I think 2018 was better though.
Fiesta ST
Focus ST
Fusion Sport
Taurus SHO
Mustang GT
I had an 89 Probe GT…of the 20 something cars I’ve had, this was by the far my most loved.
@@331Grabber90s ford can never get on that level again
2018 had it best imo in terms of a choice for everyone:
Focus ST
Fiesta ST
Fusion Sport
Mustang GT or other cool trims
Taurus SHO
Edge Sport
Explorer Sport
This is actually a VERY good-looking car. And probably at least a couple years ahead of the curve. I wouldn't have thought much about it back then, but seeing it now as a new car, dang. It looks damn good!
agreed. Also supercharging that V6 at the time was amazing. The 3.8 was a good engine for sure. Obviously today everyone wants high feature DOHC engines but nothing to be ashamed about with the 3.8 pushrod from ford. Great setup for sure back then
and they look aggressive going down the road and coming at cha!! It handled like my ol second gen camaro I came from when I got my first one. It is classified as a luxury sports car for a reason. Great cars all of them from mid 80's thru 97 that last full size body which was also a nascar back in those days.
I bought one new in 1990 and loved the car. Handled great, had tons of power and torque. it sure felt faster than the numbers indicate and would smoke the tires forever. Most fun big car I ever owned. I have since owned smaller, nimbler and more agile cars, but I would have the T bird back in a heartbeat.Probably my favorite of the many cars I have owned these past 48 years.
You are totally right about the handling, which most people ignore. It was a big, heavy car but it managed to put out a ton of grip and had amazingly neutral steering. Kicking the back end out (for fun) was always just a dab of the throttle away if you wanted, and it never understeered.
Totally right about spinning the rear tires too. It was child's play, and in the rain on worn tires you could really have some fun.
I was 23 In 1991 and lucky enough to be dating a girl whose daddy bought her a brand spanking new white w/ maroon interior '91 SC 5-speed Super Chicken. She hated it, I of course fucking loved it! I think about that car all the time, her not so much. Her sister lived in Cincinnati and cruising the SC up and down I-75 in between Jellico and Cincinnati was always a blast. At that time, it was the fastest car I had ever driven and remained the fastest for a long time. It handled great in town as well as on the highway. Surprisingly , it got around well in the snow too. I miss that car.
I completely agree. I own a Supercoupe and own and have owned alot of cars/projects. If you haven't owned or taikin a Supercoupe for a long drive then you wouldn't understand. Of course assuming the Supercoupe runs like new and there's a ton of sensors/readings these cars computers go off of to make them run.
Ford Thunderbird is great, beautifull and confortable car. Excellent car
I bought a 1990 Super Coupe last year with 45k original miles.
This was my first car, got it brand new in April of '89.... Got snowed in in winter '93 and traded it in for an Explorer in '94..... Oh how I wish I had that car back.
explorer is a pretty dependable suv, the SC's had a stressed essex block, an engine known for blowing head gaskets. Cool car, just dont expect it to go beyond 100k without a head gasket job.
Kinda funny how the 3.8 Essex was a "flipped" Buick 3.8
@@muhdewd9727 my 89 has over 100k
My 4th car I got was a mint condition 96 thunderbird LX 4.6 v8 runs soo fast I won a good hand full of races with it I love thunder birds
Yes, loved mine!! Put snow tires on for winter and it handled better then any fwd car could ever!! Miss it so much!!!! Only dislike was the beeping for an upshift when heavy acceleration took place. 90 SC candy apple red.
6 seconds is pretty damn good
unrealistic. it was known for 7-7.5.
quarter mile was 87mph. it took 6 seconds for 60 and another 9 seconds to hit 87mph?
totally inaccurate
+Matt Thompson Probably. Those Thunderbirds were not very quick. O-60 was 7.5 for Motor Trend and 7.1 for C&D
Well, they did say it was a cold day. And those engines loved the cold.
Absolutely. It was pretty quick for the time (with good gas mileage), and could probably be amazing these day. Where it really shined was the highway, where you could lope along in 5th gear with instant grunt at your disposal.
I remember when this car was about to be released, and they would cover the windows at the dealership. Such great memories.
👍🤝🏽💯
I can't help but watch all of these MotorWeek video's!!!! Brings back so many good memories of the 80' and 90's...
I had an ‘89 and a ‘92. The ‘89 was a five-speed, and the ‘92 was a automatic. I loved these cars. They were amazing highway cruisers!
A 1989 manual thunderbird hits 60 in 6 seconds. That’s pretty awesome!
Ford Thunderbird is beautiful, confortable and nice car
The '90s and before that were the best times on this planet
80s to 90s were amazing time carwise; They were selling cars like THIS next to stuff with the aerodynamics of a small detached 1 bedroom apartment.
Everyone drives neat little shoeboxes now
I just was givin one from my son for my 50th birthday silver 5spd exactly as tested. I love it ❤❤❤ amazing car to drive. I LOVE YOU SON
I had a 97 cougar xr7 with the 4.6, one of my favorite luxury cruisers I've ever had. Drove like a dream
I've had 5 T-Birds in all 89-97 models (never the SC, sadface) and it was a fantastic vehicle, selling the final 97 in 2013. Very stable, very comfy and easily one of the coolest looking vehicles at the time (and still). I do miss it.
All these years later, 2022, and one wonders if Ford will soon introduce an all electric Thunderbird? Even if it is proportionately between an SUV and traditional coupe. The Thunderbird name and tradition are valuable and should be important to Ford. Thunderbirds have been many cars over the years, it would be great to see the return of this majestic name.
Man! Brings back some memories. My first car was a 1989 Super Coupe. As a kid out of high school, first job, going to college, I picked it up in a small used car lot. I really wanted a blue Camaro RS convertible, but the T-bird was more within my budget.
I learned to drive stick on that car. Loved it!! Years later, some mechanic scammed me and ended up running the engine. I ended up selling the car, and picked up a black 94 Mustang GT convertible with a 5.0. That was a cool car, but it never equaled the SC. Eventually, I sold it and picked up my dream car: a mint 95 SC, pearl white with a 5-speed. And learned to work on cars myself. Lol.
Yo' Momma I feel ur pain as far crooked mechanis
Red is a colour that has always looked good on Thunderbirds.
So does Dark Blue.
Mine is a blue color I’m working on it
The color Dark Green...and the color black...are my favorite on T-Birds
I agree
Amen brother!
The world needs a new Thunderbird. Maybe doesn't deserves it, but needs it.
So this had an IRS back in 1989, but the Mustang didn't get it till 2015
+Xbox360Player350 or 2003 with the Cobra.
+Xbox360Player350 The Cobra got IRS in 1999. But yes, the MN12 T-Bird/Cougar had IRS in 1989. The Mark VIII got it in 1993. And then it finally became standard on the Mustang in 2015. It took Ford a long time to get the 'Stang out of the 20th century.
+Chris Haywood They did if because they were being outlapped on the Nürburgring where automakers test vehicles to their limits. A 2015 Mustang still gets blown away by a V8 CTS though, which is sad.
+9890jsp The only CTS with a V8 is the CTS-V... nobody should feel bad about being beaten by a CTS-V.
+Granny Shifting that and the last CTS-V's had a 5.7l supercharged engine and cost tens of thousands more. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison lol!
This car was a torque monster highly underrated!
This car was insanely beautiful back in the 90's! First time I saw one I thought it was a Ford Taurus coupé.
My dad had one of this birds, it was like a spaceship for me... good memories 😎
I just bought this car same red color 1990 Thunderbird SC ; 1 owner ;own by old state trooper 100k miles on it. Excellent condition kept in a garage. I f'n love this car. I wish Ford would bring back the SC model not retro old Thunderbird style look.
Fords rock.
Ford sucks.
I am neutral on Ford...
Good car it was like the Ford Taurus sho and mustang mix together
1989 Tbird owner here. It was left neglected in a driveway under a tree for 8 years and little by little I'm tearing it down and putting it back together. Next step is to rebuilt the upper ends.
My dad had a blue one. I loved it since I was a baby. He sold it in 2005 after driving it for 16 years. Great car that's sorely missed!
Love these throw backs. this was my first car.
my dad had one 5 speed crazy car
Ian Pleasant This is my first car too! Such a beautiful and fun car to drive
me too i miss it i had more fun driving it then a couple of the 11-12sec qtr mile cars ive had since
a dog with bad hips lol. I had a generic 94 tbird with 4.6L. When I had exhaust done on it, the muffler guy was amazed at the suspension. It wasn't an SC or turbo but it still had stabilizer bars and IRS. It handled very, very well for a base tbird. I drove it till it rusted out. I loved it.
My first car was a white 89 SC 5-speed...loved that car...
Love the T-Bird SC. Please post the episode with the '94 SC and XR7.
Being that it was released on 89 still looks good and had so many gadgets as the more expensive cars. Fall in love when i saw it at the dealership. 1991 thunderbird. Gorgeous
Ford didn't get the bugs worked out of that 3.8L Essex engine until long after they pulled the plug on the T-Bird. They were never all that reliable.
Once Ford gave in and put a proper V8 in these things, they were great cars. I had a 1995 in college with the updated interior and overhead cam V8, and it was probably the best car I've ever owned. Reliable, fun, and built like a tank.
Robert Allen. what do you mean "gave in"? these had the V8 from the beginning, but the SC V6 was the top performance model.
Nope. When this generation of Thunderbird was introduced in 1989, there was no V8 engine option. 1991 was the first year for a V8 in this generation of T-Bird. In 1989 and 1990, your only options were the 3.8 V6 or the supercharged 3.8 V6.
You are wrong about reliability, though. I drove my 1989 SC from '96 to 2010 with hardly an issue at all. Then some things started to pop up, but the car was 21 years old by that time! Oh, and even at 21 y/o you could still embarrass most modern sports cars if you were good with the 5 speed.
The supercharged variant of the 3.8L had low compression heads, that did not have the head gasket problems of N/A 3.8L if that's what you're getting at.
They had low compression pistons, used the same heads as the N/A. Yes they did have huge issues with head gaskets, go on SCCOA, everyone tells you they will blow head gaskets like crazy if you use the full 12psi of boost very often.
As someone who couldn't find a SC I went with the LX with the 5.0 and can tell you for sure it was one of my top 5 favorite cars out of about 40. Road great, handled decent, moved out pretty good, I absolutely loved the interior, and best of all the reliability!
I drove one of these in high school in the early 00s. 315 ftlbs at 2600 rpms. This thing used to smoke all sorts of cars of the line. And that supercharger whine was beautiful. Such a fun car.
It didn't have near those torque numbers.
@@markbrinton6790 Yes It did have those Torque numbers, that's why it was so quick to 60, But the low 210 HP in a pretty heavy car also gave you low quarter mile trap speeds.figure it out it's pretty simple.
@@danwatne4481 those torque numbers were 1994/1995, not 1989. Figure it out it's pretty simple.
Such a wonderful car, still looks good today.
Very beautiful this Ford Thunderbird. What hp and torque?
@@fernandorocha8459 210hp 315 t
I've had a '93 5 speed for 3 years. It was a total beast, even with a bad synchro. Last year it split the crank and as a result is undergoing a full rebuild, including a stage 2 comp cam to sweeten it up ;)
They're fantastic cars and definitely live up to their reputation!
Fantastic cars usually don't split cranks.
Any engine being ran hard will have issues, minor or major. Who knows what torture they've put that engine through?
I had the exactly same thing happen to mine (it split the crankshaft). Thing is, it happened in 2013, to a 1989 SC. I'd say 24 years of reliable, strong running is pretty fantastic, no?
robertorolfo the 89's & 90's model had a cast iron crank, 91 and newer had a forged steel crank if I remember correctly
@@BrownBomber92181 89s had forged cranks and rods
I owned an 89 and a 93. The 89 was white with white SC rims...it looked sweet in the 90's...was a blast to drive and race light to light...315 ft lb of torque but only 210 hp. 😢 If I had a do over I would have bought the 302 ho model and yanked the wheels, bumpers, and ground effects off the SC.
That was the problem. There was no 302 H.O. just a 160 HP weezer 302.
Now if they had offered the 225 HP 302 with a 5-Speed that would have been cool.
I had an 86 3.8 liter tbird and a 97' 3.8 liter tbird in my life I will always love the 83-97 fox body man they are great running beautiful machines.
My SC is in the shop rn. Been there for about 3 months now when i get sad about it i just watch videos about them. Shame there arent many
Why in shop?
These were fun cars to drive, and ahead of its time. They were geared ridiculously tall, but had gobs of torque. 330 lbs/ft at 2500 rpm. If you really want to wake them up, swap out the stock rear end for 3.73's, I did that in my 91 and that thing was a rocket.
6 seconds to 60 is bonkers from this. I had one back in the day and it was awesome. Such a great looking car for the era too
I knew a true Ford guy who had a 1989 Thunderbird S/C and then bought an incredible 1995 Thunderbird S/C new off the lot! That was very low production and had a new 1990s interior, and 230hp vs 210hp.
had one and loved it!
Never met a fellow SC driver that didn't love it. Plus the knowing looks when you (rarely) saw another one on the road.
robertorolfo Yup!
My first brand-new car was a 1988 Turbo Coupe. Then I bought a '90 Super Coupe in early 1993. Loved them both!
I still miss mine!
I had a '91 SC. The torque this car produced was absolutely intoxicating.
Thank you for more footage like this. It is appreciated.
Great retro video....I was in High School around this time and the SHOs and SCs were bad azz cars.
0-60 in 6.0 secs flat and 1/4 mile in 15.7? should be more like 14.7 with that kind of 0-60 time.
+marko27513 what i was thinking, maybe it died out as speeds got higher.
+marko27513 The car's weight and gearing aren't as suited to the quarter mile specifically. The Mazda sourced M5R2 transmission has truck low gearing in 1st and 2nd gear, with a final drive of 2.73, it works out well to 60mph in the top of 2nd gear, 3rd-5th gears go to less trucky ratios and are all very tall gears, 3rd will take you to about 110-115mph, 4th which will take you to about 140, 5th will top out at 167 if you have the horse power to pull the gear. This basically results in the slower 1/4 mi times. The cars have very good aerodynamics though and it pulls strong at a rolling cruise, think autobahn gt car and that's how it behaves. I daily drive a '92 SC 5-speed, with light bolt-ons they easily overcome steepness of 3rd gear and run 13sec 1/4 mi times.
+Kupidzheart Do yall not understand gearing? It had taller gears for highway driving. V8's of the time where not going any faster. This car had the same power that a 5.7L Corvette had basicly. Which wasn't much over 200 HP.
+CarlsCustomCreations of course I understand gearing and P to W ratios.
Times should have been around 0-60 in 6.7 and a 15.7 @ 87 MPH 1/4 mile. These cars had 12lb boost and 210 HP and 315TQ. They also were not geared for the track with a 2.73 rear gear. They really pull well in 2nd gear though.
love them Thunderchickens from back in the day!
Rccr Dawgs Thunderbird, cougar and Mark Vlll was slick cars almost bought a new back in the 90's oh i had a 96 cougar and Thunderbird 97 personal lurxury
A few years back one of these ('93?) showed up on the local CL. Champagne with a beautiful grey int. They were only asking 4k. Didn't have enough cash sitting around at the time. 🙁 Always liked these.
I own a 92 with the auto trans with a 15% under drive pully, cold air kit, bigger injection and headers dino 380 hp and 460 torque it all coast me $1500 fastest street car I ever drove
Back when Ford gave a shit about the car market.They had some nice iron back in 80's and 90's.
profit became more important than pride in 1998
First time I thought the side view of this resembles the BMW 6 series. Both great looking.
A buddy of mine had one of these in black with some FlowMasters on it. That thing was BAD ASS back in the day. I think it was either newer or a higher level model. Looked better and had a factory lip and other cool looking stuff though.
God I miss mine . I used to had a 95 T- bird Lx V8 when that baby would take me into places like from point A to point B in a Flash.
John was very happy there was oil pressure and voltmeter at 3:44 😅😅😅
Damn, I never realized they were that quick for that time....I always preferred the Turbo Coupe over the Super Coupe, but that's because I didn't know the difference in performance (still prefer turbo over supercharging any day), but in reality, I was always a Cougar fan(of that generation, T-Bird of the previous), I had a 91 5.0 XR7 with a swapped T56.
Still gorgeous 31 years later.
I’m not a Ford guy but I LOVED this car! Back in the day a friend of mine had one in Midnight Blue and it was awesome!!!
I'm a Ford guy thru an thru. '16 F250 and new '18 Taurus SHO in driveway.
I like the 5.0 Thunderbird as well all black LOOKED! Very NICE
I had a 91 in white. Still love that car. Got to 155 mph. Loved the supercharger whine. Hated driving it in winter. Wound up trading it in for an Expedition. Wish i still had it
A buddy of mine had a '94 Super Coupe about 20 years ago when we were fresh out of high school. We did some crazy stuff with that car. I'm pretty sure we set the record for fastest trip from Madison to Minneapolis.
A woman I worked with had a white 90. She had a ton of trouble with it. Ford did the headgaskets at 34k, a supercharger at 39k via extended warranty, rear calipers and rotors that simply stopped working at 40k.That's where Ford stopped and her wallet took over.. Failed oil pump at 55k resulted in a new short block and ANOTHER supercharger. The fuel pump died at 70k and we then found that a rear spring was cracked, and the pinion seal was leaking badly. That resulted in a new rear end from Ford which was big $$. Now the car was just 6 yrs old, and rust took over. A local body shop found that the car's rear quarter windows didn't have enough sealant on them, and the water was pooling in the rockers and quarter panels. She sold it in 97..
I used to have a pic of this car on my wall as a kid and almost traded my car in for one when younger. I think along with the early 90's Probe and the Taurus Ford had a really modern looking line up.
Great review MW guys!!! Please, keep on adding the Retro clips:)))
I had a 91 SC with the 5 speed. It had a lot of low end torque but after 4000 rpm there wasn't much power left. I can see how they got a quick 0-60 time but slow 1/4 mile and trap speed. It was also geared very tall. You could hit over 60 in 2nd gear. At 60 on the highway in 5th it was only turning around 16 to 17 hundred rpm. The adjustable suspension was either quite firm or really soft and springy. I liked the sound of the motor. It was deep and had a nice growl. Not thrashy or raspy like some v6 motors. The interior was cheap. Seats were comfy. The steering was quick and sharp though the steering column seemed like it was mounted by rubber bands. Any bump would cause the colum to shake and vibrate a lot. I only had it for maybe a year and a half. No major issues though I got rid of it b4 anything big went wrong. Overall it was an ok car.
Ford really restricted these engines, thats why they ran out of breath after 4k rpms. Remove the air silencer, replace the restricted exhaust manifolds with headers, put ina high flow exhaust and install a smaller blower pulley and this engine would really scream.
Owned 11 of these things. Bought some, built some. Was addicted. Their getting so hard to find clean and unhacked.
My first car was a 1991 SC. Took my drivers test in it and passed on my first try. I'd only been driving a stick for about a month at the time.
Had its twin ‘90 cougar supercharged. Fun car to drive.
Remember going to college my neighbor across the street who was in his early fifties had the sc model and i thought that was the nicest car ever! now im his age and how time flyes!
I never even knew there was such a thing as the TBird SC, yet this is the ONLY 80s car of any type I like.
Buddy had one of these. Pretty quick. Blew the head gasket though.
Yeah these tended to do that
My first car was a 89 V6 non SC cougar then I saw a 91 5.0 red t-bird for $900 In 2001 and I jumped on that... I was delighted to have that at age 15 but I got it towed for almost 2 grand worth of parking tickets so I sadly just let them have it and instead I got a 94 4.6 tbird like a year n half later but the 2nd or 3rd gear started to go on it. That was the end of my ford days,I had a 93 LSC for a week but I traded it for a 92 bmw 325i sedan and then it was a bmw obsession from there.
Love the Thunderbird SC! A highly underrated car. Just disappointed with the head gaskets blowing every 70,000 miles.
The front of the thunderbird looks like a 1992 crown victoria.
I've thought the same thing.
Actually Ford copied the front of the Thunderbird to the 1992 Crown Victoria.
It's a good thing BMW and Porsche don't do any thing like that with their cars. Can you imagine how silly that would look? Whole lot full of cars with the same face! Year after year!
Yeah I know that's why Ford put a grill on the Crown Victoria the year after cause people were confusing it as a four door Thunderbird.
Precisely, I thought just the same as you.
It looks like a Crown Vic from the 1990's, but not as wide as the Crown, isn't?
But I guess this engine reaches more or less among 200 and 250 HP, isn't?
Ford has always have very powerful engines in all it's history, isn't?
Amazing car, i had one and i loved it!!!! Wish i could get one again.
My uncle had a 94 4.6. We called it the thunderturd. Had trac lock (posi), constant burnouts and donuts. A fun dependable car. We would beat the crap out of it and it just kept on going, no problem.
My dad had a t bird w the 4.6 not really fast but soo smooth so comfortable and he drove it for 10 years no issues
doing headgaskets in my 89 xr7 cougar right now haha.. can't wait to get it running, had the car given to me with all of the parts for some work i did.
+dtotheponcharo Take notes, you'll be doing it again ;)
deleting the cats hoping that might help a little haha
+frankbergmanII If it is the V6...unfortunatly yes :/
aluminum heads with an iron block doesn't help when also combined with boost and too much back pressure/restrictive exhaust.. i think it's a combination of the three that kills the gaskets so fast.. im deleting the cats this time as a start to see how much that helps.
I had a 1995 supercharge Thunderbird. I love that car I can believe I sold it. I know now days this car's are a legend...
My housemate at college had a dark blue Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. A great looking cat, but a shame that it only lasted 85k miles
gorgeous car
...if you're favorite flavor is BLAND.
Loved my Titanium Super Coupe. Made a great companion for my SHO.
I remember when the 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe arrived... it was a car ahead of it's time. One of the most beautiful cars ever made by Ford.
J M Bauzo
Owned new...'85 Turbo Coup...'87 Turbo Coup...'91 Super Coup all were best in class. Automatic, 5 speed, 5 speed.
By far the '85 was my fav. It was somewhat of a special factory offering. The dealer made mention of not ever seeing an oil cooler or electric day night rear view mirror on the TC. It also was the fastest of the three with 17 lbs of boost on her 2.3.
Unfortunately, she got rear ended at 40 MPH while stopped at a light by an over due pregnant lady who delivered the next day.
The lady called us and said her and baby were fine.
@@u2mister17 Hello my friend. Yes, I love the 1983-1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupes. Ford really did a good job with those Thunderbirds. Yes, I still remember the first time I saw an '85 Turbo Coupe with the newly added Goodyear Gatorback tires... beautiful and fast. :)))
@@jmbauzo6180 The '85 was the 2 tone darker red over gray with darkened glass and the Googyear VR's. Just beautiful.
@@u2mister17 my friend. Your Turbo Coupe was really beautiful. Plus that fine red molding around the car... wowww!!! You are blessed. You owned three T-Birds. I never owned one because at that time I was too young to buy a car. But my elder brother owned a 1987 Mercury Cougar XR-7. It was light blue with the lower titanium paint. My Lord... the Ford products of those years are great!!!
@@jmbauzo6180 Those were the days. My wife has the nice car now, I drive a '00 Expedition.
i bought a 91 thunderbird sc in 1993 it was a 1991 still have the car has about 88 k miles now quick fun car to drive ! :-)
A 6-second 0-60 is shockingly good for a 1989 American car.
Yes but the 15.9 quarter mile? What the hell happened after 60mph??? Lol
I think this will be my future car.
I currently own a black 94 LX 4.6L 60k original miles. Its beautiful and will rick and roll!!
Whether anyone realizes it or not, Ford's MN12 coupes nailed it. The legacy of unmodified, street-legal mid-size 2+3 muscle coupes was finally restored during the unleaded gasoline era by the T-bird, Cougar, and Mark VIII. Not since the big-V8 days of the Chevy Chevelle SS and Pontiac GTO had American auto makers produced such a performance-minded family car. Overall, the automotive press seemed reluctant to acknowledge Ford's accomplishment here. Ford actually succeeded in creating a powerful rear-wheel-drive mid-size coupe that harkened back to that legacy, and simultaneously took on its contemporaries from Europe... all while employing only six cylinders. Imagine if Ford made a modern version of the T-bird today, propelled by its 2.7-liter turbo V6. It would rule the street!
Had a new 1990 SC in Titanium with black cloth interior. Car was ahead of its time. Sure wish I still had it. I could beat Mustang GTs off the line. Loved the JBL system too. It thumped.
My aunt had a old Ford windstar with the 3.8 and it had over 400k with only the only thing "major"was a motor mount
My FAV SC T-Bird design, if not my FAV T-Bird period.
Thumbs up for Ford to make a modern Turbo Coupe or super Coupe Thunderbird hopefully they see this
A guy in my hometown bought a 94 and the Ford store guys said it ran like a scalded dog.
Oh I miss my TBird Super Coupe!!
yep the 5-liter V8 was the best and most reliable engine
*5.8
300 I6?
302 351 289 hands down best ford ever put out they will run forever
5.0 was a good engine, but they all had a minor oil leak. That was changed after the oil pan gasket was revised...
3:39 you can already see the interior coming apart.
LOL
ALWAYS WANTED ONE! AND STILL DO!!
I would be interested in a new T-Bird. Based on the Mustang platform with similar outer dimensions and more interior room. Base engine could be an NA 2.7 with optional engines starting at the 2.7 ecoboost all the way up to the 6.2.
Spent alot of time turning the mustang into the tbird.
In 1983 you had a 2.3 turbo, a 3.8 v-6 and a 5.0 v-8.
Almost every time the mustang was "upgraded", they just threw tbird parts at it.
The 1993 cobra used a 87-88 turbo coupe rear end to gain disc brakes.
The one thing the mustang has always lacked, is an acceptable rear seat. My buddy bought a 2012 mustang. To move the seat back enough I could get inside of it, it touched the back seat. Whole time I was driving and we hit a bump, the leather would squeak.
I had a white one SC, loved that Tbird, my boss had a black 5 speed.
The only thing quick about a 3.8 was the head gasket life.....
Yeah, I'm learning this the hard way. Inherited mine at 109,500mi. Now at 110,000mi and I'm slowly teaching myself how to take the top end out over this past week. Can't hold coolant so it doesn't hold temps. I was told not to cheap out on getting a new Gasket set because you don't want to have to get back in there again anytime soon.
Thunda-Birds are go!
The sensation of a 3 ton, supercharged, adaptive suspension grand tourer ripping 6 sec 0 - 60 is a rare sensation, at least back then and not 6 figure prices
Weighs 3500
@@rayschultz387 feels even heavier but in a good way