In extreme contrast to its predecessors of the late 1970s, the 1983 Thunderbird was designed to minimize the use of chrome trim some trim levels limited it exclusively to the wheels. In the style of the Ford Probe concept cars and the 1982 Ford Sierra, the Thunderbird was designed for aerodynamic efficiency alongside its looks, with many of its body panels having rounded edges and its doors wrapping into the roof.

As a necessity to control development costs, the 1983 Thunderbird was forced to retain its Fox-platform chassis, including some of the interior being carried over slightly modified from the previous generation. Aside from the egg-crate grille and the Thunderbird emblem (which were both significantly updated), no styling cues were carried over. To give the car a more contemporary image, the body was completely redesigned from the ground up. One high level design management person referred to it as a 'Burnt Tennis Shoe.' Many members of design management thought it was a mistake. Caldwell approved it and Royer then developed it further in the wind tunnel. He and Master Modeler Sam Borg put the clay model together in a very short period of time. Dave Royer was assigned the task of putting a design similar to that on the Thunderbird package. The negative response by Telnack prompted the company to request the Thunderbird to be restyled completely.Ī Lincoln proposal was designed in the Lincoln-Mercury Studio which Mr. In 1980, Ford President Donald Petersen asked Ford Vice President of Design Jack Telnack of the 1980 Thunderbird: 'is this what you would want in your driveway?'. As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, personal luxury cars gradually became more sporting in image, with vehicles as the BMW 6-Series increasing in popularity. For the 1989 model year, this generation was replaced by the tenth-generation Ford Thunderbird, as the model line shifted from the Fox platform to the MN12 platform.įollowing the introduction of the 1980 Thunderbird, sales of the nameplate sharply decreased in comparison to its 1977–1979 predecessor, despite it being a more fuel-efficient vehicle. The ninth-generation Thunderbird is the counterpart of the Mercury Cougar (returning solely to a coupe configuration) and the Continental (later Lincoln) Mark VII (1984–1992).Īs with its predecessor, the ninth-generation Ford Thunderbird was produced in Atlanta Assembly and Lorain Assembly (in Hapeville, Georgia, and Lorain, Ohio, respectively). Powered by a variant of the Mustang SVO drivetrain, the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was developed as a high-performance variant. The 4.9 L V8 (5.0 L by Ford) made its return for 1983, coupled with the first (and only) four-cylinder Thunderbird.

The ninth-generation of the Thunderbird is derived from the Ford Fox platform, as with 1980 Thunderbird (though with a shorter wheelbase). As a central theme of the design, the ninth-generation Thunderbird marks the introduction of highly aerodynamic body design to Ford vehicles in North America (reducing its drag coefficient from 0.50 to 0.35), followed by similarly designed model lines, including the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO, 1984 Ford Tempo, 1986 Ford Aerostar, and 1986 Ford Taurus. While remaining a personal luxury coupe (to minimize overlap with the Ford Mustang), the redesign of the Thunderbird marked a transition of the model range, emphasizing performance and handling over outright luxury and comfort content. In response to the sales downturn of the 1980–1982 Thunderbird, the Thunderbird underwent an extensive model revision for the 1983 model year. The ninth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 1983 to 1988 model years.

Thunderbird car 1979