Overview & Reviews

Unlike today, vehicle choices were pretty limited 50 years ago when the Ford Thunderbird first took flight. There were sedans, coupes, station wagons and convertibles, but essentially a Ford was a Ford -- straightforward variations on a common design. With the 1955 T-bird, however, Ford introduced the notion of a sporty "personal luxury car" -- a close-coupled two-seater with V8 power, a cushy ride and elegant styling. It also had the simple construction and reasonable price of a Ford.

What that first cozy Thunderbird convertible didn't have was much extra room for more people and things -- but when this was addressed in 1958, Ford's Thunderbird really took off. That year it became a bigger, heavier car, a four-seater available as a coupe or convertible with a blocky body that gave rise to the nickname "Square Bird." A much cleaner fighter jet-inspired body design debuted in the early 1960s and the sleek, missile-like profile earned these cars the moniker "Bullet Bird." The mid-'60s saw sharper-edged lines for the body, though the basic platform remained mostly unchanged.

Things really started to get weird in the later '60s, '70s and early '80s. Within this span of time, the Thunderbird convertible was dropped, a four-door version with suicide doors and landau irons was offered briefly, the car grew to the size and shape of a Lincoln Mark IV and was then downsized twice, first in 1977 and again to a Fairmont-based platform in 1980. Yep, the Ford Thunderbird "celebrated" its 25th anniversary in fine style, riding atop an economy car's chassis and sporting less than 130 horsepower from its V8 engine. But it did have a heavily padded landau top complete with opera lights as well as a digital dashboard, so things weren't that bad, right?

Interesting things happened during the mid- and late 1980s, when style and performance returned in the form of the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and its successor, the Super Coupe. The former had a turbocharged inline-4 while the latter sported a supercharged V6. The Thunderbird stayed with this format (standard coupe with V6 or V8 power and the hyper Super Coupe) through the late 1990s, at which point the Thunderbird died a quiet death due to slow sales and general disinterest in the personal luxury coupe market.

For the new millennium, Ford resurrected the Thunderbird. As a full-circle, retro-inspired return of the original two-seat roadster, the new Thunderbird garnered plenty of attention and initial hype. Still more about motoring with a little extra flair and panache than driving fast and hard, the Thunderbird seemed poised for success. It never met with much critical acclaim, however. Sales were brisk at first but slowed considerably afterwards. Ford ended production after four years.

Those shopping for a used Ford Thunderbird built in the last 20 years have lots of choices in terms of configurations, powertrains and styling. The best T-birds from the 1990s are the ones with V8 power. Driving enthusiasts may want to look for the performance-oriented but much rarer Super Coupe from the same era. Finally, the more recent two-seat roadster will no doubt satisfy those with retro "cruising" fantasies and could quite possibly become a future classic.

Most Recent Ford Thunderbird

In 1999 Ford displayed a concept car that brought the Thunderbird back full-circle to its roots as an open two-seat roadster. The response was overwhelming, and three years later it had a production version ready for 2002. The designers did such a great job that this "modern" Thunderbird managed to preserve the sleek styling cues of the original without looking like a four-wheel caricature.

As a basis, Ford used the same platform as it did for the Lincoln LS sedan. As such, some criticism was leveled at the Thunderbird's interior, as it was perceived as being too similar to the LS's and lacking in design flair. At the time, we suspected that buyers would have accepted a higher sticker price in exchange for unique, Thunderbird-specific pieces for the dash and center console. The pleated leather seats and door panels, however, recalled the days when auto upholstery resembled the seating in a diner's booth.

On the road, the new 'Bird performed quite well with its independent suspension and 3.9-liter V8 with a five-speed automatic transmission. But it didn't make the claims of a sports car; its mission in life was that of a comfortable boulevard cruiser. The Thunderbird gained 28 hp in 2003 for a total of 280. Detail changes marked its final couple years, with trim and paint changes and a Light Sand Appearance Package in 2004, and 50th-anniversary badging and more trim changes inside and out for 2005. Though flawed, it was still fun to drive and fun to be seen driving, and it largely succeeded at straddling the fine line between luxury and performance.

Past Ford Thunderbird models

The previous-generation Ford Thunderbird coupe was produced from 1989-'97. At its debut, a new fully independent suspension helped ride and handling, but acceleration was disappointing due to the combination of a hefty curb weight and 140-hp base V6. A more inspiring alternative was the new Thunderbird Super Coupe, (SC) which used a supercharged version of the V6 to produce 210 hp. It transferred its power to the rear wheels through either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. A special-edition 35th-anniversary model of the Thunderbird SC arrived in 1990, and a 200-hp 5.0-liter V8 returned to the Thunderbird lineup in 1991 -- the preferred choice for most Thunderbird buyers.

The base Ford Thunderbird was dropped from the 1993 lineup, and the car was now available either as an LX (with either the V6 or V8), or as a Super Coupe with the supercharged V6. Dual airbags were made standard in 1994, and this car also featured revised front-end styling and Ford's new, more refined SOHC 4.6-liter V8. The Super Coupe flew the coop after '95, leaving just the LX model to soldier on. There was a new instrument cluster in 1997 plus some new colors and a new rear spoiler, but the car itself was doomed as Ford shifted its focus to increasingly popular -- and profitable -- SUVs and trucks.

In reviews of this Thunderbird, our editors wrote that they liked the car's sporty coupe body style, V8 power and reasonable price. With its decent-size backseat, we claimed that it was "a car for closet enthusiasts who need a car that is more mature than the Mustang."

User Reviews:

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  Stylish but grew unreliable over time - 1990 Ford Thunderbird
  By NWTransplant - May 30 - 2:00 am

  I got a base 90 T-bird at 59K miles and was happy at first. Satisfying performance, good cornering, spacious interior & trunk, and great styling thats unique to the old style big personal coupes. Hated the motorized seatbelts though. Thats a bad substitute for an airbag. Around 85-90K miles, it began to deteriorate despite my careful maintenance: air conditioner compressor went dead, alternator died, battery literally exploded under the hood, and transmission required a costly rebuild after it got its fluid and filter changed at 90K. Head gasket blew a few months after I sold it at 93K miles. Not a good prospect for long- term reliability.

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  T Bird 5.0 - 1993 Ford Thunderbird
  By David B - April 16 - 2:00 am

  had a while travelled from canada to Fl,rear wheel drive in snow in this car is sweaty palms stuff.At @75k had to replace almost everything but the steering wheel,but I still like the car,and lets be fair, most domestics fair the same.

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  1992 Super Coupe - 1992 Ford Thunderbird
  By PClark - March 13 - 2:00 am

  Decent car but been known to blow head gaskets and it did. 2 of them in 70,000. If the engine could hold together would be a decent car. Owners might want to be machanics so they can repair the heads on their own

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  Big Mistake - 1994 Ford Thunderbird
  By trina - July 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 94 T-Bird with 54,000 miles on it. Within a year I replaced the motor for the idle, the starter, the alternator, and now the transmission is going out. I would not recommend this car to anyone.

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  HEAD GASKETS!!!!!!!! - 1993 Ford Thunderbird
  By hooknose - April 14 - 2:00 am

  These cars blow headgaskets!!I wish I knew they blew ON ALL before I bought it.I didnt even have plates on it and the head gasket blew.Check engine light comes on at random, sometimes will go months in between occurences. I will be driving along, all of a sudden it starts hesitating and the check engine light comes on then goes right back off.I drive for a few more minutes and it works fine. Then stop at a traffic light and it runs fine then all of a sudden just stalls no hesitation no drop in rpm just bang its off. It takes water at random.In short, DO NOT BUY THE 3.8L V6!!!!! Seems as if the V8 is okay though, from what Ive heard and read.

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  lots o money - 1994 Ford Thunderbird
  By tp - September 11 - 2:00 am

  transmision, headgasket, brakes you name it i replaced it.... nice car fun to drive expensive to fix

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  Thunderbird Myth - 2002 Ford Thunderbird
  By Minninger - July 31 - 2:00 am

  The best $20,000 car Ive ever owned. Been a Ford person my entire life, but Ford missed it on this one. No engine power, transmission shifts when it wants (can not manually shift), engine hesitates terribly on downshifts, seats are made for someone twice as wide (no lateral support), suspension compromises wont make anyone happy. Clearcoat layer of paint was incomplete (looks like an amatuer did it). Door and trunk fit falls short of even Ford Focus standards. My 1994 Thunderbird, with more than 125,000 miles is twice the car at less than half the original price. How do you rate Reliability on a car with less than 4000 miles?

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  Overpriced, overhyped piece of scrap. - 2002 Ford Thunderbird
  By Marge Walker - May 22 - 2:00 am

  My husband bought this car for me, and I was shocked to learn its a $50,000 car. For the engine I got and the styling of the ride, its worth probably half that amount. The Ford hype-machine lives on, and definitely reeled my husband in, hook-line-and- sinker.

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  Big Disappointment - 1995 Ford Thunderbird
  By Zubrovka - April 14 - 2:00 am

  Pretty pearl paint has numerous imperfections, front cap was so shoddily mounted that factory bra wouldnt fit! Next problem was the transmission, it came up for recall. Since that time, it has had 3 complete rebuilds. Ford caught 2 of them under warranty and I paid for the last one. The V8 is a decent motor, too bad it was backed up by such a dog transmission. However, when everything is working right, it is a blast to drive. Still love the styling, almost a direct knockoff of a BMW 6 series coupe! Leather seats are supportive, have held up well, Moonroof has never leaked. The car is a Jeckyl/Hyde. My better idea? NO MORE FORDS!!!