The Thunderbird entered the aerodynamic era with the ninth-generation T-Bird introduced in 1983, and its slick shape soon proved itself in NASCAR.
The story of the ’83-’88 Aero Birds actually begins with a Lincoln, the aerodynamic Continental Concept 90 (above). Disenchanted with both the boxy styling and weak sales of the 1980 Thunderbird, Ford president Donald Petersen asked styling chief Jack Telnack to reach out for a more dramatic design, and Telnack directed his staff to work out a new T-Bird based on the Lincoln proposal.
The ninth-generation Thunderbird that resulted was based on the same Fox platform as the previous ’80-’82 ‘Birds, but a with a strikingly new and decidedly slick exterior. Ford claimed a reduction in drag coefficient from .50 to .35, a new mark for aerodynamic efficiency from the Dearborn carmaker. Thunderbird enthusiasts, inevitably, awarded this generation of ‘Birds the nickname Aero Bird.
Rolled out before the public on February 17, 1982, the 1983 Thunderbird (above) owed much of its look to the Continental Concept 90—as would the production Continental Mark VII that followed in ’84. Available engines included a 3.8 liter V6 and a 5.0 liter V8, but the most powerful Thunderbird powerplant was a 2.3 liter turbocharged four with 142 hp.
Ford built a new Thunderbird model around the turbo four for ’83 with sporty suspension calibrations and blackout trim, the Turbo Coupe. “To say that this car is the best new Thunderbird in years is a dramatic understatement,” gushed the editors of Road & Track magazine. However, sales failed to rise much above the disappointing 1980 numbers. The personal-luxury class, once owned by Thunderbird, had changed. Now there were multiple competitors in the segment from all over the Motor City, even as the category was losing its steam.
For 1987-88, the final two years of the ninth generation, the Thunderbird received a styling makeover with flush-mounted headlamps and swept-back quarter windows, also flush-mounted. Meanwhile, the Turbo Coupe (above) was given a dramatic no-grille front end treatment much like the ’84-’86 Mustang SVO. The tenth-generation Thunderbird introduced in 1989 continued the Aero Bird’s aerodynamic styling theme.
The Detroit automakers have long boasted of low-drag aerodynamic design, but it doesn’t necessarily (or often) equate to speed on the race track. However, the Aero Birds were more than competitive in NASCAR through the ’80s, especially a red one from Dawsonville, Georgia driven by Bill Elliott (below, with his ’85 car), who often ran away with the show on the big high-speed ovals. At Talladega on April 30, 1987, in qualifying for the Winston 500, Elliott turned in an average speed of 212.809 mph, a record that still stands as the fastest qualifying lap in NASCAR history.
It seems so quaint today to read about NASCAR racers that were actually real cars, at least based on cars you could go to a dealership and buy.
By the 1980s the cars were far from stock. I believe the only original panels were the roof and hood.
The 83 T Bird racing body still was very stock. The body sides were significantly flared exc at Daytona and Talladega. The nose, tail, roof, hood, trunk, and glass were OEM everywhere. If NASCAR could have slowed Elliott by enforcing the rules, they’d have done it, because he was making the races look silly.
Yes. I followed NASCAR way back when. Couldn’t care less now.
I thought the 1983 T-Bird was a real improvement over the previous generation, and I am especially fond of the 1987-1988 models!!!
My dad handed me down his ’87 T-Bird with the 5.0 (non-HO) in high school, and it’s the only car I’ve sold that I’d truly want back. (I’ve kept the other ones I’d regret selling.) You don’t see many Aerobirds around anymore, which is a shame because they’ve aged pretty well. Today, I prefer the ’85-’86, but they all look great.
Always liked the 83-86 more than the 87-88 years. They were hard to find on the used market, nobody wanted to get rid of them! I ended up getting my first Tbird, a 92 Sport when it was a year old, really loved that car. Had the 5.0 HO, rode and drove like a dream. Hated to get rid of it, but had to have more rear seat room for two very fast growing boys!
We bought am ’83 Heritage for my wife off the showroom floor. I can’t sugar coat it, the car had some issues. The AOD transmission digested itself at 14,000 miles, both window regulators went out within a.couple of days of each other, the rack&pinion sent bad, and to top it all off, the heater core sprang a fast leak. Almost forgot the voracious appetite for front tires until I found that adding extra camber resolves the problem.
Still, she drove it 150k miles and traded for a ’95 bird V8 premium that now has 190k miles, but several freeze plugs leaky or gone. She hasn’t touched it in years, and it is under a shed with a car cover.