You may or may not love the very ‘80s looking root beer over root beer color scheme (we love it!), but since you can’t order a new 1988 car, we can only consider what the market offers us. The ’88 V8 got a dual exhaust system and a 5hp bump over the ’87 model and it was the final year for this body style, which was fully remodeled for ’89.

The cars looked nice, drove and handled well, and were affordable. The V8 is a detuned version of the trusty fuel-injected 5.0L from the Mustang, trucks, and other models. It was offered as a “rental car spec” base level machine with a V6 engine, an upmarket LX version with a 5.0L V8, and also a performance minded Turbo Coupe with a turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine.

In the mid-‘80s, it hit upon a formula that worked from a production standpoint, and also made for a pleasant machine that drove and sold well, as Ford migrated the T-Bird onto the Mustang’s “Fox” body/chassis platform, with its own two-door coupe (only) body style. Got a RealRide you'd like to see featured here?ĭrop us a line at post “RealRides of WNY” appeared first on Buffalo CarsĪ new post appears daily on, featuring old/interesting cars & trucks either seen in and around Western New York & Southern Ontario, seen by locals in their travels, or seen somewhere on the road by ex-residents of the area.After its birth as a sporty 2-seater, then decades as a heavyweight cruiser, the Thunderbird had to define itself in the ‘70s and ‘80s as more of a mid-sized, mid-priced luxo-coupe. We came across this one at last year’s Wyoming Valley Car, Truck, and MC Show & Swap Meet. Connected to a very un-Thunderbird-like five-speed manual transmission, and riding on a suspension boosted by Ford’s “handling package” (which included among other things: anti-lock brakes, automatic ride control suspension, Quada-shock rear suspension, Goodyear VR 60 performance tires, and 16-inch aluminum wheels), it was somewhat of a sports car for people who needed a bit more room. That turbocharger was connected to Ford’s 2.3L four (definitely not the same 2.3 that had been powering Pintos and Mustang IIs for years), which featured port-injection and 142 horsepower. A mid-model year introduction, the Turbo Coupe was the darling of the automotive press at the time. – In my opinion you don’t see enough of the 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe at modern day car shows.

88 ford turbo coupe