Still, the sales were enough to put the T-Bird at the top of the Personal Luxury category (Cougar XR-7 was 3rd behind the evergreen Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme). Ford was undoubtedly disappointed in the final sales tally for 1987: 128,135 were sold, down 22% from 1986 (companion Cougar XR-7 sold 104,526, down 23%). The fancy suspension was not applied to the “ordinary” T-Birds. The Turbo 4-cylinder was still too rough for a car like the Thunderbird. So what was the sum of all these changes? Was the Thunderbird now truly world class? Sadly, no. Engineers deserve credit for trying to wring more out of the humble Fox platform than most people would have dreamed possible… The electronically controlled shock absorber system was a sophisticated approach to balancing ride and handling. Ford was working hard to position the blown Bird as a halo model to attract the attention of discerning shoppers eyeing imports. Much attention was lavished on the Thunderbird Turbo. Audi’s designs today face the same problem: even enthusiasts can miss the newest models… consumer, the looks were probably not noticeable as a major refresh. While the 1987 T-Bird was fresh and attractive, the style was not shockingly different. One of the challenges with re-skinning an aerodynamic design is freshening the looks without adding clutter. While far short of the cost of a new platform, this was still a significant expenditure for a car at the late stage of its life cycle. The quarter billion that FoMoCo spent on the Thunderbird refresh was significant, equating to $550 million in today’s dollars. How well did Ford do? Have a look at Car and Driver’s extended preview drive report from October 1987. The T-Bird received a thorough restyle along with significantly reworked suspension components–in essence a thorough overhaul of an existing platform. (first posted ) One of the bigger introductions from a domestic brand for 1987 was the revamped Ford Thunderbird.
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