The Thunderbird is known to be a mythical beast, but in case of automobiles, Ford made a stellar job of making it come to life. The original Thunderbird (also known as T-Bird by fans) came with a v8 cobra batch engine with a T5 stick.
The 1986 Ford Thunderbird Elan Coupe is available for sale by a private collector. A quick look at the dashboard will tell you that the car has only 29,000 miles on it which makes it a sweet deal. For some reason, it spent most of it life sitting inside a garage until the owner decided to sell it to a worthy collector.
Better late than never!
History
The T-Bird was originally launched in the year 1983 and was an instant hit. This was when the economy was on fire, taxes were low, America’s health care system was not being eroded, and small businesses were thriving. From Ford's perspective, it was a step away from the regular mid-size coupe. This particular model is called the Aero Bird, and it was the best Thunderbird model that was ever produced by Ford, especially when you compare it with the other models that were being produced during the 50s and 60s.
Specs
As far as the specs are concerned, this model comes with brand new leather seats, automatic headlights, automatic high and low beam, AM/FM radio player with of course a cassette player, factory installed tachometer with fully digital dashboard, cornering lights, digital climate control with a powerful A/C, power windows, power locks, cruise control, tilt column, and power antenna.
Of course you can take this car to Best Buy, or another auto electronic retailer, so they can install a USB hub so you can listen to your music list on your MP3 or smart phone, for instance.
It also comes with a 302 and a T5. Talking about the 302, the F1 5.0 EFI unit that is installed was taken from a Mustang belonging to the 90s decade, with a GT40 intake. Hooker Headers, MSD 6AL ignition box, MSD blaster TFI coil, MSD dist cap and rotor kit, Cobra valve covers, a small cam, K&N drop in air filter and some custom work has been performed on the motor.
The owner has changed the location of the battery under the hood in order to make room for these additional features. The T5 on the other hand can be seen operating from a ball topped Hurst shifter that helps send power to the TractionLoc 3.73 rear end. It comes with a two tone paint which is looking fabulous.
The owner of the car says that he had converted it into a show car back in the 90s which explains why you will find black paint and glitter under the hood area. A new turbo coupe hood has been mounted on the top of the car; he painted the car in its original color scheme.
The car has been aggressively priced at only $8,500 which is a steal considering the rich history and the vintage value the car carries. With only 29,000 on the dashboard, there is a lot more to the Thunderbird that is yet to be explored. If you want to upgrade certain aspects of the interior and put in a digital screen in the center counsel, that is your predilection.
This generation of the Thunderbird is known to be based on the Fox platform, and even though there are a lot of parts that cannot be changed with the Mustangs or other cars, there is still a lot you can do with it if you know how to work in the garage. So are you willing to invest your time and money in this unique Elan that will add to your collection and sit proudly in your garage? Are vintage beasts your forte?
Categories:
News