Silver Bullet
It was supposed to be a simple nip and a tuck. A set of flush-mounted composite headlamps, some restyled taillamps, and the obligatory fresh alloy wheel design. Ford’s initial plan for the mid-cycle facelift of its ninth-generation Thunderbird was modest, until everything changed. It took $250 million and years of engineering work, but the top-performing 1987 Turbo Coupe was transformed into a world-class grand touring car.
When the 1983 Thunderbird was unveiled, it had represented a new concept and a huge leap in design language. Banished were the formal, ruler-straight body panels and overstuffed velour boudoir interiors that defined this model through the Seventies; in their place were wrap-over doors, windswept curves, and an efficient cabin. The traditional V-8 engine was actually less powerful than one with half the cylinders, that mated to a manual transmission, the first such available in this
