1983 Ford Thunderbird | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- The '83 T-Bird changed the rules of what a modern American car should look like, and readied the world for the Taurus a few years later.
Show 218 | Original Airdate 03-15-1983
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www.parsintl.com/publications... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
This car looked so futuristic at the time. Still has nice lines today!
It sure did. I remember my History teacher had his brand new 83 TBird. It was sharp and the first hint at thier aerodynamic look of the Taurus for 86. Aircraft style door seals, the look was perfect.
@@michaelhungate7506 Those aircraft style door seals were a big deal for Ford Lincoln-Mercury. Most vehicles adopted that later on.
This and ones like these were the design epitome of what a 'car' was, remember all the diecast toys, they were almost like this.
This boxy design needs to make a comeback, you rock 83 Thunderbird!
....and yes I would go back to the 80's if I could. : )
@@KenanTurkiye I really like the 2nd generation of this body style too
Growing up in New York I can tell you this was the vehicle of choice for any Bronx pimp
John Davis, *I'm* glad *you're* with us.
Yup his voice as been in my ears since I was 15 years old back in the mid 80's. He has followed us Gen X'rs from our teen years all the way into our middle age and beyond. Amazing that over 40 years later he is still not only with us but still doing the same thing.
It's hard to believe that such a beautiful & clean design is now 41 years old!!!!! Still looks just as modern today as it did back then.
I agree,the Cougars roof rear styling in my opinion didn't do that car any favors,I think the cougar could have been a good looking car if they would have used the Thunderbirds roof.I think Ford made a good move with the styling of the T-Bird,it was bold and with a look that was far from common at the time.
There is a kid in our town who has an 83 Thunderbird that his Dad bought new. His end goal is to completely restore it. It's a cool looking car still.
I bought an '83 5.0L car with 93K last May for $500. It's my summer daily-driver. Quiet, powerful-enough, and comfy. The CFI still functions flawlessly, AC works, and the AOD transmission is perfect.
Great car!
A this point, we're better off with older cars, these new cars are expensive crap that break down after 3 months. I have a 95 buick roadmaster lt1 and it's powerful and comfy and the ac is icy cold 🥶 😎
Bought a 84 cougar in 94 for 900 that had custom rims that costed like 2k at the time. Drove it for 3 years till I totaled it. It was about time for a new car anyways cause I never changed the oil. Sold the car for like 250 for scrap and the rims for 500... rinse and repeat. I had never paid over 2k for a vehicle except in the n past 10 years. But always wished I would of kept the first car I ever bought and just drove it all my life. Miss that 71 dodge dart with no brakes I paid 300 for in 93... that drove... bought a 2019 Hyundai for 22k in 2019. It got vandalized and costed 9k to fix. Then three months later the motor was knocking. Got rid of it and just bought an old Ford truck for 3k and still going after 5 years...
Just be prepared to do things like fuel lines or the tank, and the catalytic converters. All the rubber trim on the car as well. When you take a car that is 40 something years old with only 90,000 mi on it and then you start driving it daily it's going to start having problems. Maybe not at first but eventually. Just be prepared to put a few more Grand into it.
@hankwilliams-hx9ww my next car will be older. I'm tired of newer vehicles and expensive hard to solve problems. I'd take any old car I used to have over these newer ones and regret treating them as disposable.
@hankwilliams-hx9ww the thing with most older cars is that they are more easier to fix than the newer cars and parts are cheaper
My dad's uncle still has his 83 Thunderbird in the garage. It's hardly been driven since he bought it brand new & still has the original tires.
Of all of the cars to save like that, doing that with one of these was definitely a waste.
@KartKing4ever I could probably at least somewhat agree. I think it's been about give or take around several years since my great uncle drove the car. Yet he hasn't really considered selling it off still. If the car ain't used in some years it can be still an interest to someone who wants to buy it & get some work done being restored & etc.
You should reach out to Doug Demuro! He'd want to drive that and make a video.
@@joemcdonough7509 as I mentioned, the car belongs to my great uncle. At this point he's probably going to leave it to his sons if not one of them. Besides I won't hold my breath he would have even a small amount of consideration to sell the car.
Why live vicariously through your father's relatives?
I always liked the studio glamour shot sequences of the early episodes.
Thank goodness it had an ashtray in the back; you wouldn't want your kids ashing their cigarettes on the carpet
Lol
Mock if you must, but with marijuana sales on the rise and on the verge of becoming more mainstream, I'm confident that the ashtray is due 4 a comeback
This was back when adults rode in backseat.
@@blairbrown4812That’s like saying car manufacturers should install beer holders. Ffs 🤦♂️
@@akshonclipthat’s not a bad idea.
These cars were everywhere. The Turbo Coupe with the manual tranny was the best version of this car. It handled amazing. I had the 86' LSC and it is still a top 5 favorite of mine all these years later.
What a radical car for ‘83, especially compared to the dowdy previous gen which looked like a 70’s T-Bird that was left in the dryer for too long. A lot of people credit the Taurus for Ford US’s Aero revamp but this was 3 years ahead of that. Would love to have one of these or its Mercury or Lincoln cousin.
Tbird/Cougar & Tempo/Topaz set the stage for Taurus/Sable to bring us modern day aerodynamics as we know it.
Agreed. The T-Bird was the first real aero design out the gate in that era.
I would also credit the European Ford Sierra for the aero trend as well. It was sold as the Merkur XR4TI in the U.S.
@@donaldwilson2620 Right, but not in 1983 in US.
We weren't a Ford family but they killed it with the thunderbird and the taurus in the 80s.
My mother bought a brand new1985 Turbo Coupe 5 speed and loved it so much she kept it until 1996. All I remember is that is was amazing on gas and my friends loved riding in it on the rare occasion she'd pick me up after school.
The early turbo coupes without intercooler were reasonably quick cars, mid-8 to 60 and mid-16 in the 1/4-mile were nothing to sneeze at back then.
@@justme307 Those cars had a lot of boost!
Some people call this car ugly. They have never taken a look at GM, Chrysler or foreign automaker's 1983 lineup apparently. And stop crying about the power. None of you were around when it was new. Those who bought it new had no complaints. Torque trumps horsepower. Small wheels, lightweight body & an extra gear in the transmission means it doesn't need alot of power especially when speed limits were 55mph.
Exactly. You look at the 83/84 Chrysler K cars and the difference is night and day.
@@akshonclipPeople love the GM G-bodies but I always thought they looked corny. The new Thunderbird looked like a modern car, not a 70s holdover.
@@anthonyrowland9072The G bodies were decent but they don't look proportionately correct. They're too short. Ford Lincoln-Mercury stretched the Thunderbird, Cougar and Mark VII properly.
Hmmm I was around when this was new, 19 in fact. We as motorheads laughed at first but a speed shop had 2 and they geared the rear end better and put a small cam in with polished and ported heads and dual exhaust... Quite impressive I must say. Heck my 1983 GT Mustang with its tremec 5 speed is still a joy to drive to this very day although as I am about to be 60 I don't push the envelope like I used to... Lol... Keep those insurance rates down.
@@randallbates9020 With a body that can be taken apart and put back together tightly with a screwdriver and 130hp on tap insurance was definitely cheap on these lol. I remember asking my insurance carrier a long time ago why is my insurance on my Taurus GL cheap and so expensive on my Taurus SHO. Same body basically. They said the horsepower difference. Idek want to know how high insurance is on new cars today.
Have always loved this body style! It was cutting edge for Ford. Loved watching Motor Week as well!
0:10
This was probably around the time that we start to see the John Davis that we know and love today.
Yup the show started in 1981 I believe and the show and Jon as host still with us 43 years later. And Pat Goss as well until he passed 2 years ago.
My parents have one exactly the same color, same wheels except I believe it was called heritage, fully equipped
My mom bought a brand new one in ‘84 and my grandma drove it for a while when I was a kid. Still remember those heavy ass doors lol
This model was quite the dramatic improvement over the 1980-82 Thunderbird. Its styling was unique and modern, yet it still carried heritage cues from previous models. Also, it helped pave the way for more aerodynamic cars in the U.S. over the next several years.
Beautiful car, specially the sport model with the 5.0 engine
I loved mine! Only thing this car was missing was a proper 5.0L under the hood. The TBI 5.0 was weak sauce. Overall, this was a very nice auto, and great on the highway
Perhaps not fast but still a great engine. To be honest I’ll take the weak understressed engine. I have a 1994 F150 with the 5.0 and it’s got 320,000 and still going strong, whereas my Dads 2012 King Ranch blew the engine at 95,000 despite him babying it and changed the oil at 4,000 miles. It actually cracked 4 pistons. He specifically got that over the 3.5 ecoboost because people told him it would be more reliable
@@RobertSmith-le8wp
Copy that. The 302 is practically bulletproof and totally reliable. Ford missed the market by not offering a H.O. Mustang 5.0L version of that engine in the T-bird in a higher trim level.
My only other gripe with the car was the rims (just like the T-bird in the video) were difficult to keep clean because brake dust accumulated in the tiny nooks and crannies. Some 16" alloy Mustang rims would alleviate that tho
Nobody complained about it back then and if you ordered one new you wouldn't complain either.
My family had one one these this the V8. What an amazing & fun car it was.
The worlds fastest racecar. Bill Elliott really helped NASCAR expand with his exploits in the Coors T-Bird
Bob Glidden did well with his T-bird in Pro Stock in the early '80s
"Awesome Bill from Dawsonville!" (Georgia).
Just think how fast it would be with a real race car driver!
G
My neighbor across the street still daily drives her 1984 T-bird.
Absolutely beautiful Thunderbird! I love the '83-'88 Aero Birds as much as the '80-'82 boxy Birds.
I've been a Ford man since 1966 when my oldest brother brought home a new Mustang, maybe even before that. I had this thing for big Country Squire and Colony Park wagons, and ever since I was old enough to notice cars, at 5 years old I have loved the styling of the 1959 model year Fords. Both sedans and wagons, the 59 Fords have been in my top 5 all-time favorites. Depending on what I happen to be into, my top 5 is kinda fluid, but it always includes the 59s, oh, and the 1969 Mach Is. I actually owned one for over 35 years and I wish I still had it. I love everything about the 69 Mach I. Sometimes I would just sit and stare at it, from every angle, and that includes the interior too. Then there's the Thunderbirds. There are things I love about every generation. I owned a 1970, a 2 door fastback, 428 4 barrel carburetor that could only get 8 mpg, with a tail wind. From it's Bunkie beak,it's ultra cool taillights with sequential turn indicators and it's fantastic interior, in my opinion the best word to describe it is gorgeous, but not a good car to own during the 1973 oil crisis. At the time, I still had the Mach I, needless to say I spent way too much time in gas lines. I also love the 74 through 76 "glamor birds. They are the same car as the Lincoln Mark IVs.Yes they are huge, but very beautiful. In 1984 I came very close to buying a 84 TurboCoupe, but at the time I was an IBM Customer Engineer which was a field position and my territory was West Los Angeles, one of the most heaviest and traffic areas in L.A. and the TurboCoupe only came with a manual transmission. That would not be a good fit for a car with a clutch so I went with an 84 Mustang with an automatic transmission. It was a black on black hatchback, and it had a 4.6 V8. I drove the wheels off of that little Stang, it turned out to be a good territory car. Today I'm retired and I have a 2008 Explorer, 4.0 V6. My first car that isn't a V8 and I love it. It's my second Explorer, my first was a 97 Eddie Bauer with the 5.0 V8. It was black with medium prerrie leather interior. It had the 15 inch chrome factory wheels. I had all the gold Eddie Bauer trim painted black and it was always the best looking Explorer around. I got compliments about how it looked and the great sounding exhaust of the 5.0. I loved that Explorer. It was very reliable and comfortable, it had every available option including ATC. It had over 200,000 trouble free miles on it when it was jacked from in front of my house and I never saw it again. So, after reading this article on the 83 Thunderbird, I definitely felt a stirring. Maybe I should try to find one. Thanks for a great review!,
I owned 3 Turbo Coupes, '83, '86 and '87...all were great cars! I especially liked the '87 with 195 HP intercooled turbo. Put over 225K miles on it with no major issues and would've gone further but got rear-ended one day. I loved these cars!
I was born in 1962. Owned 34 .vehicles. Many Fords. 4 crown vics. Had a 1988 Thunderbird 5.0 and 1987 Mercury Cougar. They were beautiful cars and rode like a dream. God I miss the old days so much. Love this CZcams series. Thank you so much for the memories.
My father had a year old Thunerbird every year from 1959 to 1982. ( He represented a Ford dealer who ordered a new black, fully loaded one and he got his old one ) He didn't like the '83 and switched to Porsche.
You miss being young
Love these 80's retro reviews.
Top class car back in the day. Beautiful styling with new inovations especially the 84 Cougar digital dash. Solidly built.
These are getting so rare!
They've been rare, since about 1990
Junkyards were full of them in 1990
This new Thunderbird was quite a big deal in 1983! They borrowed a bit of the 635 design and 3 engine choices including a Turbo 4! And that suspension was really tight like a Mustang. This car carried Ford in a new technical and design direction until the ‘90s! Thanks John! ✨
My favorite generation of the Thunderbird. Those Aerobirds were a big step forward in the auto industry and are said to have been the prime vehicle that led to the successful Taurus/Sable.
The Sable had the lexan light bar!
Wow! Nice time capsule! Love the retro review videos! Great job!
Loved that T bird generation....the 80s were the best
My grandparents had two of these. One gold and one white.
10 years ahead of its time. Ford was very innovative in the 80”s.
Many of the features touted as revolutionary on the 86 Taurus were found here first. A great reminder of that. Doors integrated with roof design and aerodynamic styling.
The test driver in the slalom test was definitely throwing his ENTIRE body into those turns
6:03 I love the ABS built into the chassis instead of a separate unit
Such a sweet ride!
I swear every single time I see one of these pop up. I watch it right away. The retro soundtrack!!
I remember Valine driving one on Knots landing
I loved my 86 turbo coupe. That 4 cylinder would smoke many v8 chevys. Lowest rear end gear ratio of any production car at the time, might still be for all i know. This body style still holds the track record at Talladega set in 1987 by Bill Elliott.
That's the most aggressive slalom testing I've ever seen from Motor Week and that T-Bird really held its own.
This guy has been reviewing cars longer than I've been alive.
This car looked futuristic back in the 80s.
It ate up the NASCAR circuit within its debut; look what it did for Stroker Ace.
Had one with the eight for a few months where I worked at the time. Liked it no issues, cool car back then....
I had an 83 or 85 5.0 in teal green. Great car
The 87 -88 is the best looking one with their grill less facia and flush windows & headlight
i had two 84 cougars, one with the V6 and one with the 302 V8. Very comfortable however the footwells were quite narrow. I then had a 94 and it was much more comfortable and roomy inside than the 84s. Still, I really loved the era of 2 door personal luxury coupes, since i also had 2 Cutlass Supremes, an 84 and an 87. I miss that era.
Ford Needs To Bring Back The Thunderbird Not The Thunderbird Retro Roadster But The Thunderbird Look From 1983
Agreed! But they won't now because it's all about butt ugly SUV's & Crossovers!
@bluemax2491 Ford Needs To Bring Back The Thunderbird Because The Mustang Is Getting Dominated By The Chevrolet Camaro And The Chevrolet Corvette And It Is Because Of Suv And Crossover It Is Because Of Suv's And Truck's
@@rushbroussard5399 Mustang is outselling the Camaro
@moejr1974 The Mustang Is Outselling The Camaro But The Corvette Is Outselling The Mustang And That Is Why Ford Needs To Bring Back The Thunderbird When Ford Has Introduced The Thunderbird It Has Outselled The Corvette And Sense Then Ford Has Dominated Chevrolet
Just because the Mustang outsells the Camaro doesn't mean it's better. Mustang has always outsold Camaro but it wasn't always better. Mustangs are for female drivers Camaros are for men. Tell me I'm wrong? Lmao
Bela máquina até hoje sou aqui do Brasil abraços
Whys it always winter in MD in the 80s?
These were the days before climate change was invented.
Global Warming. Climate Change ...
This body style allowed Bill Elliott to set an all time qualifying speed over 212mph
I still want one
I had the 83 with the V6. Gutless off the line but it did cruise the freeway well.
Oh spread your wings and fly again sweet sweet Ford Thunderbird
my grandma had one and STILL swears it was the best car she ever had
Well designed car, especially for the era. Except, I suppose, for that rear-wheel hop. Honestly 21 MPG overall for this performance (relative to the day and age of course), seems pretty decent. Sticker price in 2024 dollars also feels reasonable at $42,000.
It got stellar mpg because it can only burn so much fuel at 130hp. High torque low rpm does wonders for mpg. That's a concept people can't seem to grasp today. Everything is all about horsepower and 0 to 60 smh lol
My mom had a '68 Cougar. I wanted a Cougar when I became of age, but that model had a hard ending.
One of my favorites. To bad the test track wasn't wet .
My first car.
“Not much chrome here”. Full length chrome body strip continues around front and rear bumpers, chrome grill, chrome window surrounds. Lolol
Laterally the cyber truck of 1983. Better early review then the Hagerty cyber truck review.
3:00 ''doors curve nicely into the roof'' Especially effective so that a bank of snow falls on your seat cause you just wanted your snow brush which is inside,
Use a broom 🧹
@@headliner733 ...also in the car
@@cabaneencac5168 talking about the one in your house lol
@@headliner733 only have a hoover in the house
@@cabaneencac5168 Ya know, I never thought of it before but I bet that vacuum cleaner would work in a pinch? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm going to try it this winter just for 💩's and giggles 🤣
The Thunderbird was one of my favorite cars from Ford, sadly it met its fate in 2005
After 97, it was nothing more than a toy nobody wanted.
The last one wasn't a Thunderbird. It, and the Lincoln LS, were Jaguars that nobody asked for.
I liked these cars
The one luxury coupe that got updated for the 80s and sold well (along with the Cougar.)
And Mark VII....the Tbird that wears a tux ❤
Ford also sold a leather members only jacket with a thunderbird logo.
I’d buy it if it was available today.
A beautiful car!!
Almost bought one in 1984. However the best deal was 3 years at 11 percent.
I had a 1984 and loved it. 3.8 V6 would go forever. I traded mine with at least 170,000 miles!
Not bad for a ford LOL
For an 80’s American car, that’s a lot of mileage.
I like how they explained it didn't need a lot of horsepower to cruise at 55mph when it showed the wind tunnel. Try telling that to the clowns we have out here today that think everything has to have 100,000 horsepower. I think we need to go back to 55mph speed limits and put a cap on horsepower. Insurance is nearly unaffordable now because everyone drives too fast too recklessly.
Don't want to go back to a 55MPH speed limit, but I agree that the horsepower in most cars now is more than anyone would ever need.
I agree about the HP cap
I'd hate the 55mph max, but too many people like hit each other in excess of 90mph. Like these people don't understand the faster you go when you hit something the more likely it is to be fatal. If 55max is what it takes to reduce fatal crashes innocent people didn't ask to be involved in and lowers my insurance rates then I'll accept it. Reluctantly lol.
@@moejr1974 Yeah, it makes the engine less reliable. The most reliable engines don't have a lot of horsepower. Like the old TBI 350 GM V8 with 185-200hp is more reliable than the LT1 with 260hp. The old Ford 5.4 with 235hp is more reliable than the later 260hp & 300hp 5.4 V8s. The old 7.3 PowerStroke with 250hp is more reliable than the 325hp 6.0 PowerStroke. The old 245hp Dodge 360 Magnum V8 is more reliable than the newer 345-395hp 5.7 Hemi V8s.
Hey I live in the southwest and BS to 55 mph, it's already a very long way to everywhere but at 55 you would need a friggin motel room for the night... Lol... Responsible driving is in the hands of the operator, speed limits being lower is not gonna stop the idiots driving their massive fake pickup trucks at 90 mph, common sense left the building somewhere around 2005.
6:20 What is happening to the rear wheels?
Are you serious? It's called wheel lockup. It's called hard braking. No anti lock brakes.
It's interesting that this T-bird's styling is something of a predecessor to what would eventually come with the Taurus. Gotta say, the later versions with the flush headlights look a lot better.
Also, dig the void set for showing off the interior. I think MW should go back to presenting cars that way. Forget parking the car in a field, how does it look when parked in the void??
I'm betting the void set was filmed by Ford and given to them.
Damn 130hp from a 5.0 V8... oh how things have changed
That was an improvement over the 4.2L V-8 that put out 115 HP.
That 130hp 302 will outlast anything they got today. And it doesn't have to rev to 5,000rpm to get going neither. You won't find a small block today that gets 21mpg with MotorWeek's lead footed test drivers lol.
That car was so damned good looking. And it absolutely *dominated* NASCAR. So much so, NASCAR hobbled them half way through the season. Chevy was still using boxy Monte Carlos, and simply couldn't keep up. And we can't have that, now can we?
This was a typical 80’s car, no thought put into the end user, it was what Ford told the public what they wanted. Of course the push for cleaner exhausts and additional crash standards didn’t help the situation at all.
That’s so funny. 130hp is what a 1-litre churns out these days…
❤😂😢😮😅😅😅😊😊😊😊 I wish I could find a T bird like that, there’s not many out there
That transmission is murdering that ET. It still trapped 83mph but ran 18.3...
Dude....it's a four speed in an era we're 3 speeds were highly popular. It has 130hp and a 💩 ton of torque. The torque is what pushed it down the track. And it got 21mpg during their testing. From a large small block with a power sapping accessory drive system + belt driven cooling fan. That said, the performance was excellent. You wanna go faster try its big brother that wears a tux, Lincoln Mark VII LSC with the Hight Output 302. Now that baby will FLY!
@@headliner733My old 2bbl 307 truck only trapped 77 but it ran a 17.7 lol
The front end diving and rear end lifting a foot into the air when braking isn't because the rear end is "light" its because of the prehistoric suspension design. There is no consideration for anti-lift/dive, so the torque of the brakes causes the rear end to lift. You see the same thing when they brake torque it before launching. Modern suspension is lightyears better in this regard.
Amazing what 40 years does to MPG and performance....
It got stellar mpg because it can only burn so much fuel at 130hp. High torque low rpm does wonders for mpg. That's a concept people can't seem to grasp today. Everything is all about horsepower and 0 to 60
3:36 ''....tron like grid.....'' : )
I had an '84 Thunderbird turbo coupe briefly back in 2011. I shouldn't have sold it..
Give it up for wood tone interior , and the synth jams . Competent simple car ...
130hp V8 in 1983! Yikes! Emissions regulations castrated these machines! Amazing style for the time.
Oldie 😊
My grandparents had this as the Mercury Cougar. It was a decent car.
I wouldn't mind one of these for a Coyote swap and a 6 speed.
Keep the Coyote. Take the 6 speed. Add the High Output 302 from Lincoln Mark VII and that Bird will show its feathers and spread its wings past 60 in atleast 7secs vs 10.8 lol. And it'll be dead reliable too.
@@headliner733 it's 2024 why would I want an engine from 1983? The Coyote is just as reliable and has significantly more power and a much larger aftermarket
@@bmstylee Didn't say get a motor from 1983. Said get a High Output 302, that meant get the most powerful one. That's 225hp/300tq with a 6 speed. You'd be surprised what the extra gears do for acceleration without having to go crazy with power. Try it. A coyote ain't 💩. They're overengineered and unreliable. Every time you turn around something breaks on that mfr. Not everything is about power. Keep it original just add the best original H.O. engine for that model line.
Sister had one the v8 leaked oil every where on it stayed in shop. Paint was fair at best,it was that wine color like promo , after a year it really wouldn't Polish up clear was gone. Just saying.
👏👏
Where an I get one with missles behind the grille. IYKYK
Not a bad looking car.
6:19 That 140 ft sign looked like it fainted lol
As if it thought it would get plowed into.
@@justme307 right right lol
138 HP V8 - how? How do you get that little HP out of a V8? A 5.0 at that!
Se colocar umas rodas e pneus bem largos, talvez rebaixar um pouco, ficaria perfeito...
All I know is an 83 RX-7 would smoke this with it's 1.3L
It would also be blowing smoke out of the exhaust.
It would not smoke a Turbo Coupe
All I know is that RX-7 got sent to the junkyard very early and there's plenty of these old birds for sale. Why even compare a tiny little coupe to a huge luxury coupe? Compare it to a Mustang GT. I hate when people like you get on the comments with nonsense.
@headliner733 I mean facts is facts that thing probably does 0-60 in close to 11 seconds and stock an 83 RX-7 is doing it in 8.5. And that Ford Thunderbird has had several engine swaps on it or replacements while that peppy little 1.3 still chuggin. Those RX-7s are still being built up tuned and raced I've never heard of someone building a drift machine or a quarter mile beast with a fuckin Ford Thunderbird. Besides everyone knows Chevy > Ford all day everyday and that 1970 Chevelle 454 says it all while Ford had their dicks in the dirt at that time making shit muscle cars Chevy came out with that beast 500 lb ft of torque out the factory.
@@peterbennett4124 And yet my 2.3 Ecoboost Explorer will do 0-60 in 6.0 seconds. Swap that into a TBird Turbo Coupe and it will run circles around ANY Mazda. And I like Mazdas. Those rotary engines now exist mainly in collections and museums. Those extremely few still on the road leave their tell tale blue smoke behind them. I'm also sure that the RX7 was at least 800 lbs lighter than a TBird.
In 1970, the Ford Boss 429 made the same horsepower as a 454. It was lighter, too. In 1977 I was in Savannah GA when a BB Chevelle pulled up next to my friend's 428 70 Mustang, taunting us to race. Just after the bridge on 17, my friend dropped the Mustang from 4th to 2nd, did a huge smokey burnout ... at 55 mph ... The Chevelle took the next exit ......
If they would have just hopped up the base engine about 25 HP, it would have been so much better.
They did. The 3.8 got redesigned and bumped up from 112hp to 140hp and it stayed that way until 1996-1997 when it got 145hp. The base 302 got bumped up from 130hp to 150hp then 160hp and then 200hp.