Check out this weird optioned 86 Thunderbird. It's got a 5.0, premium sound, and power driver's seat. It doesn't have power windows, locks, mirrors, and it has base full wheel covers and a buttstuffog clock. Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-OWNER-86-Ford-Thunderbird-Coupe-5-0L-V8-Coupe-Sports-Car-Elan-Fox-Body-TBird-/310579453947?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item484ffa5ffb
My last 83 had almost that same setup. AC, 5.0 and nothing else. buttstuffog clock, manual windows, seats, etc. It did have power mirrors though.
The 83 I had before that had only one mirror! The right mirror was not there from the factory.
There is a local guy that shows a TBird that came from the factory with one door that has a vent window and the other doesn't!
The funny part is he thinks that factory mistake makes his car worth lots of money! :hick:
I think someone special ordered that Thunderbird. No dealer in their right mind would equip a Thunderbird like that for a stock model. I just can't figure the person's thinking. "Hey I don't want power windows and locks because those fail but hell a power seat will last forever."
It wasn't a factory mistake. A right side mirror was optional on these cars. My 85 V6 Bird came without the mirror as well. The only options my Bird had were metallic paint and a full size spare. No A/C, no cruise, no tilt, no intermittent wipers, no power anything. No fuel injection (the 3.8 was carbureted in my car), no overdrive. Not even a front plate bracket, which is weird because back then front plates were required here. My Bird was exceptionally rare in that not only did it have no options except metallic paint, that metallic paint happened to be light sage green metallic, a rare colour. And the interior was charcoal grey (most light sage green cars had sandalwood interior). From the info I've gleaned over the years that car may have been the only one like it in that colour combo, and would almost certainly have been unique with that combo combined with the low options. If these cars ever become worth anything it is quite probable that the rarer ones will be worth more. It's certainly the case with Mustangs, Camaros, and many other old cars. Hell, they couldn't give Daytonas and Super Birds away back in 70-71. Some Dealerships resorted to removing the nose and wing and selling them as regular Chargers and Roadrunners. Look what those ugly ducklings are worth now...
*edit* just noticed you weren't talking about the mirrors, you were talking about odd doors. That is a rare one indeed, and if he could prove originality and these cars ever became collectible he could indeed have a valuable one.
I used to laugh at factory mistakes when doing PDI's. I've seen Saturns with two different colour door panels, two different coloured bumpers (ie black front, body colour rear), 2WD trucks with 4WD stickers on them, an Isuzu truck with S10 badging on the tailgate (this was when Chevy made the Isuzu trucks, they were identical to S-trucks but cheaper and with better warranty. They had unique grilles and Isuzu badging all over them, except this one which said Isuzu all over it except for the tail gate). I used to love the factory mistakes that meant some UAW schlub lost something. I've got several Snap-on tools I've found in brand new vehicles while doing PDI's...
Thunderjet302 - it's quite possible that car was built without an order. It wasn't rare back then for a factory to build a car with whatever features the guy in charge wanted at that moment, or indeed whatever parts they had handy. The manufacturer would then send the car to a dealership and tell them to sell it. Still happens nowadays but not as often since cars are all built pretty much the same now with few individual options available. For example, there is low demand for manual transmissions in mid size cars. Dealerships would never order any if they had the choice, opting only to keep higher volume models on the lot. The manufacturers will basically just build cars and send em out, tough titty to the dealership. That's how I ended up with a manual transmission in my Sonata. If it were up to dealerships this car would never have existed, as it takes up room on the lot that would be more profitable with an automatic-equipped model. Since they're harder to sell and the dealership wants to get rid of them they are more willing to dicker, lest the car languish on the lot and cost them money. Even worse, it might stick around long enough to become a dreaded "leftover".
My 2011 Sonata was built in February 2010. I bought it brand new in April 2011. Needless to say I got a deal on it :D
I still think it was specially ordered. This was back when you could pick and choose what options you want. I don't think the power driver's seat was so rare that they had extra power seats sitting on the line. I could be wrong though. This car appears to be in good shape. If only I had a way to get to it...
Rare does not always equal a desired car....... Marti Auto Works will soon be making his reports for the 80's birds available, and you will see all kinds of "rare" stats...does not make a car more valued if no one wants the options listed. A special order AM radio may make a car a 1 of 1, but not a particularly historic vehicle. With all the combinations these cars could be ordered with, there will no doubt be many unique lists of options. Still wont make our cars worth much, as we will always be the red headed step child to Mustangs.
You could have a 1 of 1 FoxThunderCat and it still wouldn't be worth anywhere near what a same year Mustang would. I can't wait for Marti to release the info he's got on our cars though. I'm kind of curious how rare the crank window/manual door lock cars are. I've only ever seen one in person. I wonder what's actually more rare: a no option car or one that has every option (except the moon roof) like my Thunderbird? I would think the somewhat optioned cars (pw, pl, power mirrors, power driver's seat) are the most common.
On another note did anyone else notice that the guy operating the spray wand the day that Thunderbird was built did a py job painting under the hood? The shock towers aren't even fully covered in paint.
thats a very good question......who would care for there car more? A well to do owner who flips his car every 2-3 years, with a well optioned car, or perhaps the more frugal guy who wants the Thunderbird DNA but not all the toys, and changes the oil himself every 2k miles......seems like a lot of very clean low optioned survivors keep popping up. Dont see too many loaded Heritage, or élan models coming up for sale lately. As for rarity, its more about what has survived vs how many made overall.
Must have been a Monday morning post hangover spray job on the line.... i think it looks more like dirt that was caked on, was cleaned away from the top of the shock towers.
I have noticed the minty low mileage cars that pop up on ebay tend to be low optioned cars, especially with V6s. I'm surprised the person who ordered this car sprung for the V8. It seems like in the long run the "frugal" buyers tend to take care of their cars better. I actually wonder how rare the Heritage/Elan/LX cars are? I don't see many for sale now. They were either rare to begin with or they were traded in early by wealthier owners. I see many more base/Turbo Coupe/Sport models than Heritage/Elan/LX Thunderbirds.
Well and how rare is TC Bird with automatics? I don't know any other T-Bird, just two or three XR7 Cougars with automatic tranny on this forum.
They are out there, in much lower numbers....no Auto TC cars in 83..... 84-88 saw them in smaller numbers for sure.
Year Production
1983 121,999
1984 170,551
1985 151,852
1986 165,965
1987 128,135
1988 147,243
Total 885,745
2.1 Production Numbers
Year 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Total Production 121,999 170,551 151,852 165,965 128,135 147,243
V6 57.8% 55% 52% 67.8% 59.2% 46.3%
V8 31.9% 31.4% 34.3% 19.2% 22.2% 28.4%
TC 10.3% 8.6% 13.7% 13% 18.6% 25.3%
Manual trans 10.3% 6.3% 8% 8.3% 12% 15.4%
Sunroofs 2.2% 8.7% 7.6% 12.9%
sorry if someone has already mentioned it and i missed it, but that one doesn't have Premium sound.
holy thread revival Batman! I am pretty sure thats a premium sound cassette deck in that car.........
lol, I'm new. But nope, that's the standard 1986-1993 am/fm radio cassette, it has the power antenna though. Premium would have plastic grilles for the door speakers, an EQ underneath the radio, a slider for the L/R balance and the fader is part of the EQ.
Welcome firstly! I am more of a expert on the 83-84 cars, so i will defer to you on the radio options. 83/84 had a Premium Sound switch for the amp, and no EQ option.
Looking at it again you're right it has the standard radio. As a fyi you could order the premium sound with or without the equalizer.
if I had money, i would have been all over that car.
On my '88 the inside edges of the front fenders, the area along where the hood closes, were not painted well - the primer was showing through along their entire length. The parts TC I stripped was the same way. One of the things I fixed when I did the car over :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyPG8wajoa0