August 10, 2022 Update – The high bid did not meet the seller’s reserve price of $10,500, so we’ve moved this auction to our “Rides Still Available” Page. If you are serious about buying this ride, you can click the blue “Buy Now” button below to navigate to the bidding page, where you can agree to pay the “Buy Now” price.

Guys With Rides is pleased to present Lot 141, a  1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th Anniversary Edition, which we’re offering in an online, reserve-style auction format on behalf of the private seller.

Bidding opened Thursday, July 28, 2022, and continues for thirteen (13) consecutive days ending at 2:00 PM Eastern on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

This 1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th Anniversary Edition is part of a collection located just west of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

If you have any questions about this rare Thunderbird before then, please comment below or call Rudy directly at 877-468-6497.

Current Bid: $3,500

Ford launched the tenth generation Thunderbird in December 1988 as a 1989 model.  Developed on Ford’s new Mid-Size North American Project 12 (“MN12), the new Thunderbird featured a more aerodynamic body that was slightly shorter in overall length relative to the 1988 Thunderbird but had a nine-inch-longer wheelbase.

This generation is also notable for being the only one with exterior “FORD” badging of any kind, as Ford’s Blue Oval emblem graced the trunk lid. Traditionally, Thunderbird models lacked any kind of “FORD” emblems on the car.

The car featured four-wheel independent suspension, using a short and long arm (SLA) and a spring strut assembly in the front and multiple links in the rear, offering excellent handling and ride quality.  This setup was significant as it made the Thunderbird, the Lincoln Mark VIII, and the Cougar the only rear-wheel-drive North American domestic cars other than the Chevrolet Corvette to offer a four-wheel independent suspension at the time.

Engine options fell to only two for 1989 as Ford dropped the V8 option for the new Thunderbird. The base and LX models were powered by Ford’s 3.8 Liter Essex V6. Rated at 140 horsepower at 3,800 rpm and 215 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 rpm, many felt the engine was somewhat underpowered for a car that weighed over 3,500 pounds.

A more sophisticated, supercharged, and intercooled version of the 3.8 L OHV V6 was used to power the high-performance Thunderbird Super Coupe, also called Thunderbird SC for short. The Super Coupe could be had with a five-speed manual or the AOD 4-speed automatic. When running at the full 12.0 psi of boost, the engine produced 210 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 315 pound-feet of torque at 2,600 rpm.

Accompanying the more powerful engine, Super Coupes had various unique features underlining their higher performance demeanor relative to standard Thunderbirds. Among these were larger, 16 x 7.0-inch alloy wheels with high-performance tires, a Traction-Lok limited-slip differential, standard 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, speed-sensitive variable-assist steering, lower bodyside cladding, fog lights, and a stiffer suspension with adjustable shocks supplied by Tokico.

In 1990, Ford marked the 35th anniversary of the Thunderbird with a special edition of the range-topping Super Coupe. Finished in black with titanium-colored lower panels, a dark blue accent stripe, and commemorative “35th Anniversary” badges, just 3,371 examples were built. The interior featured a combination of leather with suede inserts.

Ford was serious enough about preventing counterfeit cars that the fender badges were designed to disintegrate if removed and to protect the cars, each came with a custom-fitted cover supplied by the same company that sews covers for Rolls-Royce.

The 1990 Ford Thunderbird SC 35th Anniversary Edition featured here is a low mileage survivor car in excellent working order with no fluid leaks observed during our photography.  The car drove, braked, and handled as expected with no squeaks or rattles.  While a previous owner replaced the factory stereo head unit, the original one is included as part of the sale.  Also notable is the fact this example features unused and still sealed original key blanks and the special 35th-anniversary front floor mats.  Additionally, the seller plans to include many hard-to-source spare parts he accumulated during his ownership as part of the sale.

Here is a complimentary CarFax® for this 1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th Anniversary Edition.  To review the CarFax, please click on the picture below. When finished, click on your browser’s back button to return back to this listing:

Rudy completed an unbiased Pre-Purchase Inspection (“PPI”) days before the start of this auction and confirmed this 35th Anniversary Edition 1990 Ford Thunderbird SC is in excellent condition with only minor, easily corrected blemishes commensurate with mileage and the car’s age and documented in the photographs.  The picture below contains the Pre-Purchase Inspection.  To review the PPI, please click on the picture below. When finished, click on your browser’s back button to return back to this listing:

To help you make informed bids, we’re providing you with access to Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the Classic Car market, that provides an interactive graph of recent comparable sales year-to-date. By clicking on the green dots, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you make an educated bid on the car we are featuring for auction here:

Exterior Gallery

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Interior Gallery

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Underhood And Undercarriage Gallery

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Tires And Wheels Gallery

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 Windows And Mirrors Gallery

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Documentation and Spare Parts Gallery

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If you have any questions about this 1990 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th Anniversary Edition, please comment below or call Rudy directly at 877-468-6497.  Thank you for looking, and happy bidding!