Supercharged 5-Speed: 1992 Ford Thunderbird SC
What is the difference between a personal luxury coupe and a high-performance coupe? Apparently, for the Thunderbird, it is a supercharger backed by a 5-speed transmission. This 1992 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe is located in Amherst, Wisconsin. It is white with a black interior. The seller states that the odometer reads 95,000 miles and it has only been listed for a couple of days. The seller is asking $9,000 here on Craigslist. We appreciate Rocco B. for bringing this sweet ride to our attention.
The black leather interior looks to be in great shape. The 1992 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe is optioned with air conditioning, power windows, power locks, cruise control, and a five-speed manual transmission. The seller states that the car has never been driven in the winter and that he or she is the third owner. The car has custom floor mats, a K&N air intake filter, and recently purchased new tires. This model was produced in the middle of the tenth generation of Thunderbirds which ran from 1989 to 1997.
This 1992 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe was called a Thunderbird SC for short. Ford mated a Mazda-derived M5R2 5-speed manual transmission to a supercharged and intercooled 3.8 liter OHV V6 engine. At max power, the supercharged produced 12 psi of boost. The SC engine was rated at 210 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Later models were rated higher at 230 horsepower in 1994 and 1995. The engine compartment looks about right for a 95,000-mile car.
The 1992 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe came with 16-inch wheels, high-performance tires, limited slip differential, 4-wheel ABS brakes, variable assist steering, fog lights, and lower body aero treatment. The Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe was the Motor Trend Car of the Year in 1989. 0-60 times for the 1992 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe were reported to be 7.2 seconds which was 2 seconds quicker than the V8 equipped Thunderbird. Nothing is said in the ad about the paint but the exterior looks stock and in good condition. Hopefully it drives as well as it looks. If you are in the Wisconsin area, this would be a fun car to own and drive.
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Comments
Why super charge and complicate a V6 for 210 HP when you could just have a simple 5.0 V8 making 225 out of the box?
I would guess for the mileage. You’re making equivalent power from a smaller engine. I didn’t even know the MT5 was an option the year I bought my base model 1990 Thunderbird. Loved that car even if it was underpowered with the normally aspirated V6 and auto trans.
The manual transmission was only available with the supercharged engine. As a Lincoln Mercury dealer at the time, I was most disappointed that the 5 speed came with a 2.7 axle ratio with no other option. The automatic came with a 3.2 ratio. The 5 speed was very disappointing to drive, because the ratio held back the ability to gain RPM.
Probably because of the torque and also the weight distribution. Motor sits further back.
Sign of the times. If a 5 speed V8 Bird was made, it would have sold more than the Super coupe. Just like the GT sold better than the SVO.
Because it made the SC FASTER than the v8. 2 seconds faster to 60 is a lot of improvement. The SC snickers when an LX pulls up alongside.
Article says the V8 was slower.
I’ve always kind of like the Super Coupe. Long low styling, nice interior, period-correct factory wheels, a degree of performance improvements. My only first-hand experience was with a low-mileage one I was considering buying several years ago. I test drove it, the performance seemed fine.
They sure were different than the Fox Body-based Turbo Coupes.
Good to see one which has not been trashed. Like Bruce says, this could be a fun car for not much money.
I’ve got a ’90 Super Coupe Anniversary model w/25,000 miles, and would rather have this one! Mine’s an automatic and I prefer manual, and the interior of the Anniversary model is suede, which is really hard to keep looking good…this one looks more user friendly!
Performance wise, everything I’ve read says a 5.0 Mustang will beat the ‘Bird off the line, but Bird wins in the long run.
The price looks about right to me, I see ’em all the time for around $10K. Cheap way to get in the hobby in a car that’s fully usable every day if you wanna.
When my father owned a roofing supply business, he seized this same year and model when a guy didn’t pay his bill. He let me drive it home when the tow truck dropped it off. No way was he letting 17 year old me near that car again. Lots of torque.
I had one of these that I got through a trade but never messed with getting it running and traded it off for a load of recycled asphalt and some bobcat work. Sadly, the guy turned it into a dirt track car. Crying ass shame too because it was a black laser straight 5 speed.
This is a side-note comment about Thunderbirds from 1955 to the retro ones in the early 2000’s. Ford was always adamant to say the T-bird was not a sports car. Maybe, just maybe Ford, people were telling you they wanted a sportscar?
The Motortrend car of the year was Ford’s in 1988, not 89. The 88 was the last year of the generation, 4cyl, turbo, depending on the tranny, 145 hp for the auto, and 175 hp for the 5-spd. No question beautiful cars! Also, I am pretty sure that the 1995 Supercoupe was the ONLY year for 230hp, also that was it for Thunderbird SC cars, the T-birds were done after 1997.
wikipedia disagrees with you.
88 – Grand Prix
89 – Tbird SC
90 – Lincoln Town Car
91 – Caprice Classic LTZ
ah, looking at the whole list 87 was the T-Bird TC
Main performance difference between early and late Super Coupes was due to addition of dual exhaust to the later ones. I’ve discovered that it’s a real pain in the butt to put duals on a single exhaust model because the gas tank has to be changed as well, and the gas tanks are REALLY hard to find.
I had a black Automatic 1990 Supercoupe. beautiful car very comfortable & very, very fast. It could easily set you back in the seat under moderate acceleration, and if you were doing around 50mph and suddenly floored it, if you weren’t ready for it, the car would break the rear tires loose and move from one lane to another. It could easily use up all the speedometer
I remember being parked next to one at the Everett mall and thought to myself that is a really good looking car I thought ALL thunderbirds came with the 5.0 I went to the dealer to shop and decided not to get one because of the V6
Absolutely loved them. I owned Fox body Mustang after Fox body Mustang……well after Fox body Mustang…. you get the point. Anyhow, never choose one over my Fox body Stangs but they really did have my attention. The motors were really close to their limit in the SC. Back then, Friday and Saturday turnpike nights were fun. The tracks were plenty and well, Fox bodies were loved by aftermarket manufacturers. Back then, you maybe could get the SC to 300’s reliably with work, but my Fox bodies with nitrous, gears, heads and a good cam plus exhaust….. different world. By the time 94 Stangs (🤢) rolled around, you could find left over Fox Mustangs and low mileage used ones on lots. To me, it was never about not liking the SC, I just was more interested in my other two loves…my Mustangs and …….🙄…… my ttoped Fbody 3rd gen’s. When I dared to be different, I also had a ttop, Mark Cross interior, gun metal blue Daytona CS 5speed, special ordered with analog gauges (I hate digital gauges still). Anyhow, I’m obviously not brand specific……or just a V8 guy for that matter. Love Fords, Mopars and GM’s……oh, and never ever will I forget a few of my older AMC’s….. and VDubs. Good God, I love VW’s too.
Darn…. I’m rambling. Love the SC though. Would buy one today…. If not for the other cars I currently own. Wifey would hang me.
87 Thunderbird TurboCoupe was Car of the year and the 89 SuperCoupe was also Car of the year.
The Good: Turbo Coupe, five-speed manual gearbox. The Bad: The V8 option only had sixteen-valves, not 32 valves like the Lincoln Mark VIII, so the T-Bird wouldn’t cannibalize sales from the more upscale and more expensive Mark VIII. The Ugly: “Passive” motor-mouse automatic seat belts that always had a shoulder strap that hit me in the neck, and risked decapitation in an accident if you forgot to fasten the companion lap belt! I think that the passive belts went away when the T-Bird got airbags in 1994, IIRC.
I bought one in black with a rod knock. A very clean unit. Sadly I parted it, kept the manual incase my 5.0 lumped its transmission. I did replace it with a black over red 5.0 ho automatic one. My wife drove a basic V6 one for years. These are highly underatted and are VERY nice handling and driving cars. I wish the 5.0s of the time had the independent rear suspension and other items that set this fox apart from others.
Strictly speaking, the T-Bird and Mercury Cougar weren’t Fox body cars, they were the only three (3) cars that used Ford’s MN-12 platform, for the tenth (10th) generation T-Bird, Cougar and the Lincoln Mark VIII. The Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) MN-12 cars were unique, in that they were the only Ford passenger cars to use an IRS setup, until the Mustang Cobra got one from 1999-2004. The Ford Explorer between 2002 and 2010 also had an IRS setup, but since it was a body-on-frame truck, instead of a unibody passenger car, it doesn’t really count, but it did share key components, such as the rear differential and rear half shafts with the MN-12 cars.