Performance Review: Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen - [1987]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Ford Thunderbird Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen is the 5 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 1987. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1987 Porsche 959 Turbo and the 1987 Ferrari F40 2.9 V8.This particular Ford Thunderbird has a 2301cc Turbo Petrol powerplant with 4 cylinders in a St formation.

Alternative Petrol St4's includes the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo

The Thunderbird shares its Petrol St4 engine configuration with the likes of the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo and the 2013 Caterham 7 620 R 2.0 L Supercharged. If you're looking for other fast cars which share the Thunderbird's Rear Wheel Drive, Coupe combination then how about the 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V or the 1965 Aston-Martin DB6 1965.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1360 kgs (2998 lbs) this makes the Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen in the same weight category as the 2022 Koenigsegg CC850 4.9 V12 Twin Turbo or the give or take 50kg.

The Ford Thunderbird shares the same bhp with the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (134 bhp)

In terms of power the 2301cc 16V St4 engine produces 145 bhp (108 kW) @ 4600 rpm similar to the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (134 bhp) or the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (148 bhp).

The Turbo St4 throws out 180 lb-ft (244.0 Nm) @ 3600 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (162 lb-ft) or the 2020 Abarth 695 70th Anniversario 1.4 Turbo (184 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If one combines the weight with power or torque performance for the Ford Thunderbird you can get a better idea of it's real world performance.

The 1985 Alfa-Romeo 90 2.5 V6 Gold Cloverleaf (131.6 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Ford Thunderbird.

The Ford Thunderbird has a Power to weight ratio of 106.6 bhp per ton and 132.3 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 1987 Thunderbird competing with the 1985 Alfa-Romeo 90 2.5 V6 Gold Cloverleaf (131.6 bhp per ton) or the 1968 Toyota 2000 GT 2.0L Coupe (131.5 bhp per ton).

Power to Weight(cont.):

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance, Torque. Use weight as well and you end up with - Torque per ton, with the Ford Thunderbird generating around 132.3 lb-ft per ton. If you're curious as to what other cars have as much torque to weight then look no further than the 2009 Volkswagen-VW Golf 2.0T GTi 16V (157.0 lb-ft per ton) or the 2010 Volkswagen-VW Scirocco 2.0 TSI DSG (157.0 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 7.50 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 7.7 secs, this made the Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen as fast as the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (7.50 secs) the 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.0 EcoBlue Wagon (7.50 secs) the 2017 Volkswagen-VW Golf GTD Variant 2.0 TDi DSG (7.50 secs) the or the 2017 Subaru Forester 2.0 XT Premium (7.50 secs). This Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen is also faster than the 2013 BMW i3 0.6l Hybrid (7.60 secs) the 2011 Fiat Punto Evo Abarth 1.4 Turbo (7.60 secs) the 2011 Abarth 500C 1.4 Turbo (7.60 secs) the and the 2010 Peugeot 308 1.6 GTi (7.60 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Thunderbird and the 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa

When talking about the performance of the Ford Thunderbird on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 17.26 secs @ 79.2 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa (17.19 secs), the 1997 Mitsubishi Pajero-Shogun Evolution 3.5 V6 (17.21 secs), and the 2008 Fiat 500 1.4 T-Jet Abarth Essessee (17.23 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 1987 version of the Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen has a maximum speed of 138mph.

Top Speed of the 1987 Thunderbird equals the 2022 BMW i7 xDrive60 (149 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 1987 Ford Thunderbird 2.3 Turbo 9th Gen then how about the 2022 BMW i7 xDrive60 (149 mph), the 2022 Porsche 911 Dakar 3.0 Turbo 992 II (149 mph), or the 2021 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo (149 mph).

Related Links:

1987 Thunderbird Rivals List.

A Brief History of Ford

Car Comparison