History

	In 1985 the top executives for Ford Motor Company were looking for a new platform for the Thunderbird to replace the aging "fox bodied" 1983-1988 aero birds.  Anthony "Tony" S. Kuchta was given the task to create the new Thunderbird to debut in 1989. The new Thunderbird project was code named MN12, which stood for Mid-sized North America Project 12. Tony decided to stay with the rear wheel drive platform instead of following rival GM in converting their mid-sized cars to front wheel drive. Most people believe the Thunderbird was designed to compete with the mid-sized GM cars of the day, but Tony set his sights on the European luxury cars such as BMW and Mercedes. In order to compete, the new Thunderbird had to be aerodynamic, with plenty of power, excellent handling, a smooth ride, and lots of comfort. To achieve their ride and handling goals, the new Thunderbird would have independant rear suspension (IRS), which at that time was only available on the Chevrolet Corvette. By using IRS, the designers were able to move the fuel tank forward of the rear axle to give the car a better center of gravity and more luggage capacity. Because the rear wheels move independant of each other, the tires are able to stay in better contact with the road during hard cornering, for better handling, and to help smooth out rough roads.  To give the driver a better sense of control, the rear suspension also used a toe control link to reduce toe-out during hard braking and hard cornering. The designers also dropped the simple MacPherson strut front suspension of the fox body chassis for a coil over shock arrangement using unequal length upper and lower control arms. There were several AWD drive thunderbird SCs made as prototypes but in the end the cost of an all wheel drive car were too great to put into production. As of now, I only know of one in existence and is currently owned by the SCCOA.
	The new high performance Thunderbird was called the "Super Coupe," or Thunderbird SC. This was a  Thunderbird that came standard with a super charged V6 engine, ABS brakes, traction-Loc axle, lower body cladding, unique front and rear bumper fascia, special front seats, and automatic adjustable suspension with 16" wheels. The Thunderbird SC came standard with a five-speed manual transmission.
	The new thunderbird would also be the first generation thunderbird absent of the optional V8 engine. All new thunderbirds would be powered by the essex 3.8 liter V6 engine. The standard and LX thunderbird would be powered by the EFI 3.8L, 140hp V6 engine while the SC or Supercoupe would be powered by the super charged 210hp V6 engine. The 5.0L V8 engine would return in 1991 as an optional engine for the LX thunderbird.
	The new thunderbird debut at Ford dealership across the nation in December 1988 and it did not disappoint.  Tony and his design team accomplished every goal for the car they had envisioned and met thier competition head on.  The car recieved rave reviews from automotive enthusiast and took home the coveted Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1989. In January 1989 the design team gathered to be honored for the thunderbird's achievments and accolades. Even though the car was well recieved by the public, not everyone was happy with the new thunderbird. Ford had set its own goals for the car and the new thunderbird missed its target in two important areas, weight and cost. During the ceremony, Fords President Harold A Poling, Ford Chairman Don Peterson and Ford Executive Vice President Phil Benton demonished the team for the car being 250 pounds overweight and $900.00 above cost. It is ironic that the very things that made the new thunderbird special were the reasons for the weight and cost over runs. Tony was furious with the president for lambasting his team for the decisions he had made and in May 1989 Tony made the decision to retire from Ford Motor Company.
	The thunderbird would remain unchanged through 89 and 90 with just a few exceptions. For 91 the biggest change was the addition of the optional 5.0 liter V8 engine. For 92 we saw a few significant changes for the thunderbird. The super coupe no longer had the letter "SC" embossed into the front bumper cover and the SC front bumper cover was now standard on all thunderbirds, a move I applauded as I thought the standard bumper cover in the previous years never flowed well with the thunderbird's sleek lines. The biggest change was at the rear of the car. The squared non-lit trunk reflectors were replaced with a more rounded LED lit trunk reflector. The trunk also changed to accomondate the new lights. For 93 the thunderbird recieved a new set of wheels that were now directional. I always thought the 89-92 wheels design were more pleasing to the eye but could have been better if they were made directional. Both the LX and the SC  received new wheels. The thunderbird changed significantly in 1994. The 5.0 engine was replaced by an all new modular 4.6L SOHC V8. The exterior also recieved a new hood, headlamps, front and rear bumper covers and side molding. The interior was completely redesigned. Air bags arrived replacing the automatic seat belts. This required a completely new dash, console and door panels. With just a few exceptions the 95 Thunderbird was nearly identicle to the 94. In 1996 the Thunderbird was beginning to loose its appeal in Fords eyes. Popular options were deleated in an effort to cut costs including the Super Coupe. The car did recieve a few changes to the exterior. The hood bulged up to accomondate the newer 4.6 engine. The front bumper cover now had a larger grill with a new Thunderbird emblem and clear head lamps. The rear bumper cover changed slightly with the body lines looking similar to the 94/95 SC. The side molding was replaced with full color keyed lower body cladding. By mid 1997 Ford announced the end of the Thunderbird. The 97 Thunderbird saw even more options deleted and the gages were replaced with the Ford Taurus version.     In my opinion, and its controversial, I think the 94/95 thunderbirds and especially the SCs are overall the best years of all the MN12 cars. The automatic shoulder restraints and the lack of air bags in the 89-93 cars made these cars less appealing to drive. I do however, think these year were the best looking. The lack of an SC option and a front bumper absent of fog lights among other popular options made the 96/97 thunderbird less appealing as well.