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1983 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe - Last 22 Years In Garage on 2040-cars

Year:1983 Mileage:76418 Color: Black /
 Charcoal
Location:

Saint Charles, Illinois, United States

Saint Charles, Illinois, United States
Transmission:5-speed manual
Engine:Turbocharged 2.3 litre 4
Vehicle Title:Clear
VIN: 1FABP46W1DH122371 Year: 1983
Exterior Color: Black
Make: Ford
Interior Color: Charcoal
Model: Thunderbird
Trim: Turbo Coupe
Warranty: As is
Drive Type: RWD
Options: Cassette Player
Mileage: 76,418
Safety Features: Driver Airbag
Sub Model: Turbo Coupe
Power Options: Cruise Control
Condition: UsedA vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections.Seller Notes:"This car has been sitting in a garage for 22 years. It has not been started since 1991, when it ran well, but was parked after springing a coolant leak that I didn't get around to fixing. It suffered hail damage in 1986 that was repaired, but couple of dimples have reappeared. The engine was replaced at 53,146 miles with a factory remanufactured engine after the head gasket failed in the original. The tires are nearly 25 years old, and not safe to drive on."

This car was one of the first Turbo Coupes to be on the road.  The 1983 Thunderbird, with it's very aerodynamic body caught people's eyes.  Halfway into the model year, the Turbo Coupe grabbed their attention with it's turbo-charged motor, 5-speed manual transmission, and limited-slip differential.  All Thunderbirds were nice riding cars.  The Turbo Coupes were nice driving cars.

I bought this car new in Dallas, TX on May 26, 1983.  It is from the very first production run of Turbo Coupes.
Like most of those first Turbo Coupes, it sit and draw traffic into the dealer's showroom.  I blew the plan apart.  I was getting my car fixed when  the Turbo Coupe arrived in a shipment of new cars.  I asked for a test drive before they got it off the truck, and we took a very entertaining ride in the un-prepped bird.  I bought the car on the spot.  Unfortunately, the owner didn't take kindly to losing his traffic draw and fired the salesman.

I couldn't part with the T-bird when I bought my next car.   When it sprang a coolant leak, I parked up against the wall in my garage, meaning to fix it.  It sat there 22 years.  Now we need to move and I can't take it with me.

Warning: This car hasn't been started in 22 years. Please don't try to start it without taking the appropriate steps.

Notes:

I blew the head gasket after 56,000 miles. Instead of replacing the gasket, I replaced the engine with a factory rebuilt.
The car was in a hailstorm in 1996. The damage was repaired, but a couple of dimples reappeared.
The paint on the passenger side of the trunklid is damaged. The rest looks pretty good, especially for a 30 year old car.
The tires are nearly 25 years old. You will not want to try driving on them. 

Fun note: I tried the inflatable lumbar support on the passenger seat and it works.  Didn't try the driver's side.
It still has the original space-saver spare, but I don't know if it will hold air after all these years.
Car includes the original owner's manual.



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Auto blog

Former Ford CEO Mulally won't run for president

Mon, 15 Sep 2014

Alan Mulally will not be following his successful term as president and CEO of Ford Motor Company with a run at an even bigger presidency. Rumors that the 68-year-old former Boeing exec would make a run at the White House sprouted after his apparent dodging of a reporter's questions about a potential candidacy during a forum in Indianapolis.
"I really think it's important that we all pull together. We really need to pull together around a compelling vision for our country and a comprehensive strategy to do it and work together. We really need to do it," Mulally said at the conference, according to The Detroit News.
He's since clarified by saying, "[I'm] honored at the suggestion, but that is not a role I am considering."

American automakers fall in latest Fortune 500 rankings

Fri, 10 May 2013

Not that it means anything beyond bragging rights, but if you're fixated on the positions of domestic automakers on the annual Fortune 500 list, both General Motors and Ford are still on it but they've slipped a couple of notches. The list ranks American companies and they're ordered solely by revenue. GM, fifth last year, came in seventh, while Ford fell from ninth to tenth even though both companies saw small gains in annual revenue.
GM's $152.3 billion in revenue was less than a third of that of the first company on the list: Wal-Mart, which regained the title from Exxon Mobil. Berkshire Hathaway and Apple are the firms that moved GM down. Ford, displaced by energy company Valero, had $134.3 billion in revenue.
On a side note, profitability isn't a factor, but both GM and Ford were down in this year's list compared to last year's: GM declined from $9.2 billion to $6.2 billion, Ford fell from $20.2 billion to $5.6 billion. If profits were included, Exxon Mobil would probably still be king: although the energy company made almost $20 billion less in revenue than Wal-Mart's $469.2 billion, it posted $44.9 billion in profit compared to Wal-Mart's $17 billion.

This is what a 3D-printed liquid metal Ford Torino looks like

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Artist Ioan Florea has encapsulated a 1971 Ford Torino with 3-D-printed liquid metal transferred onto the car using technology that he developed, and the result is a stunningly shiny, seamless design.
"The surface has the highest coefficient of reflectivity never achieved before," Florea told us in an e-mail, using "nano-materials and nano-pigments that create an internal three-dimensional structure and dictate the polymer how to behave." Sure... We'll leave it to him to make any more 3-D-printed liquid metal-transferred art pieces.
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