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- 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 Mazda-derived, M5R2 5-speed manual transmission or an AOD 4-speed automatic transmission. The Thunderbird Super Coupe was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1989, which Ford proudly advertised. When running at a maximum of 5600 rpm, the supercharger provided 12 psi of boost, producing 210 horsepower (160 kW) at 4000 rpm and 315 lb·ft (427 N·m) of torque at 2600 rpm under a 8.2:1 compression ratio. Accompanying the more powerful engine, Super Coupes were equipped with a host of 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 (standard Thunderbirds came with 15 x 6.0 inch steel wheels and 15 x 6.5 inch alloy wheels were optional), a Traction-Lok locking differential, standard anti-lock brakes, lower bodyside cladding, fog lights, and a better handling suspension with an adjustable ride control supplied by Tokico. In spite of the new Thunderbird's merits, it was considered a failure by Ford's top management. On January 17, 1989, Ford President Harold A. Poling, with Ford Chairman Don Petersen and Ford Executive Vice President Phil Benton looking on, lambasted the MN12 program's staff in a meeting for badly missing the Thunderbird and Cougars' weight and cost targets (250 lb heavier and $900 USD more per car than planned). This criticism came as a surprise to the program staff who expected to be praised for the Thunderbird and Cougars' technical achievements and positive reception. Anthony "Tony" S. Kuchta, manager of the MN12 program, was angered by Poling, not for his points about weight and cost overruns but rather that he directed his tirade at the program staff instead of at Kuchta who was responsible for all of the important decisions that determined the program's direction. Ironically, many of the decisions that Kuchta made regarding the MN12's development that resulted in the weight and cost overruns criticized by Poling were caused by the very things that set the MN12 cars apart from other cars in their class (such as rear-wheel drive and an independent rear suspension). Falling out of favor with Ford management after the Thunderbird and Cougars' launch, Kuchta voluntarily retired early from Ford in May 1989. For the 1991 model year, Ford reintroduced a V8 option with the 4.9 L (302 cu in) Windsor 5.0 V8. The engine was used through the 1993 model year and produced 200 horsepower (150 kW) at 4000 rpm and 275 lb·ft (373 N·m) of torque at 3000 rpm; gains of 35 horsepower (26 kW) and 25 lb·ft (34 N·m) of torque respectively over the 1988 Thunderbird, the previous Thunderbird to use this engine. Like the standard 3.8 L V6, the V8 was only mated to the AOD 4-speed automatic transmission. On the television program MotorWeek in a review of the 1991 Thunderbird and similar Mercury Cougar, a road test of a V8-equipped Thunderbird revealed that the car could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 9.2 seconds; approximately two seconds faster than a standard V6 Thunderbird but about two seconds slower than a Super Coupe. In 1994, the Thunderbird received some exterior updates. The front fascia saw substantial stylistic changes with larger air scoops in the bumper cover, new headlamps, and a new, slightly more curvaceous hood. At the center of this, the silver Thunderbird logo was moved onto the front bumper cover from the front lip of the hood where it was located previously. The Thunderbird's interior was completely redesigned with an emphasis on optimizing driver comfort and convenience to the utmost. The redesign featured a "wrap around" cockpit-style layout of instrumentation with a new steering wheel, radio, and climate controls and sweeping curves on the door panels and dashboard surfaces. Complementing the changes to the interior came added driver and passenger safety as Ford made dual front-side airbags standard on all 1994 Thunderbird models. Arguably the most dramatic change for 1994, however, was the new 4.6 L Modular SOHC V8 which replaced the "5.0" Windsor engine. The 4.6 L V8 produced 205 horsepower (153 kW) at 4500 rpm and 265 lb·ft (359 N·m) of torque at 3200 rpm and brought with it an updated powertrain control module, the EEC-V (base V6 Thunderbirds and Super Coupes continued to use the older EEC-IV). An electronically-controlled 4R70W 4-speed automatic transmission replaced the AOD automatic transmission in all instances where it was previously used in the Thunderbird. In 1994, the Thunderbird was once again reviewed on the television program MotorWeek and the new 4.6 L V8 was praised for its 40 lb lighter weight, smooth operation, and better throttle responsiveness over its overhead valve V8 predecessor. In spite of this and the 1994 Thunderbird's upgraded transmission, the performance gain over the previous model year Thunderbird was modest with 0 to 60 mph acceleration being completed in 9.0 seconds and a quarter-mile being completed in 16.8 seconds at 86 mph. The Super Coupe continued on in 1994 with the same supercharged 3.8 L V6 as before, but now with 230 horsepower (170 kW) at 4400 rpm and 330 lb·ft (447 N·m) of torque at 2500 rpm. This was made possible due to a number of changes. The Eaton M90 roots-type supercharger was given a larger, square style inlet, a larger attaching inlet plenum, and Teflon coated rotors. The engine received larger fuel injectors and an increase in compression to 8.6:1. In their March 1996 issue, Motor Trend magazine conducted a comparison test of a 1995 Thunderbird Super Coupe against the front-wheel drive Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 and a Buick Regal Gran Sport. The Super Coupe delivered the best overall performance, including a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 7.0 seconds and a completion of a quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds at 88.1 mph. In summarizing the overall performance of each car relative to each other, the author of the article, Don Sherman, wrote, "The Buick Regal is a competent, comfortable car at an attractive price, but it's too androgynous to be called a Gran Sport. Nothing about it is grand, and there isn't a sporting bone in its body. All the Monte Carlo needs to succeed is a V-8 engine and a year of refinement to eradicate its quality bugs. That leaves the Thunderbird SC as this test's big winner. It's a far more sophisticated solution to the four-place-coupe equation, but is priced accordingly. " In spite of positive critiques like this, the increases in output and performance over earlier Super Coupes would be short-lived, as the Thunderbird Super Coupe was discontinued after the 1995 model year due to slowing sales. For the 1996 model year, the Thunderbird received its last refresh. Available in LX (V6 or V8) or Sport (V8 only) trims, the cars received redesigned headlights, smoother front and rear fascias, body side cladding, and differently styled wheels (15 inch on LX, 16 inch on Sport). The car's taillights were revised with the black paint on the bottom quarter of the lenses being removed (previously, this paint was put on the taillights of LX Thunderbirds but omitted on the Super Coupe). The Thunderbird nameplate, which was previously positioned over this black paint on the driver side taillight, was moved above the taillight and its font was changed to a new, italicized style. With the revised front fascia, a small, egg-crate style grille (with the silver Thunderbird logo at its center) was added, giving the Thunderbird a traditional grille for the first time since the mid-1980s. The hood was redesigned with a slight bulge, which was necessary to fit the updated 4.6 L engine's taller intake manifold, now composite. The V8 models were tuned to make 210 horsepower (160 kW) at 4250 rpm and 290 lb·ft (393 N·m) of torque at 3000 rpm, an increase of 25 lb·ft (34 N·m) of torque over the 4.6 L V8s used in 1994 and 1995 Thunderbirds. In another comparison test conducted by Motor Trend against a Monte Carlo Z34, a Thunderbird with the updated 4.6 L V8 accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds and completed a quarter-mile run in 15.8 seconds at 88.4 mph. Unfortunately for owners, the all-composite intake had a tendency to crack and leak antifreeze. Some 1997s are covered by a class action lawsuit settled by Ford late in 2005 (see Intake Manifold Defect for details). The base LX model continued to use the 3.8 L V6 as its engine but now made use of the EEC-V computer which before was only found in 4.6 L V8-equipped models. Torque output from the V6 remained the same as before at 215 lb·ft (292 N·m) (though at 2750 rpm versus 2400 rpm) but power increased to 145 horsepower (108 kW) at 4000 rpm for 1996. In 1997, Ford made few notable changes, trying to save as much money as they could on the floundering coupe. On the exterior, the Thunderbird logo in the grille on early 1997 Thunderbirds have turquoise feet. However, late production 1997 models do not have these turquoise feet because Ford ran out of the inserts and decided not to go to the trouble of adding them to a car that was about to be discontinued. Also on some late 1997 models, the seven-spoke, 15x6.5-inch alloy wheels available on LX models of the 1993, 1994, and 1995 Thunderbirds briefly returned with a chrome finish instead of with the silver paint used originally. The wheels were left over from the earlier model years and, with their new finish, were made available as a special option near the Thunderbird's discontinuation. Inside, the instrument cluster was changed from a six gauge layout (speedometer, tachometer, fuel, coolant temperature, oil pressure and voltmeter) to a four gauge layout (speedometer, tachometer, fuel, coolant temperature), similar to that previously used on the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable of the time. Lastly, the Thunderbird's options list was abbreviated to a power sunroof, power driver seat, remote keyless entry, and a CD player. Toward the end of the MN12 Thunderbird's production run, Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) division explored the idea of a new high performance Thunderbird, producing four prototypes. Stylistically the SVE Thunderbirds blended elements from the 1994-1995 and 1996-1997 Thunderbirds along with elements unique to themselves. The SVE Thunderbird used the headlights, door handles, and rear bumper cover from the 1994-1995 Thunderbird and front fascia and body side cladding from the 1996-1997 Thunderbird. Unique to the SVE Thunderbird relative to other Thunderbirds were 17-inch, five spoke Cobra R wheels, larger dual exhaust tips, a different lower section of the front fascia with fog lights, a unique spoiler, and a prominent cowl hood. The most significant difference that set the SVE Thunderbird apart from other Thunderbirds was its supercharged 4.6 L DOHC V8 engine, similar to that later found in the SVT Mustang Cobra. Power was delivered to the wheels via a Tremec T-45 5-speed manual transmission. Stopping the SVE Thunderbird were larger brakes taken from the Mustang Cobra (going along with its Cobra R wheels). In spite of its potential, this high performance Thunderbird was not meant to be as Ford not only pulled the plug on this project, but on the entire Thunderbird and Cougar line, with the 1997 model year being its last. On September 4, 1997, the final MN12 Thunderbird was built at Ford's assembly plant in Lorain, Ohio. As it rolled down the assembly line, a sign saying "That's All Folks" adorned the decklid.
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