88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Topic: 88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird. (Read 1306 times) previous topic - next topic

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

December 25, 2014, 03:15:20 AM

Looked at this on Ebay tonight. Didn't know such a package existed. Nice car with a nice price tag.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Thunderbird-MACH-1-EDITION-1988-ford-thunderbird-turbo-coupe-mach-1-special-edition-red-5-speed-/141512535596?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20f2cdee2c&item=141512535596&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #1 – December 25, 2014, 10:28:49 AM

Yup, pretty uncommon. I'd like it a little more if it had the snowflakes on it though. :)

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #2 – December 25, 2014, 01:25:24 PM

Never even heard of that one. Thought I knew most of them.....

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #3 – December 25, 2014, 02:01:57 PM

Is that a bottle I spy?

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #4 – December 25, 2014, 09:01:19 PM

love how he didnt show the top of the dash in any of the interior pics.

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #5 – December 26, 2014, 12:45:14 AM

The wheels and interior on that car make me sad. They ruin the look of the car.

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #6 – December 26, 2014, 01:31:51 AM

Been covered before here:
http://natomessageboard.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=71915

and here:

http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?19398-Mach-1-Edition

the most relevant portion from the old thread:

I came across one several years ago and it caught my attention because of the bright red color, which I knew was not in any of the literature and started looking into it more.

From my “research” this is what I have pieced together so far:

The Mach 1 edition was basically a last “hurrah” if you will at the end of its production run in June/July 1988.
Ford offered the Turbo Coupe in two colors that were not available on the Thunderbird previously and were not even available on any other Ford/Lincoln/Mercury at the time, Bright Red & Titanium Frost
They were “pull ahead” colors that were going to be used on 1989 & 1990 model vehicles.

There is no known documentation to say how many were built of each color, but I ran into a couple of Ford employees at a car show held on the grounds of the world headquarters in Dearborn a few years ago that were familiar with the car and they both agreed that it was about 500 total.
Again, I stress that there is no known documentation to back this or any other production number up.

Other than the special paint color and a small 1/4 window decal, there is nothing different about them than a regular 1988 Turbo Coupe.

Quote Originally Posted by bhazard View Post
Its rare enough to see one with the window decals, Ive never heard of a plaque!
I agree, I have yet to see a plaque on any of the cars I have come across. I wouldn't doubt that an enthusiastic previous owner or possible the selling dealer themselves had it made for the car.

So far I have come across about a dozen or so of these cars and all have been the Bright Red color and all were built in May or June of 1988 (production of all 1988 Thunderbirds officially ended on July 31st.
I have yet to see one in the Titanium Frost color, there has been some claims by some on the message boards to have seen them, but no one has produced proof of one in that color.

Many of the owners of these cars don’t know that they have a limited edition car, and I even ran across one guy who had owned the car for a couple of years and never noticed the window decal.

Other than what was printed on the window sticker (and subsequently the invoice), this is the only documentation that has surfaced so far “explaining” the car.
It was posted by someone on the NATO message board and he said it was an insert that he found in his owners manual.

*Thunderbird Mach 1 Turbo Coupe
*Description of special paint colors

1990 Titanium Frost

"This is a promising new execution of a type of paint which is expected to become highly popular and widely available within the auto industry within the next 2-3 years. It represents a reliable, mass production interpretation of the expensive flip-flop pearl paints used on custom show cars over the last decade. In normal light it appears to be about halfway between Driftwood clearcoat (6B) and silver clearcoat metallic (92). From different angles, however it appears to be a true silver metallic, while from yet additional angles it can appear to be a pale gold metallic or a silver with the slightest hint of red. Rest assured, the affect is very subtle, and in good taste,and should be an excellent compliment to Turbo Coupe's rounded aero styling."

1989 Vermillion Red

" A much brighter red than has recently been available...similar to, but with more red (less orange) than the Probe signal red (C2).
The current generation ( 1987/1988) Turbo Coupe was never painted in any type of non-metalic red until now. This color will be available in 1989 on Thunderbird, Mustang, and Escort. People who have seen 1989 prototypes finished in this color report that it is an outstanding paint color."

*Paint samples not available
"Due to program timing, and the difficulty of obtaining samples in Field Manager count for the twelve partiting Districts, we will not attempt to provide you with paint samples. Please use the above descriptions with partiting dealers."

Brent

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #7 – December 27, 2014, 09:22:34 PM

I worked on a Titanium Frost bird in late 1988. I was a painter in the body shop of the local Ford dealer at the time. I think I painted a trunk lid spoiler and fixed a couple dents from a transportation claim.Thought the color was kinda different but it matched pretty good. Saw the sticker for Mach 1 but really did not know how this car was different. It was owned by a Police Officer and had a plate that read "9MM NUT"

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #8 – January 06, 2015, 11:51:33 PM

I want that hood.

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #9 – January 07, 2015, 12:35:24 AM

Quote from: ringosc;442551

I want that hood.

Just a normal TC hood....

I've got one in my shop, hanging on the wall. Deep shadow blue color, one dent in the top that's hard to see. Make a road trip, and take it home with ya

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #10 – January 07, 2015, 03:46:07 AM

Your right it's just a normal tc hood, so basically the paint is what makes them different from all the others. I had a 92 super coupe that had that bright red, that paint looked deep after a good buffing.

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #11 – January 14, 2015, 03:10:18 PM

Be a nice scam to run, Just order a couple $2 dollar stickers and put them on the window and you got a mach1, heck call it a mach 2 and say only one was made. lol. Titles are not like money and they can be fudged. Be real easy if ya worked at the DMV,

88 Mach 1 Turbo Bird.

Reply #12 – January 14, 2015, 04:56:34 PM

It's the paint code that is hard to scam.... LOL.