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Topic: Need data on 88 Sport Coupes (Read 8470 times) previous topic - next topic

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Until a couple of months ago I did not realize that Ford made a Thunderbird Sport Coupe in 1988.
My brother bought one recently in Des Moines Iowa and we have had quite a time trying to locate very much data about them.

Now on our local Craigslist there are two  88 Sport Coupes advertised for sale.
My first question is: just how common are they, and does anyone on this forum have production numbers for them?
thx
Ron
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go?    (M. M.)

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #1 –
They're probably less common than the TurboCoupes. I own one. At some point Marti (Marti Auto Works) will have numbers and data on them, but it will not be anytime soon I think.
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #2 –
Quote from: ThunderbirdSport302;404336
They're probably less common than the TurboCoupes. I own one. At some point Marti (Marti Auto Works) will have numbers and data on them, but it will not be anytime soon I think.

I did talk to them. Marti said they should have the info in a year or two.

Sports are kinda of rare, especially 87 Sports. In 87 you could order a LX with the articulated seats and floor shift. The Sport in 87 had the base seats and interior but instead of the buttstuffog cluster it had the full digital cluster. I have seen quite a few 88 Sports, but only 1 87 Sport, and that was in a wrecking yard.
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #3 –
Quote from: ThunderbirdSport302;404336
They're probably less common than the TurboCoupes. I own one. At some point Marti (Marti Auto Works) will have numbers and data on them, but it will not be anytime soon I think.

Quote from: thunderjet302;404338
I did talk to them. Marti said they should have the info in a year or two.

Sports are kinda of rare, especially 87 Sports. In 87 you could order a LX with the articulated seats and floor shift. The Sport in 87 had the base seats and interior but instead of the buttstuffog cluster it had the full digital cluster. I have seen quite a few 88 Sports, but only 1 87 Sport, and that was in a wrecking yard.

Thanks for the info.
I am going to look at an 88 Sport Coupe tomorrow afternoon that only has 69,000 original miles and is said to be in excellent condition in and out, except that the external rear view mirrors were recently ripped off by vandals.
I don't know if there was any body damage done near the mirrors at that time, but evidently the vandals did key one side of the car.
If it looks like an easy restore, I plan to purchase it.....that is, if we can agree on a price.
Ron
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go?    (M. M.)

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #4 –
My car comes up as a sport when I enter the vin for insurance quotes online, but it was originally a column shift car. Only the speedometer is digital. I had assumed thats what it was.

turbo charged 94 Cobra engine/440cc injectors/megasquirt /5 speed swapped (T5)/maxbox upper intake/70mm PP throttle body/AJE coilovers/2003 Mustang control arms/S.T. sway bars/ES rear control arm bushings/11" brake conversion/manual rack conversion/8.8 TC rear with rear discs and a welded diff/3.73 gears/PLX wideband/199mph speedometer/Aeromotive FPR/CNC hydraulic hand brake/cobra R wheels/....ect.

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #5 –
If the VIN is something like 1FABP[COLOR="red"]61[/COLOR]F6JH123456 it's a Sport, the 61 identifies the model...

60 is base bird, 61 Sport, 62 LX & 64 Turbo Coupe...

BTW this info applies to '87 & '88 only...

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #6 –
That right there.^^
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #7 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;404354
If the VIN is something like 1FABP[COLOR="red"]61[/COLOR]F6JH123456 it's a Sport, the 61 identifies the model...

60 is base bird, 61 Sport, 62 LX & 64 Turbo Coupe...

BTW this info applies to '87 & '88 only...

Hey TurboCoupe50 thanks for the tip on the VIN numbering .

By the way,
The guy with the Sport Coupe in Phoenix for sale on Craigslist called me about an hour before we were supposed to meet to check out the car. He said "someone who had seen the ad this morning came by and bought the car on the spot". Last night the owner told me  that the earliest that he would be available to show the car today was 2:00 PM.......with some people, an appointment means nothing if they see the chance to make a quick buck. Obviously I wasn't supposed to get this one for some reason and that works for me (because I know who is really in charge of these things).
Ron
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go?    (M. M.)

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #8 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;404338
I did talk to them. Marti said they should have the info in a year or two.

Sports are kinda of rare, especially 87 Sports. In 87 you could order a LX with the articulated seats and floor shift. The Sport in 87 had the base seats and interior but instead of the buttstuffog cluster it had the full digital cluster. I have seen quite a few 88 Sports, but only 1 87 Sport, and that was in a wrecking yard.
My '87 was a Sport, and it was the only one I'd ever seen. Rust claimed it...
2015 Mustang GT Premium - 5.0, 6-speed, Guard Green - too much awesome for one car

1988 5.0 Thunderbird :birdsmily: SOLD SEPT 11 2010: TC front clip/hood ♣ Body & paint completed Oct 2007 ♣ 3.55 TC rear end and front brakes ♣ TC interior ♣ CHE rear control arms (adjustable lowers) ♣ 2001 Bullitt springs ♣ Energy suspension poly busings ♣ Kenne Brown subframe connectors ♣ CWE engine mounts ♣ Thundercat sequential turn signals ♣ Explorer overhead console (temp/compass display) ♣ 2.25" off-road dual exhaust ♣ T-5 transmission swap completed Jan 2009 ♣

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #9 –
My 87 Bird is also a sport, it came from the factory with a floor shift auto, 2.73 limited slip, and it had a power driver seat. Now their is nothing stock or factory except for the body.:D
Donnie
10 Second NA TBird
Fredericksburg Va

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #10 –
Tbird sport was the same basic package as the 87 Mercury Cougar XR7.  Seems like it to me.  I wonder what the production numbers are for the 87-88 Sport???  There are over 25000 TC made in 1988 alone.

Travis

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #11 –
Quote from: turbotrav;404617
Tbird sport was the same basic package as the 87 Mercury Cougar XR7.  Seems like it to me.  I wonder what the production numbers are for the 87-88 Sport???  There are over 25000 TC made in 1988 alone.

Travis

 
According to the figures that I have, you are correct about more than 25,000 TCs in 88.

1988 Thunderbird
Hardtop 109,991
No breakdown on Base, LX, Sport Coupe
Turbo Coupe 37,252
Total 147,243

I have never seen breakdown figures for the non TCs made in 88.
Ron
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go?    (M. M.)

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #12 –
Quote from: BLKBRD88;404759
According to the figures that I have, you are correct about more than 25,000 TCs in 88.

1988 Thunderbird
Hardtop 109,991
No breakdown on Base, LX, Sport Coupe
Turbo Coupe 37,252
Total 147,243

I have never seen breakdown figures for the non TCs made in 88.
Ron

 

With almost 110,000 being base, LX & Sport plus the fact the base and LX likely outsold the Sport 2:1, I'd guess the Sports totaled in the low 20K range... Though judging by the number I've seen, possibly not even that many were built...

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #13 –
In person, I've seen 4 different '7-'8 TCs. An '88 in the junkyard that I got my hood and rear from, an '88 (belonged to 88turbo) another '87-8 that I saw in Brookfield a few times, and the '88 I parted in 2006. I've owned two '88 3.8 cars, an '88 Sport, and of course the '88 TC that I took apart years ago.

The only other Sport that I've seen in person was an '87 in the junkyard...I took the engine from it in a failed attempt to build it into an HO for my white car.

I will stand by my opinion that the '87-'88 Sport Birds are the rarest of all the final 2 years' worth of Aero Bird productions. It would certainly seem that by Tom's knowledge, and i wouldn't take his experience lightly by any means.
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Need data on 88 Sport Coupes

Reply #14 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;404845
With almost 110,000 being base, LX & Sport plus the fact the base and LX likely outsold the Sport 2:1, I'd guess the Sports totaled in the low 20K range... Though judging by the number I've seen, possibly not even that many were built...

I found this online today

1988 Thunderbird production percentages
V6                46.3%
V8                28.4%
TC                25.3%
Manual Trans 15.4%
Sunroofs      12.9%

If correct, then slightly over one out of four Base, LX, Sport Coupes were V8s.

28.4% of 109,991=31,237 total V8s.
 I am sure that many of the 31,237 V8s were in Base or LX models. That should leave the Sport Coupes down in the 20K or less area, as you say.
Ron
PS Thunderbird Registry has 236 "88"  LX & Base cars registered compared to 71 Sport Coupes registered = more than 3/1 ratio. The 87s were 209 to 36 almost 6/1 ratio
Not that these figures are anything conclusive, but may give us some idea.
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go?    (M. M.)