Aerodynamic 1983 Ford Thunderbird

During the mid-1980s Ford Motor Company was the first American manufacturer to make strong use of wind tunnel testing to shape cars.  This was in reaction to government pressure for increased fuel efficiency.  The first production example of Ford's effort was the 1983 Ford Thunderbird, along with the Mercury Cougar that shared the basic body.

I wrote this post comparing Thunderbirds to 1983-88 Mercury Cougars.  And here I made a design evolution comparison of Thunderbirds to Ford's Mustang over five decades.  It showed that Thunderbird styling theme continuity was weak -- essentially a wide C-pillar that failed to appear in some Thunderbird body generations.

Perhaps I shouldn't mention this, but why not?  Recall that during the 1970s and early '80s cars tended to feature crisp, boxy lines.  The '83 Thunderbird's shape was in stark contrast to that, and my reaction at the time was that the Thunderbird's shape reminded me of a man's shoe.

Photos of 1983 Thunderbirds are below.  All are either "for sale" cars or are publicity images from Ford and its advertising agency.  Keep in mind that 1983 Thunderbird styling exhibited almost no continuity with previous designs.  The main carry-over from the previous design was gridded grille bars.

Gallery

A 1985 Thunderbird that was essentially identical to 1983 models.  The overall impression is softness, though the grille, headlight assemblies and dark bumper-side rub bar offered some contrast.

Side view.  The C-pillar is thick, the only (occasional) long-term Thunderbird visual brand identification element, weak though it seems here.

Viewed from head-on, the impression of softness is minimized.

Rear quarter view.  Aerodynamic spoilers, now almost universal, had yet to appear.  Below are three images served up as Thunderbird publicity for 1983.