Powered by a variant of the Mustang SVO drivetrain, the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe was developed as a high-performance variant. The 4.9 L V8 (5.0 L by Ford) made its return for 1983, coupled with the first (and only) four-cylinder Thunderbird. The ninth-generation of the Thunderbird is derived from the Ford Fox platform, as with 1980 Thunderbird (though with a shorter wheelbase).

As a central theme of the design, the ninth-generation Thunderbird marks the introduction of highly aerodynamic body design to Ford vehicles in North America (reducing its drag coefficient from 0.50 to 0.35), followed by similarly designed model lines, including the 1984 Ford Mustang SVO, 1984 Ford Tempo, 1986 Ford Aerostar, and 1986 Ford Taurus. While remaining a personal luxury coupe (to minimize overlap with the Ford Mustang), the redesign of the Thunderbird marked a transition of the model range, emphasizing performance and handling over outright luxury and comfort content. In response to the sales downturn of the 1980–1982 Thunderbird, the Thunderbird underwent an extensive model revision for the 1983 model year. The ninth generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 1983 to 1988 model years.

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