First year for the 'fox-body' Thunderbird, I think. This one's pretty basic. Looking up the '80 Thunderbird brochure, I was surprised to find a V8 was standard this year (4.2 liter - 255 cu in.), with the 5.0 (302) optional.
I had one, white with Porno Red interior, and loaded to the gills. If I hadn't been so foolish with it, I'd likely still have it, but I bounced off a telephone pole while screwing around behind the wheel.
The Thunderturd! Lord I hated these dressed Fairmonts. The LTDII-based older ones and the rounded newer ones was such nicer cars! But yes, the rounded ones were just these same cars in a new dress....amazing what stylists can do! I'd still like a T-Bird Turbo Coupe or mid-80's LX 5.0 Fox Bird. But these boxy ones....yucko!
The ultimate in ugly was when the headlight doors opened to reveal single square headlights. Even the same-age Cougar got four headlights.... Ohhh Do Not Want. Ha!
Must have been two awfully skinny people fitting between the steering wheel and seat? No bi-focals, on this one:
No no no, nothing like that. My co-worker was in his Celica, I was in the Bird (I called it White Bird, after the song by It's A Beautiful Day), we were trying to out maneuver each other on the way to someone's house for shooting pool and beer, so when he got ahead of me, I floored it, racing at him, dynamited the brakes, the nose swung left, I let off the brake, the nose swung back to the right, and the car, in a sideways rotational skid to the right, bounced off the power pole. Of course, we had been at a Christmas party earlier in the day, we had been drinking, but we were not drunk. I was just stupidly foolish and let the Bird get out of control. The rest of the story is that my co-worker pushed the Bird (the engine ran but the trans wouldn't engage) to the house we were headed to, tried to hide it behind other vehicles, but a cop found it, I talked to him, lied through my teeth that an engine mount broke and accelerated the car out of control. Not sure if he totally bought it, but he took my statement, didn't inspect the car, did not give me a breathalyzer, and nothing ever came of it.
At my place of work, they sometimes (it has become ever the less frequent) make certain employees do a breathalyzer. If I were to do it, it would likely break down, because it isn't used to functioning without alcohol.
I remember when that song came out. I was in high school on a lunch break when a classmate buddy told me about a cool song that he heard - may have already bought the album - don't remember.
